NB manufactured its shoes in the United States. An in-house sales force sold primarily to
specialty running shops, which used trained personnel to explain the shoes’ unique features (such as
availability in widths). The company was also beginning to sell through better department and
sporting goods stores. NB consistently commanded a price premium in the market and caused a stir
with the introduction of a $100 shoe in 1982. “You can’t be all things to all people,” Davis explained,
“and we’ve concentrated on performance and function.”