Paul Van Doren was a shoe manufacturer for 20 years.
Then he opened a retail store in 1966.
But he didn’t know anything about retail.
So when his first customer tried to pay for a $2.49 pair of Vans shoes with a $5 bill, Van Doren realized he had forgotten to get cash for the cash register to make change.
He told the customer – and every customer that came in that day – to just take the shoes and come back and pay for them later.
Everyone did.
And so began the relationship between a legendary brand and its devoted fans.