The Port Washington and Lake Church facilities up I-43 serve as process points for the leather used in the shoes, as well as finishing soles and packaging them for distribution. A facility in Lewiston, Maine, the only manufacturing plant outside Wisconsin, makes the company's emerging line of casual shoes, a response to the "casual dress" trend of the 1990s.

"Business is very strong," Stollenwerk says. "People are dressing up again, and that helps out dress shoe lines. We plan to open more stores worldwide, and that means production expansion, especially in Milwaukee. We've been able to tap a great labor pool there and that's helping us expand."

Celebrities gobble up Allen-Edmonds shoes to compliment their carefully crafted wardrobes. Throughout television, movies and in-person appearances, celebrities from Sir Elton John to Tom Selleck to Danny DeVito sport Allen-Edmonds on their feet. Craig T. Nelson in "The District" wears the shoes. George W. Bush wore Allen-Edmonds shoes during his inauguration -- and he was not the first president to do so. Martin Sheen also wears them in "The West Wing," so apparently real and fake presidents alike wear Allen-Edmonds.

In upcoming movies, Allen-Edmonds shoes will be on Tom Hanks in "Road To Perdition" and Leonardo DiCaprio in "Catch Me If You Can." While in the darkened theater, feast your eyes on the actors' stylish footwear, made in Milwaukee!

Years ago, Allen-Edmonds shoes were available only in finer specialty stores (by the way, if you're wondering which specialty or department store sells the most Allen-Edmonds shoes, the answer is Nordstrom.)

More recently, Allen-Edmonds stores have been sprouting up, stocking many of the nearly 100 styles of dress shoes and casuals the company offers. Currently, 23 stores operate in the U.S., from Chicago's Michigan Avenue to New York's Fifth Avenue; from Beverly Hills, California to an upscale mall in Plano, Texas (outside Dallas).

Internationally, a large warehouse in the Netherlands serves European speciality stores as well as two stores that recently opened across the Atlantic: one in Italy, the other in Spain. More are planned.

Future growth of Allen-Edmonds may also mean growth in the city's manufacturing base. The company has looked at constructing a new, larger plant in the Menomonee Valley to create additional capacity. Pending environmental analysis and demand for its expanding line of styles, Allen-Edmonds' presence in Wisconsin, and right in Milwaukee, continues to be strong and looks to get even stronger.