I had this weekend off from bootmaking…I went driving off to nearby Comanche…and let Tex Robin get some real work done. I went to visit with Eddie and Kathy Kimmel. They own Kimmel Boots and put on the Boot and Saddlemakers’ Round-Up. I see them every September at the Round-Up, but they’re always to busy to do much more than smile at folks. Their shop is open by-appointment-only on Saturdays…so it was quiet. I’ve mostly visited one-man or one-woman shops. It was fun to see a slightly bigger operation. (Someday I’ll post up the pictures I took.) I’ve been to quite a few boot shops now…most of them, naturally, have a lot of the same equipment. This time my eyes went straight to the middle shop…Eddie’s invented a few things o make the shop run smoother, like a nail dispenser which turns and lets a few folks get at it at once…the sew-on welts are neatly spooled on top…very cool.
