Brooks Running Shoes Store

The Quaker Shoe Company was where it all started for Brooks, after it was bought in 1914 by John Brooks Goldenberg. In 1920 it became Brooks Shoe Manufacturing Co. Inc., the new name being an Anglicized version of Goldenberg's wife's maiden name. Under the brand name Bruxshu the company made bathing shoes and ballet slippers, and moved into mainstream sports by producing baseball cleats in 1920 and football cleats in the 1930’s. After further acquisitions and then restructuring they began to manufacture running shoes in the 1970s and by the end of the decade Brooks was among the top three selling running shoe brands in the US. Unfortunately, due to a number of issues, including quality problems and aggressive expansion the company filed for bankruptcy and was sold to Wolverine in 1981. During Wolverine's decade of ownership, Brooks racked up $60 million in losses, recording eight consecutive years of unprofitability and in 1993 the company changed hands again, marking the beginning of a new era for the troubled shoe manufacturer. Brooks's new parent company had the difficult task of re-energizing the business, energy that it had lost during the 1980s. More ownership changes followed, until it became an independent subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway in 2011. This is when it all began to change for the better.