Our Heritage
1932 ------ 1936 ------ 1957 ------ 1978 ------ 2004 ------ Present Day
The heritage of Crary Shoes dates back to 1932, when Charles Danner founded the Danner Shoe Mfg. Company in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.
In 1936, Charles Danner discovered that calked logging boots were making a hit in the Pacific Northwest, so that year he moved his family and the Danner business to Portland, Oregon.
By 1957, Danner had made a name for itself and was passed down from father to sons Bill and John Danner. Bill purchased his brother’s interest and became sole owner of the Danner Shoe Mfg. Company.
Bill Danner adopted Bill Crary, founder of Crary Shoes, when he was the age of three. As a young boy, Bill Crary began working in the Danner Boot factory and by the time he was a young man, he assumed the position of production manager. In 1978, Bill Crary made the decision to go out on his own and sell boots directly to the public.
For years he had observed that a high percentage of people shopping for footwear had to compromise on fit, and therefore, on comfort. As a result, it became his objective then, as it continues to be now, to cater to that discriminating segment of the population who respect their feet and the need to treat them accordingly.
In 2004, Meredith Crary joined the team at Crary Shoes in order to preserve this shoemaking heritage for yet another generation. In 2006, Meredith received her Pedorthics Certification. Bill and Meredith work side-by-side bringing the experience of a master shoemaker combined with Pedorthics in order to give the very best care to everyone who steps through the doors of Crary Shoes.
“We are confident as we step into the future with generations of experience and the latest in digital technology, the custom shoemaking craft will not perish; it will prosper!” Meredith Crary-Johanson, C. Ped