Bob Baker Shoes | Naples, Florida.
May 17, 2017 § Leave a comment
A while back I found a postcard of a shoe store called Bob Baker in a briefcase that had belonged to my father. My mother had been using it to store what little shoe memorabilia was left of his. I posted it here and forgot about it until this spring when we were on vacation in Florida and stopped in Naples for the night. We found the perfect old style Florida motel and before we headed back out the next day we took a walk around the city.
Naples is beautiful, manicured, and pristine. Their 5th Avenue is lined with restaurants, shops, Lamborghinis, and Teslas. I loved it and definitely want to go back. When we were walking I noticed the sign for Bob Baker Shoes. I explained to the sales associate my father had worked with the owner a long time ago and asked if I could take a few photos. She was gracious and mentioned that his son Bob Baker Jr. was at his desk in the back of the store and to go and say hello. I introduced myself and told him my father was Arthur Benjamin. He remembered him and told me he had worked with Arthur more than his father had. The store really took me back to my dad’s shoe days and surprisingly I wasn’t emotional until he mentioned that a young woman had stopped by also not too long ago who had worked with his dad and had become very emotional and that’s when I felt the tears start to well up. I kept it together and thanked him and at his recommendation for a family style restaurant we had a lovely lunch where my son entertained himself by arranging the ketchup and mustard packets.
A Salute To The Veterans And My Dad.
November 12, 2015 § Leave a comment
Repost from last year.
Here’s a salute to all the Veterans today and my cool dad who covered 4 presidential conferences as a correspondent for Stars and Stripes during WWII – Casablanca, Cairo, Tehran, Yalta, and Bitter Lakes. The photo below was taken sometime in the 1980’s. See more of his photos and read about him from an earlier post here.
Luigino Rossi Founder Rossimoda Footwear | Florida, 1972.
January 17, 2015 § 2 Comments
Museo della calzatura Rossimoda
Luigino Rossi founder Rossimoda footwear, Dan Hightower, St. Petersburg Times photographer and Georgette Hightower, Times fashion writer.
Shoe Sample Photos, Thomas Cort.
January 17, 2015 § 8 Comments
Arthur L. Benjamin, New President Of The Boot And Shoe Travelers’ Assn. Of New York | 1962
December 19, 2014 § 1 Comment
Doing some research on my grandfather Ben Benjamin, I came across this “shoe” news item on my dad at The NY Public Library.
Veterans Day
November 11, 2014 § 2 Comments
Here’s a salute to all the Veterans today and my cool dad who covered 4 presidential conferences as a correspondent for Stars and Stripes during WWII – Casablanca, Cairo, Tehran, Yalta, and Bitter Lakes. The photo below was taken sometime in the 1980’s. See more of his photos and read about him from an earlier post here.
Shoe Show | Shoe Men
October 17, 2014 § Leave a comment
My grandfather called them Style Shows. This summer I found this left over shoe show signage from my dad’s days as a sales rep for Schwartz & Benjamin Inc.
The Shoe Shows are where buyers come to see the latest styles for the upcoming fashion season — the two biggest for fall and spring.
I have wonderful memories of meeting my dad for dinner after the shows with fellow shoe people and the banter that went with that. My dad friendly with every mai·tre d’ at every restaurant was greeted by name when we walked through the door. One of his favorite’s, Il Gattopardo, still around today and as a treat he would take us after for ice-cream to Rumpelmayer’s on Central Park South.
My sister recently found this great photo from one of the shows. Obviously taken after a few drinks. I wonder what my dad’s trying so hard to hold on to?
The National Shoe Travelers
Fashion Footwear Association of New York
The Atlanta Shoe Market
Ephemeral
August 1, 2014 § 4 Comments
While listening to the radio as I drive my son to and from camp I’ve heard the word Ephemeral so many times this week. In hindsight I think it would have been the perfect name for my blog. It’s the word that best describes what I’m trying to document. Often I’m completely overwhelmed when I think about preserving everything that I find.
Just a few things from this week. A photograph of Ted Shawn “The Father of Modern Dance,” at Jacob’s Pillow, taken by my father Arthur L. Benjamin. A crumbling Polish birth certificate that belonged to my Grandmother Rose and my father’s discharge papers from the army.

Ted Shawn Jacob’s Pillow – photo by Arthur L. Benjamin, date unknown
Connecting the dots – Golo Footwear
July 21, 2014 § 2 Comments
When we were kids I remember my dad telling us he had worked on the 75th floor of the Empire State Building. It wasn’t until a few months ago when I started this blog that I learned some of the details. A couple of the articles that I found on my grandfather mentions my dad working for Golo Footwear as a stylist. Perusing the trade magazines at the Library of Business and Science here in NY I came across the advertisement below. It matches a tie clip I found when I was looking through his things while visiting my mother.
Established 1915 in New York City, Golo Footwear is best known for their patent white go-go boots made famous by Barbara Streisand.