10
october
vernonia’s
voice craftsmen
2007
Muffy’s Enterprises - A Step in Time, Fun, and Comfort
By Jill Hult
Spalding first introduced the saddle shoe in 1906
as a sport shoe. The
shoe was primarily a
golf shoe and did not be-
come very popular until
the 1940’s when college
students began to wear
them. The saddle shoe
saw its hey-day in the
1950’s and since then
has become harder and
harder to find for those
loyal to the shoe.
Muffy and Allen Marshall
are a pair of those loyal
saddle shoe wearers that
recognized the increas-
ing difficulty in finding a
quality saddle shoe. They
also realized there was a
niche market for them, so
in 1996, ninety years after Spalding, their adven-
ture in the saddle shoe business began.
The Marshall’s were able to purchase about 500
pairs of saddle shoes from a friend in Portland who
had acquired a warehouse of “dead stock” shoes
from a company in southern California called Karl’s
shoes that were approximately fifty years old. They
also sought out shoe manufactures that still pro-
duced saddle shoes. They found Willit’s out of
Pennsylvania who are now Muffy’s primary manu-
facturer; they also contract with manufacturers in
England, China, and Mexico.
Every year, the Marshall’s had gone to the larg-
est shoe expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, although
rarely returning with much merchandise because
there weren’t many manufacturers of saddle shoes
around. This shortage led the Marshall’s to design
their private label saddle shoes. Muffy
was able to take the pattern of the sad-
dle shoe and make affordable changes
such as coloring, soles, eyelets, perfo-
rations, and pinking. Stewart Marshall
is their men’s line and Muffy’s is their
women’s line. Customers can also spe-
cial order children’s saddle shoes from
Willit’s. Muffy’s has nearly forty styles
of saddle shoes to choose from and in
nearly as many colors! Pric-
es range from $49-150. They
also get factory seconds that
are sold at half-price.
Ninety-five percent of Muffy’s
business comes from online
customers at Muffys.com or
Saddleshoes.com (they own
both domain names). Muffys.
com has visitors who pur-
chase the shoes and share their stories
and pictures from all over the world. Cus-
tomers will typically get their shoes with-
in seven to ten days after placing their
order. The Marshall’s say they wouldn’t
have been able to start this business
without the Internet because it is such a unique
market; the site gets approximately 100,000 visi-
tors a year! Until recently, Muffy’s Enterprises’ only
form of advertising was word of mouth and through
Google search optimization strategies.
Some of their clientele include, Gilmore Girls (the
former T.V. show); The Color Purple on Broadway;
Hairspray, the movie; colleges, drive-in business-
es, DreamWorks Production Company, and most
recently Muffy’s Saddle shoes were featured in an
ad in the August issue of Blueprint Magazine. Once
the magazine reached its customers, Muffys.com
hits doubled overnight!
The Marshall’s are currently working on opening a
store with a saddle shoe and memorabilia museum.
The store will carry their private label saddle shoes
as well as some other types of shoes such as the
English sandal, Mary Janes, and boots. They will also
have a full line of shoe care products and socks.
The Marshall’s are very happy to be in Vernonia.
They say they have been welcomed with open
arms and have had many visitors – some from as
far away as Germany.
Muffy’s is located at 950 Bridge St. Vernonia, OR
97064. Their hours are 1-5 p.m. Monday through
Friday and at other times by appointment or chance.
You can contact them by phone at (503) 429-5050
or toll free at (866) 524-5050.
Of course, they are also just a click away at www.
muffys.com or www.saddleshoes.com.
ON MADISON
STUDIO
Hire the passionate.
Watch what happens.
With a wonderful mix of talent,
experience and education,
we offer the following services:
Marketing
Events
Communications
Photography
Web Design
Come learn about us at:
onmadisonstudio.com
“We make the ordinary extraordinary for our clients.”
Reach us at: (503) 317-2632