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The first official Vans shoe store opened in 1966 they offered three styles of vans shoes on that first day, but had only made display shoes. The racks on the wall were stacked with empty boxes to help make it look like a shoe store. In 1976, skateboarders and skaters began wearing Vans shoes and asked to have different colors combined on them The first Vans shoes had a diamond pattern in the sole, but they discovered that it would crack along the ball of the outsole. Vertical lines were then added to the ball area to make it stronger, a design which is now Vans shoes' proprietary waffle sole. The Vans footwear collection now features over 60 styles, ranging from classic deck shoes and slip-ons to high performance skateboard shoes, snowboard boots and sandals, Vans shoes are distributed through over 30 countries through a nationwide network of independent shoe, sporting goods and apparel stores. |