FROM DIY TO THE RED CARPET
In 1944, Paul Van Doren dropped out of eighth grade. Like most fourteen-year-olds, he didnât particularly like going to school. But unlike most teens, he was interested in–and had a knack for–gambling at horse races. His disapproving mother ordered him to instead find legitimate work at a shoe manufacturing company, Randyâs, in his native city of Boston.

Paul eventually worked his way up from sweeping floors and making shoes to a role as the Executive Vice President for Randyâs. In 1965, the company sent him to California to turn around a failing Randyâs branch. Paul moved, along with his brother Jim and their families, to Anaheim. Not only did the brothers save the factory, it went on to function better than the Massachusetts locationâin just eight months to boot. Three months later, Paul decided he wanted to start his own shoe brand.
On March 16, 1966, at 704 East Broadway in Anaheim, California, the Van Doren brothers joined forces with Gordon Lee and Serge D’Elia to open the first VANS store (then called the Van Doren Rubber Company), where they both manufactured shoes and sold them directly to the public. On that first morning, twelve customers purchased VANS #44 deck shoes, which are now known as the âAuthentic.â With the success of their business, a second VANS shop opened in Santa Monica within a year. The #44 deck shoe became popular with the Santa Monica High School (SAMOHI) surf and skate culture.
4 comments
This story is not totally true. The Checkerboard vans were invented in Huntington Beach, California by yes, the surfer, punk, and ska and mod community but it wasnt Steve that came up with the idea to put the checkerboard on the uppers. We were doing it back in 1978 at Huntington Beach High School.
This is a fact . I’m from Huntington Beach. Lakeview elementary school 5 th grade 1975. Debbie stellar and myself had the payers drawn as well.
Hey maybe you could help me then. I have a pair of high top checkered vans from way back in the 80s I think I was in Iâm going to say eighth grade maybe ninth grade when I got them. They have a Frenchman on the side that says scene I believe BD and the red white and blue checkered With blue suede. I canât find them anywhere looking online I have pictures of them do you know anything about these?