A star turn for Duchess

American Duchess is in the spotlight.

The Reno maker of historical reproduction shoes received national exposure last week when comedian Whoopi Goldberg wore two pairs of American Duchess shoes on consecutive days of “The View,” the ABC daytime talk show she co-hosts. Goldberg also posted about the shoes — one pair a purple-and-silver reproduction of Martha Washington’s wedding slippers and another pair made of red-and-black suede and gold-embroidered and based on a 1920s design — on her Facebook page.

In April, Goldberg wore a pair of Pompadours, another American Duchess shoe based on 18th century French styles, on the “Seth Myers Show.”

American Duchess also counts the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the AMC show “Turn,” the Cinemax program “The Knick” and the Starz show “Black Sails” among its recognizable customers.

“We’re a tiny, very specialized company, and having our designs put in front of literally millions of people really helps us grow. It brings more interest and custom for what we’re doing, so we can keep making these really wonderful, old-fashioned styles,” said owner Lauren Stowell.

Last month, the five-year-old shoe maker was chosen as one of eight recipients of a $20,000 loan from the new Reno Accelerator Fund administered by the city.

NNBW staff