San Antonio Shoemakers

Specialties

SAS® is known for handcrafted premium quality comfort footwear and premium handbags and accessories. Located in Texas, this family-​owned company has dedicated craftsmen and women who are passionate about making comfortable and stylish options for men and women.

History

Established in 1976.

For over 40 years, San Antonio Shoemakers® has handcrafted fine leather shoes with comfort and quality. The two original founders, Terry Armstrong and Lew Hayden, shared a vision to make the most comfortable shoes in the world.

Their dedication to quality continues today. One pair of shoes may go through up to 100 different steps and approximately 80 different skilled pairs of hands before products are declared «SAS quality.» Rather than outsourcing manufacturing, SAS® proudly handcrafts the finest shoes and handbags in its factories in San Antonio, TX, Del Rio, TX and a sister plant in Acuna, Mexico (where specific operations such as hand sewing and stitching take place on select styles).

SAS® also works with a family-​owned Italian shoe manufacturer to design and engineer a premium line of dress shoes, which are made both Italy and in SAS® USA-​based factories. SAS® shoes are carried in 200+ SAS® stores and in many retailers around the world.

Meet the Business Owner

Terry A. and Lew H.

Business Owner

In 1976, San Antonio Shoemakers® started a quiet revolution in footwear offering superb craftsmanship and extraordinary comfort. Co-​founders Terry Armstrong and Lew Hayden countered a national trend of diminishing quality and cheap foreign manufacturing when they began making shoes that set a new standard in footwear. After working for a local shoe company, Terry and Lew struck out on their own. Terry and Lew had a vision of how genuine leather shoes should be made. With determination, and the support of their families, the two pooled their resources to start their first factory in a corner of an unused aircraft hangar on the South Side of San Antonio. In 1976, San Antonio Shoemakers® was born. They started small, with just 13 shoemakers and no marketing beyond word of mouth. The SAS® reputation grew and became a name people could trust for comfortable, quality footwear.