The Next 25 Bootmakers

More of the best bootmakers in the state.

by Joe Nick Patoski

AMARILLO

Beck Cowboy Boots 6666 W. Amarillo Boulevard
806-356-6626
www.beckboots.com
The current father-daughther team carries on the family tradition that twins Earl and Bearl started in 1916.
Specializes in: Working cowboy boots.
Prices start at: $400.
Turnaround time: Ten to twelve weeks (five weeks for express orders).
Has made boots for: Country and western legend Bob Wills.

Cottle's Boot and Shoe Repair 2803 Wolflin
806-352-8821
Dennis Cottle has been making boots since 1976.
Specializes in: Boots for real cowboys.
Prices start at: $550.
Turnaround time: Ten to twelve months.
Has made boots for: Locals.

AUSTIN

Texas Custom Boots 2525 S. Lamar
512-442-0926
While Noel Escobar runs the business, 37-year-old master bootmaker Alberto "Gordo" Lozano does the lasts and top work. Lozano was taught by the late Carlos Hernandez, Jr., the other celebrated bootmaker at Capitol Saddlery.
Specializes in: Replicating conservative styles and eye-popping tops.
Prices start at: $1,000.
Turnaround time: Twelve to fourteen months.
Has made boots for: Actors Clint Eastwood and Kevin Costner; musician Willie Nelson; criminal defense attorney Richard "Racehorse" Haynes; and UT football coach Mack Brown.

BLOSSOM

W. E. Adkins Custom Boots
109 E. Front Street
903-982-6978
Adkins, who has 25 years of experience, is a one-man show.
Specializes in: Cowboy boots.
Prices start at: $395.
Turnaround time: Two to four months.
Has made boots for: Locals.

DALHART

Dalhart Custom Boots
318 Denrock
806-249-8138
In XIT Ranch country Sonny Dawkins is the master bootmaker.
Specializes in: Genuine cowboy boots.
Prices start at: $750.
Turnaround time: Three to six months.
Has made boots for: Locals.

EL PASO

Mingo Boot Company
6966 Alameda Avenue
915-779-7681
George, Mike, Julio, and Mingo, Jr., took over after their father, Domingo Jauregui, passed away. Jauregui founded the company in 1973 after quitting his job as foreman at the Tony Lama Boot Company when Tony Lama, Sr., died.
Specializes in: Vibram rubber bottoms; affordable basic boots; all-leather, side-sewn insoles; orthopedic boots.
Prices start at: $200.
Turnaround time: Three to four weeks.
Has made boots for: Actor Stacy Keach (he orders only classic alligator) and members of the Harlem Globetrotters.

Champion Boots
505 S. Cotton
915-534-7783
www.championboot.com
Bootmaking runs in 62-year-old Jose Luis Sanchez's blood; his great-great-grandfather came from the Mexican shoe capital of Leon, and his father ran a boot-and-shoe repair shop.
Specializes in: Real boots for working cowboys; double leather soles; a heavy outer vamp; a handmade leather stacked heel.
Prices start at: $250.
Turnaround time: Forty-five days.
Has made boots for: Country and western musicians Glenn Campbell and the Statler Brothers.

Stanley Boots and Belts
4610 Duranzo
915-533-1794
Before Big Spring native T. O. Stanley bought Rios of Mercedes, he studied under masters like A. C. Williams in Dallas and Zeferino Rios in Mercedes. Stanley eventually started his own company, selling to retailers, and he has a crew turning out product. "I quit making boots because I'm a perfectionist and couldn't please myself," he explains.
Specializes in: Muted top designs; exquisite side seams or no seams at all; four layers of lining; signature S stitch on the outer vamp.
Prices start at: $550.
Turnaround time: Twelve to fourteen weeks.
Has made boots for: Actors Linda Gray and Nick Nolte; musicians Sammy Davis, Jr., and Eric Clapton; film producer George Lucas; and hockey legend Wayne Gretzsky.

J. B. Hill Boot Company
335 N. Clark Drive
915-599-1551
Veterinarian Jim Hill got into the boot business as an investor after his racehorse, Seattle Slew, the undefeated Triple Crown winner, was syndicated. Hill, who runs the company and oversees design, is backed by 15 makers headed by Luis Gonzales. Hill tests his products riding two Thoroughbreds and two quarterhorses.
Specializes in: Hand-carved mules; a Texas Lone Star is stitched on the side of every vamp.
Prices start at: $500.
Turnaround time: Six to eight weeks.
Has made boots for: Political consultant Karl Rove and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach.

Austin-Hall Boot Company
230 Chelsea Street
915-771-6113
Austin-Hall, originally named the Joe Hall Boot Company, has been making boots for three generations.
Specializes in: Straightforward, basic designs (flashy on request); made-to-measure red flame jobs.
Prices start at: $200.
Turnaround time: Fourteen to sixteen weeks.
Has made boots for: Musician Dwight Yoakam; WWF wrestlers; and NASA astronauts.

ELECTRA

Dew's Custom Handmade Boots
5467 Santa Rosa Drive
940-552-6423
Working cowboy David "Dew" Westover creates handmade boots for other working cowboys in his spare time.
Specializes in: Solid boots.
Prices start at: $400.
Turnaround time: Two weeks to one year.
Has made boots for: Cowboys.

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