Church's Shoes: Company Info

In 1873, Thomas Church founded a shoe factory with his sons Alfred, William and Thomas. The beginnings were modest, as there were still hundreds of small family businesses in Northampton that manufactured footwear by hand. Gradually, Church's began to gain a reputation as an excellent manufacturer, and the boom got out of hand. Charles Goodyear played a role in this, and the family acquired the welting machines he invented in the very beginning. Church's was a pioneer. Around 1900, the company decided to brand their name and start selling products under its own trademark.

At this point, other shoe factories still manufactured products as subcontractors for clothing stores, which stole fame for their quality. From 1921, Church's opened its own stores in England and America, and invested in exports. Although the company does not have the seal of a court purveyor, this has not been an obstacle for Church's. The Northampton manufacturer still offers high quality English factory craftsmanship, models that have been on the market for decades. In addition, they have a repair service.

The company is not what it used to be, however. It was bought by Prada in the 2000s, and Church's purists strongly believe that the quality has declined. Prices have also risen to outrageous levels, and the designs now include shoe-lets that mock classic style.