So how did Daniel Green Slippers end up in St. Louis, Missouri?

Every day I get customers asking about the Daniel Green brand, and what happened to the Dolgeville factory in New York, and why aren't the shoes made in the U.S.? Well, here is the story, but just know that I am merely telling it as I have heard it from other resources so my data may not be 100% accurate. I have only worked with Daniel Green for about 5 years now. 

The Daniel Green Company was founded in 1882 after traveling shoe salesman, Daniel Green, was impressed by the piano-felt slippers worn by factory workers at the Dolgeville Felt Mill. He convinced the mill owner to start manufacturing the slippers to sell to the shoe trade and by 1885, he had sold over 75,000 pairs. The company was advertising nationally by the late 1920s in such publications as Ladies Home Journal, and by the 1960s, was manufacturing a wider variety of slippers and shoes for women and men. Big changes ensued in the 1990s. James Riedman joined the Daniel Green Company in 1987, and in 1996 he became chairman and chief executive officer. Under Riedman's leadership, Daniel Green pursued a strategy of developing and complementing its brands while cutting costs. As one of the last shoe manufacturers in the United States, the company began having problems sourcing materials and machinery. In June of 1999, the factory in Dolgeville, NY was shut down and all footwear manufacturing was outsourced overseas. In the year 2000, Daniel Green headquarters were relocated to Old Town, Maine and several more brands were acquired by the company. In an effort to focus more on shoes rather than the seasonal slipper business, the Daniel Green brand was sold in 2001 to the St. Louis-based Elan Polo International where it currently resides. Although production is now based out of China, the design, development and marketing of the slippers are still done in the United States. And, after more than a decade of hard work and perseverance, the brand is now thriving once again. Over a century and 100 million pair later, Daniel Green continues to represent the very same high quality and unparalleled comfort as its founding days. While many of the styles remain classic and traditional, the Daniel Green slipper collection of today has expanded into a wide variety of new looks, fashion and utility for inside and outside the home.

And, so here I sit in good old St. Louis, Missouri typing a blog entry for Daniel Green Slippers, I'm sure a much different position than my 1882 counterparts who likely sat at sewing tables and large machinery (much different from my laptop). It is such an honor for me to work for a brand that has more than a century of history and I just feel fortunate that I can be a part of it. I know we have many disgruntled customers who's livelihood depended on the factory in Dolgeville, but know that we do strive to keep the same integrity that the brand had in its New York days. We are very proud of our roots, and we hope you can enjoy our brand as much as we do, regardless of its location. Also, I am always looking for more information on Daniel Green history, so by all means share your stories if you have them. Together we will continue the tradition that is the Daniel Green Slipper Company.