Marquis Mills Converse opened the Converse Rubber Shoe Company in Malden, Massachusetts in 1908 - originally producing footwear for men, women, and children they turned their focus in 1915 to specifically tennis and basketball shoes. Converse introduced their "All-Star" basketball model In 1917, shortly after a salesman joined the team promoting this specific model all around the United States. This salesman's namesake, Charles H. Taylor, eventually became the nickname for Converse's All-Star model, better known as "Chuck Taylor" or simply put "Chucks."