https://www.badbillys.com/tags/off-the-wall/Recent content in Off the Wall on BadBillys.comHugo -- gohugo.ioenBadBillys.comMon, 24 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://www.badbillys.com/post/vans-off-the-wall-skate-shoe-history/Mon, 24 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://www.badbillys.com/post/vans-off-the-wall-skate-shoe-history/ <h2 id="the-anaheim-storefront-that-became-vans">The Anaheim Storefront That Became Vans</h2> <p>On opening day at 704 East Broadway in Anaheim, the shoe boxes were stocked and color-coded — blue for men, orange for boys, red for kids, green for women — but the cash register held nothing at all. The owners had forgotten to put money in it. When customers arrived, they picked out a style and were told to come back later with cash, once their pair was made. That founding detail, reported by the <a href="https://www.ocregister.com/2016/03/15/happy-50th-vans-how-the-iconic-shoe-brand-born-in-anaheim-has-kept-on-surviving/">Orange County Register</a> for the company's 50th anniversary, says as much about how small the operation was in March 1966 as any balance sheet could.</p>