"When the child of today grows up he will bless the memory of the shoeman who took care of his feet when he was young."
The Footwear Organiser, May 1921

It is 1792 and in a small workshop behind Norwich market place, James Smith, cordwainer, hammers diligently at a boot he is making for an upper class foot. It is made-to-measure and of the best leather he can get hold of - and James takes great pride in his work.

From every back street window you can hear the clatter of hand looms as the industrious home workers earn a meagre living and, for this most easterly of cities, a reputation for finely woven cloth. Frightening news reaches us - Paris is in the hands of a mob and a great deal of blood is being spilt in the name of Revolution!

At home, steam driven machinery is centring the old-style industries in the North and weaving, as we know it, is coming to an end. James, with a confidence that belies the times, extends his premises, trains up those unemployed nimble fingers and becomes the first shoemaker to manufacture ready-made, off-the-peg footwear.

Along these lines the shoe factory - and shoe retailing itself - was born.