BAJAN SUN
Bajan Sun Magazine
T
op Ranking
Shoes is the
dream
and
brainchild of Mr.
Nathaniel
Maynard,
the
current CEO of
the
company.
Top
Ranking Shoes,
became a reality
in 1977, but was
conceptualized
some time before.
After being denied the privilege of running
around the yard all day, playing cricket like
other children, mingling with neighbors and
friends until sun set, Nathaniel had little
choice but to remain indoors. Spending loads
of time “playing too much” seemed to “not
be the best thing to do” by his Dad Mr.
Robert Maynard, an Agriculturalist and
Preacher. This position was fully supported
by his wife –Mrs. Lilian Maynard, a
Seamstress and housewife. Surely she had
little or no choice.
SEPT 2014
scissors, breaking her sewing needles and
getting ‘licks” – ( a beating) by the close of
day. Initially, it all seemed sophisticated or
technical play, being creative and exploring a
skill. With the passage of time it seemed
more like destiny, or even a God given
blessing and he later found out that his
grandfather possessed a similar talent and
made shoes for his children.
During Mr. Maynard’s school days he spent
his free time making bags, belts and sandals
from the skins of the goats he had raised. He
sold the trinkets and shoes to his classmates
and friends. On completion of high school,
Mr. Maynard decided to work for himself and
became an entrepreneur. He displayed his
products in trays alongside the world
famous Bata Shoe Store, only to be regarded
as a competitor and compelled to relocate
because he was seen as “interfering with their
sales’.
Confined mainly to indoor activities,
Nathaniel with an interest in art, focused on
the pictures that lined the walls of his home;
Biblical pictures like the Last Supper. The
imagery in the painting aroused his curiosity
and motivated him to put his ‘supposed skills
and interest’ into action.
His inventiveness was ushered in with the
drawing of sandals and making them of
cardboard and cloth, dulling his Mum’s
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