Brass Feet Lead to Medford Shoe Store since 1901

Three brass feet measuring nearly 20 inches each are positioned in the cement sidewalk in front of Norris Shoes at 221 East Main in downtown Medford, Ore.  Generations of kids and adults have delighted in jumping on the feet since 1901 when the brass feet first welcomed shoppers.
A. C. Tayler started the business in 1893. The next year his advertising noted, “Look for signs of foot and boot” on the outside walk.  The brass feet showed up in Tayler’s advertising after the city installed sidewalks in 1901. Medford has reworked the sidewalk several times over the years, but each time carefully returned the feet to their spot.
Tayler sold the footwear concern to C.M. Kidd in 1907. Kidd sold a majority interest to Harvey J. Field and Aubrey Norris in 1935 and Aubrey’s son John took over the store in 1978.
Today, Norris Shoes is owned by the Heath family. Much of the store’s original exterior-glazed brick from 1909 remains intact.  The Heaths enlarged the store significantly in 1989 and modernized the front windows.
There’s no trace today of the antique shoe collection that graced store displays as late as 1995.
Sources: "Norris Shoes Centennial Celebration." Mail Tribune 12 May 1995 [Medford, Ore.] , 100 years ed. Print;
Truwe, Ben. "A. C. Taylor, the Foot Fitter." Southern Oregon History, Revised. 12 May 1995. Web. 23 Aug. 2015. http://id.mind.net/~truwe/tina/tayler.html