Just want to buy a pair of New Balance right now? New Balance.
New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. started in 1906 in Belmont, Massachusetts as the New Balance Arch Company. The brainchild of English immigrant William J. Riley, a 33-year old waiter. The company made and sold orthopedic shoe accessories and arch supports in a triangular shape based on a chicken’s foot, which Riley claimed gave a person perfect balance.
Jennifer Garner wearing her NB W99 running shoes on her coffee run.
The company moved forward when Riley hired a salesman named Arthur Hall in 1927. Seven years later, Hall was a partner in the company and struck pay dirt when he found his market – people that were forced to work standing up. The company continued to prosper and in 1956, Hall sold his share of the business to Eleanor Kidd, his daughter, and her husband Paul.
Later on the company expanded to orthopedic shoes and stuck to these two products for most of the 20th century. While they were not a famous company, they existed solely through the rock-solid reputation built on years of quality craftsmanship.
In 1960, New Balance started producing specialty footwear designed specifically for baseball and track and field called the “Trackster.” This ingenious shoe was the first to sport a rippled sole and also the first with varied widths available. It soon became the most popular shoe among students that were part of the YMCA programs and were also adapted by college track teams like MIT and Boston University for their cross-country running teams. Other schools all across America were quick to follow.
Josh Duhamel takes his NB 455 shoes out shopping
Unfortunately, despite its popularity, sales of the track shoe were not good outside the school runner’s market. The company was up for sale and the current owner, Jim Davis, bought it in 1972, which was coincidentally the day of the Boston Marathon.
At the time of purchase, there were only six workers producing 30 shoes a day for orders done through mail and for a few stores. Davis and his wife Anne pledged to maintain the company’s reputation that centered on the commitment to the individual, exceptional customer services, and products of the highest quality. That pledge was soon rewarded, as Boston became the center of the running craze that epitomized the Boston sports scene in the 1970s.
The little company soon found itself awash with orders and they were able to grow and expand their product line. Their sales went beyond anyone’s wildest dream and that’s when the Davises started to visualize making New Balance into a global company.
Kanye West in his NB 997-5 at the Vivienne Westwood Red Label show in London
What makes New Balance different from their bigger competitors is they have a manufacturing facility in the US and another manufacturing facility in the UK to make approximately 30% of their shoes sold in the EU. They’re also one of the few manufacturers to make shoes in varying widths. Men have a choice of 2A, B, D, 2E, 4E, and 6E.Women’s shoes come in 4A, 2A, B, D, 2E, and 4E in sizes 5 to 20 for adults, sizes 6 to 8.5 for children and sizes 2 to 8 for infants. Also peculiar to New Balance is that after the “Trackster,” no other shoe had a name, only numbers. This was done to show that each shoe follows the New Balance philosophy and that each one receives the same amount of attention and care as the rest. And more surprisingly, they refuse to spend a lot of money on advertising and endorsements with famous athletes.
This dislike of pricey athletes and advertising campaigns came from a bittersweet partnership with then LA Lakers MVP James Worthy. Bitten by the Air Jordan bug in 1985, New Balance tried for its own version of success with the “James Worthy” line to the tune of a promotional contract worth one million dollars.
Kevin McHale using NB 993 in "Glee"
Unfortunately, New Balance was not able to keep up with the bigger footwear giants, Nike and Adidas, when it came to advertising funds and sponsorships. They shut down the basketball sneaker production due to lack of funds. Then, with Worthy moving on to the bigger basketball shoe manufacturers, New Balance became known by its new slogan, “Endorsed by No One.”
James Worthy moved on to the bigger basketball shoe manufacturers, and New Balance became known by its new slogan, “Endorsed by No One.” The re-releases of the former Worthy shoes,the 740s, 640s,785s, 790s, 991s, and 999s, which were all previous hits during their first releases, now had no signature of the basketball great on them.
Mike Myers at the "Shrek" premiere in his NB 993
New Balance is still going strong, and is very popular for their extremely comfortable shoes that fit those with shoe problems really well. It’s used for everyday walking,aerobics, and running by the consumers and are very well reviewed.
The New Balance Company now makes sneakers for a variety of uses, from their foundation running shoes to casual street shoes, hiking boots, and basketball shoes. They also own other shoe companies, namely Dunham, PF Flyers, Aravon, Warrior, and Brine.
New Balance can be contacted at their head office at:
Brighton Landing
20 Guest St.
Boston, MA
02135
Phone: 617-783-4000
Fax: 617-787-9355
Toll Free: 800-622-1218
www.newbalance.com
Purchase your own pair of New Balance right now!
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