DB Shoes turned 100 years old on February 11, 1920, founded by identical twin brothers.
Now, their legacy has never been stronger under the helm of their identical twin grandsons. Watch their fascinating story here:
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Video credit: Rumble
Jack and Bill Denton began DB Shoes in Rushden, Northamptonshire, and is now being run by Jack’s grandsons, David, and Charles Denton, after they helped rescued it in the 1990s.
Charles Denton said: “It’s in our blood. Shoes are part of our history. I’m extremely proud of that.”
The Dentons have come from a long line of shoemaking. Jack and Bill’s father George worked in Wilkins and Denton starting from 1873. George’s father, also named George, was also listed in the census as having been in the shoe trade in 1841.
The company that Jack and Bill founded was originally named Denbros Ltd. and made army boots. Also known as the Denton Twins, they were “all-round sportsmen” playing county cricket for Northamptonshire.
During World War One, they served with the Northants Regiment and were captured by the Germans in 1918.
Grandson Charles, 56, boasted that if Jack and Bill were alive to see the company today, they would be “very proud that we have lasted in Rushden, that we have survived out of the hundreds that closed.”
Northamptonshire has a reputation as the home of shoemaking, something recognized even abroad. Rushden alone once had 40 shoe firms that called it home.
Even now, the company specializes in making made-to-order wide-fitting shoes and their mail-order business is also thriving.
“We had to reinvent ourselves and found our strength in this niche market, given our aging population,” Charles said.
Between him and his brother David, they have four children though unfortunately, none of them turned out to be twins.
Charles said that it remains to be seen if any of their children will “decide to take it on.”
For the sake of a 100-year old legacy, let’s hope they do.
Replaced!