Book Signing (Napa, CA)

Can't decide whether or not to buy a pair of custom boots? Here, let me get you a glass of wine.

Come to the Napa Valley. Visit Terri Courtney in her red-barn-bootshop. Buy my book, or bring your well-worn copy. I'll sign it. It'll be swell.

September 26, 2009 • 1-3 pm
Napa Valley Open Studios Tour
3151 Sunnydale Drive, Napa CA (map)

For more info,
read this flyer ...or contact:
Courtney Custom Boots
Terri Courtney, Bootmaker
(707) 501-8050 and terri@courtneycustomboots.com

Blucher Custom Boots

Blucher Custom Boots
PO Box 48, Beggs OK 74421
(918) 267-5393

Leather Carving

Customer: "I want a fearsome battle scene between a bear and a bull, with horns and claws and bloodletting. I want a patriotic tribute with stars and stripes, an eagle, swords, golden arrows and military artillery. I want a tangle of thorny roses. Lots of them. I want a spewing oil rig, lotto-sized dollar signs, rattle snakes and roosters... and I want the rooster tails to mimic the artistic energy of the aforementioned oil well. I want a lifelike portrait of my hunting dog 'Champ.' I want a herd of wild mustangs thundering across my cowboy boots. I want a hundred dollar bill so real looking I could get arrested for counterfeiting."

Bootmaker: "Yer crazy."

Peter Main: "What color do you want those roses?"

Photo courtesy of www.PeterMain.com.

Free Downloads

Big news. I've decided to start giving away my eDirectory as a free download.

I think it might do some good... might stimulate a few sales for some hard working bootmakers and get some customers into some new well-made and well-deserved custom boots.

I've also decided to give away my "Missing Index." Why not?!

(If you've bought these items in the past, and would like part or full refund, I am happy to do it. Please email me at jenn@dimlights.com.)

I hope you find these downloads and my website helpful.

Boot of the Month

...courtesy of the Paul Bond Boot Company.

Cowboy Boots: Wish List

"Man, I love your boots" — Bob Dylan

This morning I spent daydreaming... what would it be like to wear these boots, faded jeans and a plain white t-shirt? In a airport...headed somewhere warm and dry. Somewhere flat and quiet, where you could see everything coming at you, and it was all going the other way. Sun on my face. Money in my pocket. Time. Yeah, I'd like all that.

• Stallion Boots Styles
• Videos
• More designs available at their retail locations.

Travel Tip

I love driving through Texas visiting boot shops, but I know I'm in trouble when I hear...

"Turn at the second dirt road on your right"

"Look for a brown fence with some horses."

"We're on the left, down the driveway...back a-ways. The shop's behind the house."

Yeah, right. Sure thing.

Here's my travel tip... forget GPS. At times like this, I find my way with DQ.

What's "DQ"...you ask?

After you get lost, drive back to town, and park at the Dairy Queen. Then you call the shop with your cel phone. The bootmaker will either give you more detailed directions (usually having to do with the color of the mailbox, the spots on the horses, or maybe the truck parked out front) ...OR if you're lucky, you'll get to hear these wonderful words...

"Just wait there. I'll come and get you." (Yay!)

These are some photos I took when I visited Tom Smith in Aspermont, Texas. Tom makes a beautiful sturdy cowboy boot. Sometimes I think hard working cowboys pick such bright punchy colors, so at least some of the color can manage to fight its way through all the dust and muck.

Tom's shop looks small on the outside, but feels big on the inside...I'm not sure how that works.

Tom Smith Custom Boots
PO Box 482
Aspermont, TX 79502
(940) 989-3385

Tools of the Trade: Order Books

Once upon a time, bootmakers used "order books." These were big hardcover books that remind me of the world atlas my sister and I shared when were kids. Back then, pages were big and I was small... and I had to use my whole arm to turn a page.

Here's how they work. Each customer would stand on the book, both their feet would be traced, and their measurements written down. Once the book was full, the bootmaker would start another.

If you look inside and old custom boot you'll often see a couple numbers, like 8-86. It's secret code... you need to open order book #8 and turn to page 86. There you will find the customer's name, measurements and usually the original selling price of the cowboy boots.

Nowadays most bootmakers use file folders. Sigh.

Photos taken at James Leddy Boots (Abilene, TX)

Bootmaker in the News: Al Reynolds

Click over to your online copy of The Wickenburg Sun to read Patti Jares' article about Al Reynolds.

Old West Leather
Alfred R. Reynolds, Owner
(by appointment only)
Wickenburg, AZ
(928) 684 3134 ...or bootguy1@cox.net

Photo by Terry Glueck. Thanks!

Cowboy Boots in Bangkok

When I edited the shop info for Tony's Leather on my "Outside the U.S. Bootmaker List"... I realized I never posted any of the photos I took (years ago) when I visited Thailand.

Tony makes cowboy boots for tourists. He makes boots for business men. Cowboy boots are strictly a tourist or "farang" (said "falang") fashion item.

Even I had enough sense not to wear my cowboy boots in Thailand. Why? Good manners demand you take your shoes off at nearly every doorstep, and keep your head lower than a monk's smile. But then, there's those public porcelain squat toilets. Boy Howdy! We're talkin' slippery!

Any clear-thinkin' Thai gave up wearing cowboy boots along time ago.

Want to see some fancy stuff? Here are some more photos from one of Tony's customers.

Bootmaker in the News: Don Walker

I spent some time with Don Walker (Spring City, UT) at this year's Bootmaker Round-Up. This video clip feels bit like takin' home a souvenir.

Tex Robin Boots (Now)

This trip to Texas I retraced some very special steps.

I went to go see Tex Robin in Abilene, TX. Tex told me he's no longer taking bootmaking students... which made me feel like the member of a very special club.

When Tex Robin moved his shop a couple of years ago, I admit I got all sappy and nostalgic over him leaving that old brick building in Coleman.

...but I've come to my senses. Welcome to Abilene! Gone are the fire hazards and all the pesky walk-in-and-out traffic. And look! ...the walls go straight up and down, and there is my favorite display case...and look over there, there's even a working electrical socket dedicated to Tex Robin's guitar and amp.

Tex is doing some beautiful bootmaking. Killer inlays or one-row stitch patterns... doesn't matter, all good...really good. But be warned, ordering boots from Tex is not for the thin-skinned or the faint of heart. By appointment only. Long wait... and if Tex doesn't like your design, he's gonna tell you so. That'll never change.

Tex Robin Boots (Then)

In July 2000, I went to Coleman TX to learn bootmaking from Tex Robin. I stayed a month. I made 2 pairs of boots...and I drank Tex's Y2k coffee stash still leftover.

The whole reason I started this blog was so I could share my trip to Tex Robin's shop.

These are some of the photos I took back then. Here are some more.

Capitol Saddlery (Austin, TX)

Texas Custom Boots (Austin, TX)

Texas Custom Boots is truly a full-service boot shop.

Noel Escobar will be happy to make you a brand new handmade customfit cowboy boot. He is happy to sell you one of his vintage boots. He will also take your broken-down chewed-up vintage factory boots and restore them to wearable condition.

Noel has more patience and expertise for restoring worn and vintage cowboy boots than anyone I know. Noel will strengthen boot tops with new linings. He'll relast boots... sometimes adding a wingtip or foxing as an attractive repair. He'll resole & polish. Click through to the end of the photos to see what can only be called "extreme makeovers."

Also, Texas Custom Boots adjoins Martinez Brothers Taxidermy, which makes for some great pictures. Come for the boots, stay for the BBQ.

Texas Traditions (Austin, TX)

I first visited Texas Traditions almost ten years ago. Nowadays, I go every time I'm in Austin.

These are some photos taken during my last couple of trips. Why aren't there more? ...because that would mean I'd have to put down my coffee cup and get up out of my chair. (Please note... even Lee Cooke, a local Austin dignitary, scored only one out of two.)

Visit my Flickr page to add some comments and notes of your own.

Cowboy Boots at Rocketbuster

   

Have you seen the print ads? The website? Rocketbuster's got great new designs and swell remakes of some very cherished vintage pairs.

I like how Nevena gave a bit more pizazz to the toe and heel on these yellow bird boots.

Photographs by Marty Snortum, Cowboy Boots: The Art & Sole.

More Cowboy Boot Labels

I've added a bunch "new" labels to the "Makers' Marks" Photo Pool on Flickr. Now, there are more than 70 custom and store-bought cowboy boot labels... and yes, there's plenty of room for more!

(P.S. I've alphabetized my photos.)

Tools of the Trade: Paper Pattern

A pattern for toe stitching on pair of custom cowboy boots. Photo taken at Wheeler Boot Co. (Houston, TX)

eDirectory of Cowboy Bootmakers

You’ve read my website and my book. You’ve gotten advice from friends and colleagues. This eDirectory is the next step in your careful cowboy boot research.

This is a directory of all the talented bootmakers featured in my book, Cowboy Boots: The Art & Sole (Universe 2007.) This pricing and delivery information is not available anywhere else online. I spent hours on the phone, calling bootmakers one-by-one, so you don’t have to. (I hope someday to create a directory which includes the nearly 300 bootmakers listed on my Cowboy Boot Web Page.)

Yep. Here's the information you need to be an educated and confident custom cowboy boot buyer.

This downloadable directory includes starting prices, delivery times, years of bootmaking experience, and whether the bootmaker will accept measurements through the mail, or if he/she must measure your feet in-person. You'll get up-to-date bootmaker contact information, and (when available) live web links to each maker's website.

$29 digital, free shipping

Return to products page.

Over the last ten years, I've called hundreds of custom makers looking for information about cowboy boots... I know, it's not always easy to get your calls and questions answered.

This directory will save you a pile of time and trouble. You can...

• Quickly narrow your search to custom bootmakers in your price range.
• Understand typical delivery times before you make a single call.
• Look in my book, or use the web links, to see photos of each maker's work.
• Print a copy of the directory and annotate it with your own notes.
• Get a jump-start on all your travel plans!

And finally, these are the custom bootmakers included in the directory: Arditti Alligator Accouterments & Handcrafted Footwear · Austin-Hall Boot Company · Back at the Ranch · Big Star Boots · Blucher Custom Boots · Bob McLean Custom Bootmakers · Brian Thomas Boots · C.T. Boot Shop (Carl Chappell) · Capitol Saddlery · Caboots (Champion Attitude Boots) · Coe Custom Boots · Cowboy Boots by George · Cunningham's Lone Star Boots · Custom Boots by Morado · Daly Boots · Dave J. Hutchings' Boots · Devote Bootist (Tlo Lowry) · Dew's Custom Handmade Boots · Duck Menzies Bootmaker · Gina C. Guy · Gjelstein Custom Cowboy Boots · James Leddy Boot Company · Janet Stoddard Custom Boots · Jass Boot Shop (Pablo) · Jim Babchak Bootmaker · Jim Covington Bootmaker · J.P.'s Custom Handmade Boots (Joe Patrickus) · Kimmel Boots · Lariat Gang Boots & Shoes · Liberty Boot Company · Little's Boots · Lonesome Ace Boot Company · Lucchese Boot Company · Luis' Custom Cowboy Bootmaking · Manuel · McGlasson Custom Boots · McGuf?n Custom Boots · Meanwhile... Back at the Ranch (Heather Joy) · Melody's Custom Boots · Olsen-Stelzer Boot Co. · Paul Bond Boot Company · Richard Cook Custom Boots · Riff Raff Leatherworks (Pascal) · Rocketbuster · Schwarz Custom Boots · Slickfork Boots · Sorrell Custom Boots · Spikes Custom Boots · Stallion Boot Company · Stephanie Ferguson Custom Boots · Tex Robin Boots · Texas Traditions / Boots by Lee Miller · Tres Outlaws · Weinkauf Boots & Leatherworks · Wheeler Boot Company · Wild Bill's Custom Boots · William Shanor and Julie Bonney · Young's Custom Boots

 
Return to products page.

Photograph by Marty Snortum. Cowboy boot made by C.T. Boot Shop (Carl Chappell.) You'll recognize this boot from the cover of my book... now, without the book's cover text you can see all the beautiful stitching.

Front Page News

Go read Lynn Brezosky's article, Storied cowboy boot makers in Valley are in big demand, in this morning's San Antonio Express-News.

The article has quotes and insights from longtime Rio Grande Valley bootmakers, Pat Moody (Rios of Mercedes,) Vicente Cavazos (Cavazos Boots) and Joe Martinez (Vaquero Boot Company.) The are also special guest appearances by Jess Monroe and yours truly.

To locate these and other South Texas bootmakers visit my custom bootmaker list.

Click on the image to get a glimpse of the photos.

My Cowboy Boots

I'm just getting started here...more photos tomorrow, I hope.

Cowboy Boot Tops

Photo taken at Paul Bond Boots (Nogales, AZ)

2007 Winners of the Best of American Bootmakers Competition

This is the second year Silver Dollar City has held a Best of American Bootmakers Competition.

Each park visitor got a chance to vote for their favorite cowboy boots. Over 7,500 ballots and 35,000 votes were cast.

Silver Dollar City awarded over $12,500.00 in cash and products to the winning bootmakers.

Congratulations to the winners!

Work Boot
1^st Place — Mark Schumacher (Wolsey, SD)
2^nd Place — Wild Bill (Granby, CT)
3^rd Place — Dew Westover (Vernon, TX)

Office Boot
1^st Place — Carl Chappell (Saint Jo, TX)
2^nd Place — Stephanie Ferguson (Millsap, TX)
3^rd Place — Mike Spikes (Henrietta, TX)

Stage Boot
1^st Place — Keith Rohwedder (Weatherford, TX)
2^nd Place — Pascal (North Hollywood, CA)
3^rd Place — Stephanie Ferguson (Millsap, TX)

Novice Class
1^st Place — Jacky Heflin (Keller, TX)
2^nd Place — Alys Glaze (Saint Jo, TX)
3^rd Place — Steve McCord (Henrietta, TX)

Best Shop Effort
1^st Place — Robert Brest (San Angelo, TX)
2^nd Place — Olsen Seltzer (Henrietta, TX)
3^rd Place — Tres Outlaw (El Paso, TX)

Best of Show
Carl Chappell (Saint Jo, TX)

Artist Choice Award ...Voted on by Silver Dollar City Master Craftsmen
Carl Chappell (Saint Jo, TX)

Next year, Silver Dollar City will have a working boot and saddle shop, during its Salute to the Great American Cowboy in September 2008 (in lieu of a boot contest.) Plan your own visit to Silver Dollar City, where they have a passion in keeping, demonstrating and showcasing the "lost arts" of the past. (video)

Cowboy Boot Labels (con't)

Me: (browsing the boots on the display table at the Bootmaker Round-Up.)
Mark F.: Hey there... you taking photos of all the labels?
Me: Uh, yeah ...right. Yep. Sure am!

Thanks Mark!

(Many of the photos are courtesy of LDPNDP, one of my favorite eBay sellers.)

Jack Rowin (Video)

Click over and watch a short film called "Boot Camp" made by Kristin Windbigler.

"A portrait of storyteller, philosopher and bootmaker
Jack Rowin
by an admiring apprentice."

I met Jack Rowin, back in 1999. He makes a hardworking cowboy boot, occasionally decorated with a brand or initial. Ms. Windbigler's film was like stepping back for another visit.

Here are some my old photos...

Contact Jack to place your order for custom cowboy boots, or to learn the craft of bootmaking.

Jack Rowin, Bootmaker
21595 S. Powerhouse Road
Manton, California 96059
(530) 474-5146
bootmaker@shasta.com

(Video link courtesy of Deep West Videos.)

Boot Contest 2007

Each year at the Boot & Saddle Maker Trade Show Round-Up there is a boot contest. This year, there were loads of cowboy boots.

The boots sit on the tables unmarked. Everyone who visits the show gets to vote for their favorite boots and saddles. Sometimes I can figure out which boot belongs to who, either from design features...or the sometimes the buzz in the room. This year I had a difficult time because there were so many entries.

(More photos & stories at Custom Cowboy Boots Discussion Board.)

(Click here for full-size photos & more captions)

2007 Cowboy Boot Contest Winners

Journeyman
Winner: Terry Glueck (Waco, TX)
Runner-Up: Steve McCord (Henrietta, TX)

Working Cowboy
Winner: James Redman (Mertzon, TX)
Runner-Up: Mike Vaughn (Bowie, TX)

Artistry
Winner: Jacky Heflin (Keller, TX)
Runner-Up: Brian Thomas (Abilene, TX)

Open Class
Winner: Dew Westover (Vernon, TX)
Runner-Up: Cowboy Loveless (Hugo, OK)

Top Stitching
Winner: Mike Vaughn (Bowie, TX)
Runner-Up: Ben Gonzales (Bryan, TX)

Masters
Lisa Sorrell (Guthrie, Ok)

Professional's Choice
Brian Thomas (Abilene, TX)

Next year's show is October 3-4, 2008 in Wichita Falls, TX. See you there.

Glossary: Variegated Thread

When I was working on my book, I struggled a bit defining the word "variegated" as in variegated thread. I wrote...

"Variegated Thread: Thread that has been dyed with patches of multiple colors or with different shades of a single color."

I wrote this as if the reader would picture the thread on the spool or running through a sewing machine, just like I do.

Recently, I happened upon a fashion blog, called "The Coveted." In her post, stylish Jennine writes about a pair of pink cowboy boots with "rainbow" stitching.

Rainbow! Rainbow really is the perfect word, because these boots are colorful... they have a kinda light-hearted airy quality.

Variegated thread around a butterfly inlay gives the design a kind of flutter ...stitched row upon row gives the thread gives the look of broad brush strokes. At a distance, some stitch patterns look a little like watercolors.

Try this...flip through my book and look only at the thread colors used on each boot. Isn't it interesting? I've used the comment section below to note the pages where I found variegated rainbow thread. Did I miss any pairs?

(EXTRA: How does a bootmaker line up the colors? ...it's a trade secret.)

Photos by Marty Snortum. This boot made by Paul Bond is one of the many many swell boots left on the "cutting room floor" while making my book.

WANTED: Dead or Alive

UPDATE!
A Denton County man is in now in jail having been charged with felony theft of these prize boots. (Read more from The Dallas Morning News.)

UPDATE!
Mr. Chappell's boots have been recovered and are headed back to the shop! ...Thanks to evidence uncovered in jail interviews and multiple house searches. Read more at The Dallas Morning News and khou.com.

These beautiful hand carved cowboy boots were made by Mr. Carl Chappell. They are pictured in my book on page 274 ...and were stolen from Trail Town Custom Leather Shop in Saint Jo, Texas, on 30 July, 2007 at approximately 10:00am.

Thanks to the Dallas Morning News for the details provided in this story. Be sure to listen to the audio file.

Anyone with information should contact John Glaze at Trail Town Custom Leather, 940-995-2600 or the Saint Jo Police Department at 940-995-2337. (Click here for a larger view of the shop's REWARD poster.)

Rough Cut

Yeehaw! “Bodacious Boots” is almost done. Come sneak a peek at the first-cut of “Bodacious Boots” on opening night at the 20th Annual Dallas Video Festival.

This high-spirited ode to the cowboy boot is directed by Tim Wylie and produced by Laura Neitzel.

Through interviews with boot makers, collectors, and aficionados like Lyle Lovett, Kelly Le Brock, Dr. Laura, Chef Dean Fearing, Kinky Friedman (and yours truly) ...Bodacious Boots takes a broad look at the art, history, and culture of the Western cowboy boot, and explores the qualities that elevate this humble piece of functional footwear into an object d’art and quintessentially American icon.

What:
“Bodacious Boots” screening
at the 20th Annual Dallas Video Festival
(Ticket info at videofest.org.)

When:
Tuesday, July 31 7:30 pm

Where:
Angelika Film Center
5321 E. Mockingbird Lane (Dallas, TX)

You are also invited to the official opening night party of the Dallas Video Festival, featuring the spaghetti-western surfer-twang of The Big Guns (also featured in Bodacious Boots.)

When:
9 pm to midnight

Where:
AllGood Café 2934 Main Street (east end of Deep Ellum) Dallas

...Kindly rsvp to lneitzel@amspg.com.

Think About Cowboy Boots

Think 117. Watch the entire program or fast forward 18:03 minutes into the segment for an interview with Laura Neitzel and a clip from the upcoming film, Bodacious Boots.

In this short clip...you'll catch a glimpse of bootmakers Dave Wheeler, Lee Miller, and the hard working folks at Rocketbuster. The film also includes interviews with talented boot collectors Lyle Lovett and John Tongate.

The 20th Annual Dallas Video Festival begins Tuesday July 31st and runs through August 5th. Laura Neitzel's film "Bodacious Boots" opens the festival on July 31st at the Angelika Film Center in Dallas at 7:35pm. More information about purchasing tickets, theaters, and films being shown during the festival is available at www.videofest.org.

Makers' Marks

Factory-made? Custom made? Take a peek inside the secret language of cowboy boot labels, signature stitches and inking. I've posted a bunch of photos of cowboy boot labels and signature stitches on Flickr. I'm hoping it's a help to boot collectors and a tribute to makers.

Move your mouse over the photos to view extra notes and info.

Add your own photos to Flickr and join the fun! Points awarded for artistic merit. (If you run into to trouble you can e-mail me your photos and I will post them.)

Under the Cuff

I always like to see what bootmakers wear on their feet.

These are Al Reynold's boots inlayed with the tools of his trade... a boot last (yellow), a french hammer...even a needle and thread.

Click here to see a little more of the boot.

 
CONTACT:
Old West Leather
Alfred R. Reynolds
Wickenburg, AZ 85358
(928) 684-3134
E-Mail: bootguy1@cox.net

Travel: Following the Bootmaker Trail

Hit the road with Western writer Johnny D. Boggs. In his article "Following the Bootmaker Trail" Boggs travels from Guthrie, Oklahoma to Phoenix, Arizona... visiting at least fifteen bootmakers along the way.

This article is full of quotes and stories that showcase the personality of each shop. Don't overlook the article's sidebar. It's loaded with current information about base prices and delivery times.

• For more online articles visit my "Bootmakers in the News" page.
• For help planning your own trip visit my list of custom bootmakers and the "Happy Trails" part of my bulletin board.

Collectors can purchase this issue of True West magazine (October 2006), by clicking here.

Photo of Paul Bond courtesy of True West.

Best in Show, Silver Dollar City 2006

Visit Silver Dollar City's website for the prize winning cowboy boots of the Best of American Bootmakers Competetition 2006.

Park visitors voted for their favorite pairs in five categories: "Novice," "Work," "Office," and "Stage" boots... along with "Best Shop Effort," a category for larger boot companies where a boot is passed from hand to hand during its construction.

As the newest offering in the Festival of American Music & Crafts ...there were nearly 60 pairs of boots entered in the contest and bootmakers demonstrating their craft. I'm making my plans to attend next year's competition... September 13 through October 27. See you there!

(Use the comments link below to tells us which boots got your vote?)

These Carmack's Custom Boots won 1st place in the Stage Boot Competition and Best in Show. (Photo courtesy Silver Dollar City. )

Carmack's Custom Boots
Greg Carmack, Bootmaker
6020 North Hwy 6
Waco, TX 76712
E-mail: bootmaker@prodigy.net

Custom Cowboy Boots in High-Def

Well the "buzz" has already started for Bodacious Boots, an hour-long feature documentary all about cowboy boots.

Bodacious Boots is a high-spirited ode to the cowboy boot and the famous and infamous personalities who make them, wear them, and love them.

Yep. It's true. The film includes an ever-growing list of boomakers including Pascal, Lee Miller and Stephanie Ferguson ...filmed in high-def along side the likes of Lyle Lovett, Kelly LeBrock, Kinky Friedman (and appearing soon, yours truly.)

Click here to view the trailer. Spring 2007 release...for info, contact lneitzel@amspg.com.

Vintage Cowboy Boots with an Eagle Inlay

"Eagle boots" were insanely popular during the early 1950's. In large part because of the patriotism and prosperity our country felt following World War II, but also because of big western stars like Roy Rogers (remembered for his wide-winged eagle inlays in red, white and blue.)

Pictured here is a great pair of vintage boots. The eagle is made by overlaying leather in two colors, gold and green...on top of the boot's white vamp. This is the best "eagle toe" I have ever seen. [zoom]

What makes it so great?

• The cut-outs mimick the shape of the boot's toe...going from wide to narrow somewhat gradually.
• The toe design is bold to balance the heavily inlayed top and mule ear* ...even without the bird's head, the overlay makes a great "wing"tip.
• The eagle's head sits well above the wrinkles across the vamp at the boot. It's unfortunate how often wrinkles and folds wreck the detail of the beak and eye.
• The row of yellow stitiching provides a nice sharp outline. Even after all these years.

Remember! An eagle on a toe of a boot does not need to be an exact match for the eagle on your boot top.

On this pair, the bird on the toe has narrow wings that reach high over his head. The eagle on the top has widespead veined wings, almost like a butterfly.

(* You get to see the entire boot in April 2007 when my book comes out.)

Photos by Jennifer June.
Boots belong to Karen Robinson.

Video of Custom Bootmaker Paul Bond

Keep your eye on the Paul Bond Boot Company website. Even though the gallery of cowboy boot styles isn't online yet... it's worth a visit just to see the video of Mr. Bond.

Rumor has it, the legendary Paul Bond printed-on-paper catalog is also going through some "big" changes...stay tuned.

Video: Lucky Stitch (1:33min)

Click here to view a video of Martin Chávez stitching a cowboy boot top at Rocketbuster Boots in El Paso, Texas USA. The speed at which Mr. Chávez is sewing is genuine...the video is not sped-up or altered.

Read my essay about cowboy boot stitchwork.

This is my first "videoblog" entry. I filmed the video clips last year using my digital still camera, so there is no sound.

 

I found some free online video hosting, so hopefully they'll be more vlogging to come. I'm planning to buy a new camera (one that captures sound) ...before I leave for Texas this October.

Tips on visiting a custom bootshop

1. Always make an appointment! Many bootmakers have their shops at home. Business hours vary greatly...for good and for bad.

2. Ask if there are photos or cowboy boots in the shop for you to see. When bootmakers know you're coming sometimes they can hold on to a finished pair for a little while before shipping them out. I've been places where the only boots in the shop were the ones on the bootmaker's feet.

3. Don't do too much drinkin' or dancin' the night before your visit. If your feet are unusually swollen it will interfere with your measurments. (This can go for long airplane rides as well.) Most people like afternoon appointments because it's often a "happy medium" for boot fit.

4. Bring your checkbook. Relatively few bootmakers take credit cards. Most often when you buy a pair of custom cowboy boots you'll be asked to pay half the amount at the time of the order, and the rest when your boots are finished.

5. Wear clean socks. Pick a pair similar to the ones you are planning on wearing with your boots. Your foot measurements will be taken with your pant legs pulled up and your socks on.

6. Put the bootmaker's phone number on your cell phone's speed dial ...some bootshops are really "off the beaten path."

7. Be honest with the bootmaker and respectful of their time. In one-person shops all bootmaking stops when you walk in the door. If you are just stopping by to say "howdy" and look at their work—make it a short visit. Bootmakers will gladly take your measurements if you're a serious customer, but staying two hours, getting fitting and planning out a pair of boot that you never order ...just isn't cool.

PHOTO: After 15 years of bootmaking, Brian Thomas has just opened his shop in Abilene, Texas. Better act fast before his waitlist gets too long! Contact Mr. Thomas at B17CREWDOG@aol.com (...or phone 325-672-2344.)