These early 20th-century boots have an unusually modern detail: rather than closing with a series of buttons or laces, a strap wraps around the ankle and snaps in place. The boots are from Wallin & Nordstrom, the earliest incarnation of fashion retailer Nordstrom.
John Nordstrom met Carl Wallin during the Gold Rush. The two reconnected in Seattle and decided to go into business together with money Nordstrom made in the Klondike. In 1901, they opened the Wallin & Nordstrom shoe store, which carried a full range of shoes for adults and children. The “Wallin” name was dropped in the late 1920s, when both original partners retired and sold their shares to Nordstrom’s sons. Nordstrom continued as a shoes-only business until 1963, when they purchased Best’s Apparel, a higher-end women’s clothing store in Seattle.