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Footwear Retailer of the month
Cheryl Taylor talks to James North of North Shoes Ltd
Name: North Shoes Ltd
Shop(S): Bourne,
Peterborough
& Stamford
Q&A:
Home Town: Bourne, Lincs
Family: Norths
How did you get into footwear?
Tell us about the history of your business?
Our family shoe business is now being handled by the fifth generation of the
North family and still trading from its original premises since 1876.
William North began our shoe family dynasty from humble beginnings, as a
shoemaker in Hacconby, Lincolnshire. While William was working as a
shoemaker in his home village his wife Sarah spotted a property on a visit to
nearby Bourne one day that she felt would be ideal for their needs.
The couple bought the house in North Street in 1876, William was 32.
He continued the shoemaking and repair business in Hacconby while Sarah
looked after the shop in Bourne. In 1900 William moved into the Bourne
premises, which became the family home and also the base for the business.
42 • FOOTWEAR TODAY • MAY 2011
42 • FOOTWEAR TODAY • SEPTEMBER 2012
James North
At that time he had eight workers and Bourne, a small town with a
population then of around 5,000, boasted no less than 15 other shoemakers
and repairers. Eventually, William was unable to keep up with the demand
and had to start buying in shoes – firstly from Norvic in Norwich, and then
from Clarks in Northampton.
William and Sarah had nine children – and it was their fourth son,
Frank (Jack) North, who provided the second generation of North Shoes.
THE Great War interrupted Frank’s arrival in the business. Although he
worked alongside his father, Frank did not take over the running of it until
around 1920. Frank guided the business through one of its toughest trading
periods, safely negotiating the great Depression which gripped Britain for
over 10 years from 1929..
Boot and shoemaking ended on the premises in around 1930 and from then
on North Shoes relied entirely on footwear bought in from outside
manufacturers – setting the trend for today. Despite the Depression and the
impending Second World War, Frank invested in a new shop front in 1935 and
almost doubled the shop floor space.
World War Two meant that leather was scarce and a new delivery of
footwear at North Shoes was a major event, with queues forming in North
Street. In a clever marketing ploy Frank created the impression of a fully
stocked shop by leaving empty shoeboxes on the shelves!
Jack was joined by the third generation of Norths – Frederick John (John) –
in 1946. The two worked alongside each other until Jack retired in 1955.
John left school in 1939 and took up a four year apprenticeship with
Norwich shoe manufacturers Norvic – but he was only able to pursue it for
two years.