Page 31 - Shoeman no ch 1

Goodyear Welted Plant 27
GEORGE BOOTS
A George boot is based on an English design that is of military origin. The vamp, or front, of the boot is one piece of leather that has to be blocked (pre-shaped) before lasting. The back of around 7" has a loose strap and buckle round it that is stitched to the front.
In the late 60s we were contacted by an American sales agent. He had represented a local company that went bankrupt. It was Bignells, the company I had worked with for 6 months prior to going to the shoe college. I can assure you I was not to blame for the bankruptcy. Ken Tingle, the manager, retired to be followed by management weakness making shoes below cost to keep busy and hoping things would improve rather than getting stuck in and studying how to make savings. For two years Arnold Held, our agent, sold medium order volume classic shoes. It did involve me in attend- ing the New York show each year which was quite boring due to inactivity. He said I had ‘springs in my arse’ as, unless I was selling, I felt it was a waste of time. I have since attended many shows abroad where you have to wait around and, eventually, it happens. His main company was one large Spanish company which was well-es- tablished into the market and this was his priority. Then, after two years of moderate sized orders, he came up with what proved to be a “Jackpot”. A request from the Dexter Shoe Company in New England for a George Boot. We responded quickly with a sample and they were immediately interested. At a later date, I worked out exactly why they were so enthusiastic. In my experience Americans never take you into their con dence or share their policy. Maybe this is normal. It is always a gen- eralisation and never speci c yet there has to be a touch of drama. Anyway, Dexter had a volume business in the American college market with Penny Loafers which is a low heel slip-on shoe supposedly with a penny in the cross strap. The trend was going towards George Boots but the Dexter name was a leader in this important col- lege market and England was seen as a vital part for the latest fashion. It is apparent the American young had been well indoctrinated into branding by the early 70’s. For two years Dexter was our biggest customer. We had to increase our welted plant from 7,500 pairs per week to almost 10,000 pairs. It involved at least two trips a year to meet the Dexter team. I visited the factory in the town of Dexter, Main, several times. They had manufacturing and distribution at this location. The rst time I went I imme- diately hit it off with Harold Alfont, the owner. He was a dedicated shoe man but seemed quite happy to leave the buying and selling fully to his team while he ran the factory and, no doubt, studied the nancial results. I also met the sales/buying team in New York or their of ce in Boston. They always invited me to stay in their at in New York which, surprisingly, was always available. On my rst visit to the factory in Dexter I had a factory tour and, to my amazement, all the loafers were genuine moc- casins and the aprons were being hand-stitched by an army of men who were clearly of red-Indian descent. All these visits were arranged by Arnold Held, our agent, and he would lead the visit. His company was called Momentum and he totally under- stood his market and had the ability to transfer a request into a product. He made about 3 visits a year to the UK and always stayed at the Cavendish Hotel, in London.
After the Dexter bonanza, we lost our contact with him. Several times, I took him to a doctor in the U.K. so I suspect his health declined and, in writing this, I feel guilty.