10/12/2024

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PW Minor – History and Quality

PW Minor – History and Quality

The footwear company P.W. Minor got it’s start in 1886 when Peter Wycoff Minor (the original P.W.) and his younger brother Abrahm Vorhees decided to go into the shoe business. Like most American shoe manufacturers, they began mass-producing shoes after the Civil War.

Both brothers were veterans and witnessed the wide-scale need for uniform boots and shoes that was hideously apparent during the long years of fighting. (This marks a departure from the period in American shoe-making history when people would go to a cobbler to order shoes fitted specifically to their feet. With thousands of soldiers marching a long way from home, the army needed to issue boots to soldiers without measuring each soldier’s feet first. They needed a system where sizes could be ordered in mass quantities.)

Minor Brothers Boots and Shoes opened in 1867. (Apparently someone later on in the company’s history decided Abrahm Vorhees was not important enough to be included in the company’s title!) With 20 shoemakers onboard, the Minor brothers began building their family’s shoe empire, which continues today with Henry Minor III at the helm.

As the company developed, it decided to focus on orthopedic shoes. PW Minor now manufactures shoes for people with the following conditions: diabetes, arthritis, bunions, foot trauma, hammertoe, plantar fasciitis and metatarsalgia. For plantar fasciitis, for example, PW Minor recommends shoes with long medial counters. The counter of a shoe is a feature used to stiffen the back part of the shoe – right where the heel sits. PW Minor also offers shoes with extra depth in order to accommodate the customized orthotics that are often prescribed to give people with plantar fasciitis support and pain relief.

In addition to injury or deformity specific shoes, PW Minor offers a variety of styles of shoes. Customers can shop for athletic, dress or casual shoes (as well as a large variety of boots and steel-toed shoes) on their website. They also offer “medical shoes”, which may be suitable for someone recovering from foot surgery or trauma. Talk to your podiatrist for specifics. PW Minor also is an attractive brand for people with foot injuries and deformities because their shoes come in a wide range of sizes and widths. Women’s shoes run from sizes 5 to13 and come in widths from N (2A) to 3W (4E). Men’s shoes run from sizes 7 to 15 and come in widths from N (B) to 3W (5E). PW Minor takes you pretty close to a custom fit!