Peter Forsyth & Son

PETER FORSYTH & SON, Handsewn Bootmakers, 21, Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow.

    A very old and notable centre of Glasgow’s high-class bootmaking trade is presented in the establishment of Messrs. Peter Forsyth & Son, whose commercial distinction is the outcome of fifty years’ honourable trading and enterprise, and whose active and zealous endeavours to sustain the character and interests of the handsewn boot industry have been rewarded by a success equalled by few similar firms. The business was founded originally at Balmano Street by the eminent Mr. Peter Forsyth, and its operations from the commencement until the present time may be said to have fully covered all the improvements in handsewn boot work during half a century. Probably the most creditable and outstanding feature of the house is its adherence to all the recognised principles of this branch of trade and its renown in connection with Glasgow handmade boots and shoes, in the production of which it has always maintained a pioneer position.

    The appearance of the establishment at the corner of Sauchiehall and West Nile Streets is one of great elegance and attractiveness, and the interior is in every respect a model of tasteful fitting and appointment — the rooms for ladies and gentlemen, the office, and other conveniences being all in accordance with the characteristics of a modern and fashionable boot emporium. The varieties of boots and shoes neatly submitted to inspection are all of the first class and quality, consisting, for the most part, of those genuine Glasgow-made boots and shoes for which this house has long formed the accredited centre, and they represent a wide range of choice, as goods adapted to every class of taste, and offered at prices which prove that genuine handsewn boots are as readily attainable on moderate and consistent terms as any of the cheaply manufactured goods which now flood the markets, and which are, from no point of view, cheap, durable, or economical. Messrs. Forsyth have been at all times foremost in placing within reach of the public a high standard of boots and shoes calculated to afford the utmost amount of wear at the lowest possible cost over production, while hygienic requirements have been fully considered, and the productions of Messrs. Peter Forsyth & Son bear, in respect of design and fashionable style, full and favourable comparison with any of the best English or Continental models.

    The workmen employed by the firm are selected especially for their aptitude for handsewn work. Several are employed in the workshop adjoining the establishment, but most of the firm’s boots and shoes are produced in the Societies’ different workshops. The requirements of influential and long-established connections are carefully anticipated and provided for by Mr. John Forsyth, the present sole proprietor of the business, and to the discriminate management and enterprise of this gentleman may be attributed the sound standing of the house as one in which the best interests of the handsewn boot industry of the Metropolis have been — and are still — admirably preserved.

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