August 1981: The new school year has arrived, so you head to Kinney’s Shoe Store in El Con Mall to get a new pair of Converse.
After finding a pair you like, the store clerk directs you to a shoe-fitting stool—a wedge-shaped bench with chrome legs and a vinyl-upholstered seat. The clerk hauls out a heavy metal contraption with measurement markings and two sliding bars. You are directed to place your foot on the device. The clerk adjusts the sliding bars, writes down the measurements, and then disappears into the back room. Minutes later, he reappears with a pair of shoes that fit you just right.
The name of that metal contraption is the Brannock Device, invented by Charles F. Brannock in the 1920s to accurately determine a person’s shoe size. It has been a part of the shoe-buying experience for a century.
The Brannock Device appears out of place in shoe stores today. It’s made of heavy metal, the polar opposite of the cheap, fragile materials that characterize the Plastic Age. The tool’s design and construction can’t be improved on. It removes the guesswork from the shoe-fitting process in a way no other tool can. The Brannock Device has withstood the test of time; it remains a staple in shoe stores to this day.