If you have wide feet, you know the pain of finding shoes that fit. Hitchcock Shoes in Hingham, which started a women’s line two years ago and has around 40,000 pairs of shoes at its showroom/warehouse, has specialized exclusively in wide footwear since 1951, carrying widths from EEE to 6E. The business carries its own brand and others, including New Balance, Hush Puppies, Timberland, and Florsheim. The family-owned business is run by Hingham native and resident Thomas Bright, 64, who in a former career was a political speechwriter in Washington. We spoke to Bright (above) for this story.

Q. How big a market is there for wide shoes?

A. It’s pretty big; we’re the source of last resort for a lot of people and try to provide a full line of everything they need from casual to dress shoes, slippers, work boots, golf shoes, sneakers, and everything in between. Our male customer base is about 140,000, and the women’s is around 20,000.

Q. The women’s market is picking up?

A. Yes, it’s off to a good start. Women who have trouble finding shoes that fit tend to be thrilled when they shop with us; many will buy multiple pairs of shoes. We have a lot of loyal customers overall, going back to the 1950s. There are hundreds of people who’ve bought 100 or more pairs of shoes from us in their lives.

Q. What’s the biggest mistake people with wide feet make buying shoes from regular outlets?

A. They buy longer shoes, hoping for more width. But with our products, you’ll find that you’re better served wearing, say, a 10½ 5E than a 12 EEE. As you add width, you gain length. We urge people to come in for a correct fitting.

Q. You’ve had some famous clients?

A. Dom DeLuise was a favorite of the ladies in the front office; he’d come in and was just so funny. Al Hirt bought from us, also Elia Kazan, and the wife of Hugo Black, a Supreme Court justice, used to order slippers for him. The Metropolitan Opera once ordered 24 pairs of slippers for a production, but we’re more interested in finding regular folks who need wider footwear.

Q. What size shoe do you wear?

A. I’m boring; I wear 11D. Our catalogue photographer, however, has a good 5E foot.

Paul E. Kandarian can be reached at pkandarian@aol.com.