Vancouver's celebrated Dayton Boots changing its name to Wohlford & Co. in forced rebranding

A highly regarded Vancouver footwear brand is being forced to give the boot to its old name following management controversy and a change in ownership. 

The new owners of Dayton Boots are rebranding as Wohlford & Company, named after the shop's original founder Charlie Wohlford. The rebrand will also come with minor design adjustments. 

But at its core the brand will remain true to its original style, the owners say: tough and rebellious. 

"It's the ultimate bad-boy brand," said Tom Pedriks, one of the company's new co-owners. "There's something sexy about it." 

The name change comes in the wake of an Employment Standards Tribunal ruling that found the company's former owner, Eric Hutchingame, owed employees half a million dollars in wages after withholding 50 per cent of their pay and making up the difference with Dayton gift cards.

Pedriks says the rebranding is not by choice. Hutchingame, who has since left the company, claims to own the original Dayton branding — though that's technically in dispute — and it has proved too costly for the new owners to acquire. 

"It was incredibly frustrating. We're very well aware that it's a heritage brand and we wanted to keep the brand," he said. 

But he also says the new name presents an opportunity to improve. They will be working closely with the original founder's grandson, Ray Wohlford, to revitalize the brand while maintaining its classic style. 

Ray Wohlford worked for the company on and off since he was seven years old and was trained as a leather cutter in his teens. 

He says over the last 20 years, the brand has strayed from its original manufacturing technique and quality. The plan is to return to those values. 

"There's a solid plan in place where input is going to be from people like myself who actually made these products for years and years. It kind of gets back to the roots of it," he said. 

Wohlford says he is excited to come back on the team and make good products. 

"This is a way to move forward, but keeping all the history," he said.

Pedriks says the boots will continue to be made in Vancouver. 

Iconic brand 

Dayton Boots, which has operated its East Vancouver factory store since 1946, rose to popularity for its high-quality logging and work boots. 

But it was its signature Black Beauty boot, initially commissioned by the owner of Woodward's department stores Charles Woodward, that cemented the brand's style and became a coveted boot for motorcycle riders. 

"It was brought up in the forest with the lumbermen and loggers, [then] moved into the bars into Vancouver," said Pedriks. 

The brand became notoriously associated with troublemakers that several bars across the province in the 1960s featured "No Daytons Allowed" signage. 

Pedriks says the brand's transition will be completed by the end of 2023. 

The Hastings Street building will continue to be called the Dayton Boots Factory and the well known neon Dayton Boots sign will remain.