tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2264515227915358964.post3240430717871785424..comments2024-02-19T07:13:37.706-05:00Comments on The Converse Blog: 'S Friday Flashback: Converse MaverickJames Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06595371240807601068noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2264515227915358964.post-33584535770445806012009-07-07T11:20:52.687-04:002009-07-07T11:20:52.687-04:00Wow, this brings back good memories. I was twelve ...Wow, this brings back good memories. I was twelve or thirteen when this shoe came out and I thought the price back then was outrageous. This was THE most expensive shoe back then.Up to that point the original Nike Air Force One was the most expensive but then Converse introduced the Maverick and the Weapon. My basketball team was sponsored by Converse, and they made the BEST basketball shoes back in those days. It was interesting to see the quality and material differences depending on where a shoe was made, i.e. Yugoslavia, USA, Korea or whatever. <br />Sometimes, the same shoe would look slightly different due to different leather.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2264515227915358964.post-81382398060604884082009-05-14T13:18:00.000-04:002009-05-14T13:18:00.000-04:00Thanks RJ,
As Converse goes I was a relative short...Thanks RJ,<br />As Converse goes I was a relative short-timer back then when I worked for the company for 5 1/2 yrs. as the Westwood Retail Store Manager and later at the Manufacturer's Rep in Central CA and the Las Vegas area. Back then there were several guys that I worked with that had been with the company for 10,15,20 and even 30+ years at time.<br /><br />When I was with Converse there were even 3 US factories still in service pumping out Chuck Taylors, Dr. J's, the old Tennis line like Jack Purcel's and Skidgrips, and some of the high end custom makes for the athletes. They were in Lumberton, NC; Presque Isle, ME and Malden, MA.<br /><br />A lot of very, very proud Converse workers that were incredibly dedicated to their jobs and the company back then.freddiedcuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15412597812484220062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2264515227915358964.post-14122434193847223272009-05-13T15:57:00.000-04:002009-05-13T15:57:00.000-04:00Fred that was awesome I wish we could get more peo...Fred that was awesome I wish we could get more people from Converse to come and talk about the good old days.THE MARRIED MAN.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08818130726273166413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2264515227915358964.post-60981928635890231912009-05-10T10:38:00.000-04:002009-05-10T10:38:00.000-04:00This was a GREAT shoe. I was selling for Converse...This was a GREAT shoe. I was selling for Converse at the time that this shoe came out in the early 80's. It was FAR ahead of it's time in terms of technology in a basketball shoe, and if you take a look at most youth, high school and college players today you will see similar ankle support bands and wraps being worn in addition to sub-par technological shoes . . . when we sold this shoe to sporting goods dealers we used the phrase "This is the first time ever that Running shoe technology has been put to full use in a Basketball shoe". Which was much easier to say than to get the sporting goods team dealer or floor sales person to understand and get kids, parents, coaches to buy when you were talking about a $95ish retail shoe . . . in a time when most basketball shoes were in the $35-$55 range. It was truly a groundbreaking shoe and initially held a very small share of dealer's inventory or shelf space but it certainly helped to re-establish CONVERSE as the leader in Basketball shoe innovation and committment to the sport and the basketball athlete in a time when they were taking all kinds of shots from all sides by the likes of Nike, Adidas, Reebok, and even many of the smaller running shoe/fitness shoe/fashion manufacturers like New Balance, Avia, Kaepa, Puma, LA Gear and a few others that thought Converse was easy to pick on because they may have lost their edge.<br /><br />- Fred Matthes<br />Converse Retail Outlet (LA/Westwood) and Manufacturer's Rep - Central CA, Southern NV. (1981-1985)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com