History of Brown Shoe: 1878 — 1940
1878
Bryan, Brown & Company formed in St. Louis by George Warren Brown and his partners Alvin Bryan and Jerome Desnoyers.
1893
Company name changed to Brown Shoe Company.
1904
Rights to Buster Brown name purchased; Buster Brown brand introduced to public at the St. Louis World's Fair.
1904
Succession of actors, dressed like Buster Brown and accompanied by dogs, toured the country (1904-1930), playing to audiences in rented theaters, department stores and shoe stores.
1913
Brown Shoe Company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under stock ticker symbol BWS.
1925
George Warren Brown School of Social Work endowed at Washington University in St. Louis by G.W. Brown's widow.
1927
Naturalizer brand created.
1931
Connie brand created.
1940
LifeStride brand created.
