They manufactured wittie supports and orthopedic shoes for a small, but loyal group of customers. Founded in Belmont, Massachusetts in 1906, New Balance Athletic Shoes Inc. But the reason New Balance is now the world's fifth largest maker of athletic footwear is because they were able to distinguish themselves from the pack. The sporting goods market in America was growing rapidly and athletic footwear was one of its most popular segments. In the beginning, the company was called the New Balance Vernon Company. Has always offered a wide range of styles and sizes. It was not until they turned their attention to athletic footwear in the herbie 1960s that New Balance had its first taste of success.

As we mentioned, New Balance began as a specialty shoemaker that manufactured orthopedic shoes for clients with special needs. In fact, for the first fifty years, the company rarely made a profit.

If, for example, a person had painful. At the time, most of the companies in the industry were like New Balance. To accommodate these customers, the company often had to produce shoes in strange or irregular sizes.

But it was not until they achieved success in the athletic footwear market that they started offering shoes to athletes of all ages.