Overview
If you’re a girl who loves her shoes embellished with Jimmy Choo and Christian Louboutin logos, you may not want to own too many pairs of Beacon Shoes, but whatever you do, don’t try to talk the older women in the family out of buying at least one pair. Beacon Shoes win plenty of praise from ladies who have already been there and done that when it comes to flirting with an ankle break for fashion’s sake, and while the heels on Beacon Shoes are sensible, designers make no compromises when it comes to design, color and variety.
A Distinguished History
The Beacon Shoe Company opened its doors in Manchester, New Hampshire in 1903 under the auspices of the F.M. Hoyt Shoe Company. The circumstances leading to the diversification are buried with Hoyt, but he didn’t bother filing for a Beacon Shoe trademark with the federal government until 1916. At the time, Beacon Shoes were a bastion of all-male footwear designs. Beacon leather boots and shoes were so respected, when the U.S. Army needed shoes for World War I-era troops in 1918 – 1,146,700 pairs to be exact – F.M. Hoyt was commissioned to make 30,000 pairs at $7.15 each. Try and find a pair with a matching price tag these days.
The Source for Hard-to-Find Sizes
The Beacon Shoe Company expanded over time and, for the last 100 years or so, it became an equal opportunity shoe manufacturer, churning out footwear for both men and women. These days, the company operates from its Maryland Heights, Missouri headquarters and prides itself on carrying 76 shoe sizes, but that doesn’t mean designers compromise on style or fit. The company motto -- “Fashion Should Be Comfortable!” -- is splashed across all of its advertising along with that corporate start-up date of 1903.
Exploring Beacon Shoe Fashions
As one of the few privately-held shoe companies in the world that lays claim to having manufactured multiple styles that have surpassed the one million pair selling mark, the Beacon Shoe Company never sacrifices quality for quantity, and plenty of new shoe designs are debuted annually as seasonal introductions. New shoes are usually placed within Beacon libraries that include women’s flats, women’s pumps and women’s boots and then categorized by the name of the collection, like the Newport, Phoenix, Rainy and Wynona lines. High-quality tricot lining, cushioned insoles and fine fabrics are benchmarks of every shoe produced by the Beacon Shoe Company.
Shoes for Every Occasion
If you’re looking for a dance shoe – two-step, ballroom or square dance – Beacon makes it. Colorful styles with secure straps and low heals make whizzing around a dance floor easy work, even if the beat is energetic. Slip on a pair of sailcloth espadrilles with a crepe sole and fashionable 1.5 inch wedge embellished with jute-style trim by Beacon and fit right in with the Nantucket crowd. Some Beacon pump styles feature double instep straps trimmed with covered buttons that are hand-crafted for dressy occasions, and the colors just keep coming in sizes and widths covering narrow, medium, wide and double-wide feet. Beacon shoes are popular with women whose feet may not be as young as they once were, but that sure doesn't stop 'em from looking glam.
