Vans shoes
have been popular with skateboarders for more than 40 years.
From its humble beginning in 1966, Vans, Inc. has experienced the ups and downs of the sports footwear business. From a single shop in Anaheim, California, Vans has grown from a "mom and pop" business into an industry leader in the sports footwear market for skateboarders and snowboaders.
History
Paul Van Doren founded the Van Doren Rubber Co. on March 16, 1966, in Anaheim, California. Van Doren and business partners, Serge D'Elia and Gordy Lee, opened a 400-square foot shoe store which manufactured shoes and sold them directly to the public. Van Doren and Lee had previous experience in the shoe business. On the opening day of business, Van Doren sold 12 pairs of shoes, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Beginnings
The company's shoes quickly became known as Vans. They came in three styles and were priced from $2.49 to $4.99. Early customers complained that Vans soles cracked too easily, which led Van Doren to invent a sturdier sole which was patented as Vans' waffle sole. Vans shoes became popular quickly and, to keep up with the demand and attract new customers, Van Doren opened a new store each week for most of the first year of business.
Catching On
The skateboarding craze of the early 1970s attracted new customers and led to the customization of Vans shoes. When skateboarding customers began requesting different colors and patterns, Van Doren complied and soon was offering a red and blue shoe that was designed by a professional skateboarder. Due to Van Doren's willingness to accommodate new clients, the shoes caught on and have since been the preferred shoe of skateboarders.
The 1980s
In the 1982 movie "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," Sean Penn's character, Jeff Spicoli, donned a pair of Vans checkerboard slip-ons. The movie helped launch Penn's career and thrust Vans shoes into the national spotlight. For the first time since the company began, Vans shoes were sold in department stores and by independent retailers. Soon after, Van Doren purchased a 175,000 square-foot production plant in Orange, California, where more than 200 styles of Vans were manufactured. The company began making football, basketball, baseball, soccer and wrestling shoes in an effort to recreate the success it had achieved in the skateboarding market. The wide range of products, however, drained the company's finances and it was forced into bankruptcy in 1983.
Rebirth
The company emerged from bankruptcy in 1986 and turned a profit the following year. Van Doren sold the company in 1988 to McCown De Leeuw & Co., a San Francisco venture banking firm. The company was sold several times since then, and is now owned by the VF Corp., a maker of jeans, intimate apparel, daypacks, and workwear.
