Shoemaker, museum partnership is a custom fit

Interpreters at the Genesee Country Village & Museum and players in the museum's vintage 19th century baseball program will have period-appropriate footwear thanks to P.W. Minor & Son of Batavia. The company also will fund a re-interpretation of the museum's boot and shoe maker business.

The three-year partnership includes providing custom-made, period-appropriate footwear to the historic village's interpreters, producing period-appropriate athletic shoes for members of the museum's four vintage re-creation baseball teams and sponsoring a re-interpretation of the village's boot and shoe maker business to make it a more interactive and educational exhibit.

P.W. Minor & Son designs and manufactures therapeutic footwear for customers worldwide. "In 1867, we began producing shoes and boots for residents of the Genesee Valley," said Hank Minor, CEO and fourth-generation Minor. "One hundred and thirty-five years later we can use those original patterns and samples to produce shoes for the museum. You can't get much more authentic than that."

The Genesee Country Village & Museum includes a collection of 58 historically significant restored buildings on 600 acres of land and is located in Mumford.

"We are thrilled to enter a formal relationship with a local company with a direct like to our historic village," said Betsy Harrison, president and CEO of the Genesee Country Village & Musuem. "More than 130 years ago, P.W. Minor purchased leather from John Hamilton, a tanner in Campbell, NY. The Hamilton house is one of the many restored homes in our historic village. We are truly walking in the footsteps of those who came before us."

At the Genesee Country Village & Museum, costumed interpreters bring 19th century America to life for visitors. The costume department outfits the interpreters in meticulous replicas - authentic to both the time period and the home or business represented - of 19th century fashions.

"Interpreters spend long hours on their feet and comfortable footwear is a priority," said Connie Bodner, senior director of programs. "Now they will have custom-made shoes that are as authentic as the rest of their costume."

The museum's four-team baseball league comprises the most comprehensive re-creation program in the country, with more than 80 volunteers and games played at a fully recreated 19th century ball park.

The baseball shoe will be marketed to other vintage baseball clubs in the country, Minor said. Additionally, P.W. Minor & Sons will sponsor the re-interpretation of the village's boot and shoe maker. This includes purchasing consumables, such as leather, laces and soles to be used in the shop, purchasing authentic equipment, such as a shoemaker's bench and leatherworking tools, to add to the permanent display, hiring and training a skilled interpreter to work as the shoemaker, and to further the interpretation to include secondary laborers who often did finish work in their own homes.

P.W. Minor & Son, founded in 1867, produces custom-fit made-to-order shoes for people with diabetes, arthritis and orthopedic foot conditions, and for those who just want comfortable shoes.