Cowboy Boots in Santa Fe, NM

Photo of Stallion and Kimmel made boot at Boots & Boogie.

Cowboy Boots: Walk like ya mean it! #10

Gabcast! Cowboy Boots: Walk like ya mean it! #10

Cowboy Boots: Walk like ya mean it! #9

Gabcast! Cowboy Boots: Walk like ya mean it! #9

Cowboy Boots: Walk like ya mean it! #8

Gabcast! Cowboy Boots: Walk like ya mean it! #8

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, All of Them

These are my cowboy boots. I count sixteen pairs, including the two that were packed away in the attic (the blue Lone Stars and the old-timey red Noconas.)

I can't take much credit for "curating" this fine collection, because so many of my boots were gifts. My closet has been a true group project, the result of happy travels, generosity, and more than a little luck.

Here they are (approximately) in order of acquisition...

Vintage Acmes

Evan Voyles said it, and it's true. Sometimes you pick up a cowboy boot for an oddball reason, a goofy little boot in crappy condition. I've held on to these Acmes for years just because of the colors. Someday I will live and work in room that's painted these colors... two colors of brown, a worn red and a creamy white. A room with a wood floor and rounded edges .

Vintage Corrals

These are my "first pair" of cowboy boots. I wore them all day, every day, starting in September 1996 and ending in July 2000. The best thing about them was the circular scuff mark I had on the bottom of my right foot from spinning on the dance floor.

These boots seem a little funny to me now, with their plastic soles and paper lollipop-stick "pegs." The inlays are chipping like old paint.

I'm remembering all the custom boot shops I visited wearing those boots...and all the bootmakers who took a turn fixing them up. Brent McCaslin, Michael Anthony, Tex Robin all shaking their heads, biting their lips, polishing scuffs and replacing heel caps. Makes me smile.

Elvis

Made by one of the Trujilio brothers in the 1950's, these cowboy boots are fondly known as the "Elvis Boots" ...although, really the name inlaid on the front is "Ellis."

They are beautiful and beat-up boots. The inlay is surrounded by tiny stitches in variegated thread. I can tell the design was carefully planned out by the tightly packed top, but the grassy green stitches along the edge of the vamp give it a playful improvised look.

The vamp musta been something to see, before some misguided soul inked over the red inlay. I guess he had his reasons.

Believe it or not, I own these boots. They were a generous gift from Bryce Sunderlin... who bought them from Tyler Beard years ago. These boots were photographed in The Art of the Boot (p. 37) and Cowboy Boots (p. 107.) I got them this summer, or they would have been in my book too.

Zig Zag Stitching

I don't wear these, never have. I bought them on eBay just so that I could put them in my book.

I would wear them though, if I could. If my calves were just a little smaller, if the tops were a little shorter, or if the scallop was a little deeper... then I could wear them, but alas... they just don't fit.

You would think that patchwork like this would end up a little "hodge podge," but the seams are flat and tidy. (FACT: Pieced tops are popular with boot companies, because they get to use tiny scraps of leather instead of large hides.)

Ahhh... the 70's, even I wore patchwork "back in the day" ...sort of a Bohemian's plaid, don't you think?

Remember These?

Behold! my Sacha London shoe boots (circa 1989.) I only have fuzzy memories of buying these, a mall? downtown San Francisco? I think that's right.

I wore these, before I wore cowboy boots... back when I sewed my own drop-waist dresses from Simplicity patterns... when I wore dark tights and thrift shop hats.

My Cowboy Boots

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

Holiday Tip

Throughout the season... leave you best fitting boots lying around on the bedroom floor or at the front of your closet, so others can "sneak" a peek at the maker and size.

Don't forget to visit this year's Cowboy Boot Holiday Gift Guide. Come Friday morning, while others are standing around in dark Walmart parking lot... your loved ones can be at home shopping online in their slippers.

Tradition

A Jim Arndt cowboy boot calendar has hung next to my kitchen sink for last nine years. Every now and then I do browse the January sales, but I've never found a calendar I've liked better. Holiday reminders, phases of the moon... and room enough to write STREET SWEEPING in inch high letters twice a month. It's hard to beat, and of course I'd probably have to repaint the wall. Oh yeah... and I like cowboy boots.

P.S. I no longer rely on Santa or loved ones, I just hop over to amazon and buy one myself. Have you got yours? (2008 Calendar)

The Men Behind HotBoots

FACT: Did you know that "straight" men now make-up about 25% of the visitors to HotBoots.com? And, did you know 100% of all returning visitors love boots. Yep. It's true.

(Photo: Larry Kenney and his partner, Bill visiting Paul Bond in Nogales, AZ.)

Cowboy Boot Tops

Photo taken at Paul Bond Boots (Nogales, AZ)

A Day in the Life

So, what does Jennifer June do all day? Here are some highlights...

• Wake up, feed the dog.
• Run around the neighborhood, wearing a pair of shoes tied with laces.
• Eat a persimmon.
• Read my e-mail (...notice I didn't say "answer my e-mail.")
• Answer questions from a San Antonio Express-News reporter. Article to appear next week.
• Stare at a map of Santa Fe.
• Go to Boot Barn in Fairfield ...drop off a book, and scope out the scene of my Dec. 8th signing.
• Eat a plate of huevos con chorizo (my favorite.)
• Listen to a guest lecture by artist & boyfriend, Scott MacLeod at the Dorothy Herger Gallery, Solano Community College (Suisun, CA.)
• Pack up 2 orders of books bound for New Mexico.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot...

• Update my weblog.

Bad Idea

Ayyyyyyy!

Tools of the Trade: Tacks

Photo taken at Luis Jovel Custom Boots (Fresno, CA.)

Referral

There's some great new stuff to read over at Man in the Crowd's Vintage Cowboy Boot Blog.

Cowboy Boots Factory Made

I was saving the bonus material on my Bodacious Boots DVD for a rainy day, like today. Cowboy boot galleries, extended interviews and a tour of the Lucchese factory in El Paso ... this DVD's "B-side" is a boot geek's dream come true.

The footage of the Lucchese factory is amazing for a couple of reasons. Compared to a small custom boot shop there are soooo many, many machines... like the specialized machine that smooths the side seams and then the one that power turns the tops. But really, what I found equally amazing was that each machine still came with a set of hands. For me... there was something charming in how each boot is passed from hand to hand to hand to hand to hand again...each with a task to do.

And yet, there are still tasks that they can't find a machine to do like pegging a sole. So they hire a man to do it, over and over again...all day long. And his speed and rhythm and precision resemble, well... a machine.

This video includes a great clip of a welt machine in action (photo.) I saw a welt machine for the first time, when I visited Champion Attitude Boots in El Paso. Joey Sanchez explained that the machine was one of the reasons boot companies have historically stayed in such close proximity. Few shops could afford a welt machine, those that could had a hard time keeping one running. When I was visiting with Joey, there was a steady stream of boots coming in the back door...dropped off and picked up by other shops. Every photo I took was a mess because the worker's hand were always just a blur.

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)

How to Make a Cowboy Boot

Some people are word people ...and some people are picture people (photos con't.)

Photo courtesy of Texas Traditions in Austin, Texas.

True West Magazine

This month's True West magazine has a great article, "Can't Kick the Boot Addiction," written by Johnny D. Boggs. Look for it on your newsstands or order your copy online.

Is there a cure? Johnny's article offers insights and advice on the widespread "problem" of cowboy boot addiction, with revealing quotes from Jim Arndt and yours truly.

How many pairs do you own? (Use the comments section below to fess up.)

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.)

Bodacious Boots in Santa Fe, NM

Woo Hoo! Start making your plans now to attend this year's Santa fe Film Festival. "Bodacious Boots" the long-anticipated cowboy boot feature documentary is paired with "Maynard Dixon: Art & Spirit" and screening in Tipton Hall at the College of Santa Fe.

• Friday, November 30 at 2:45 pm
• Sunday, December 2 at 5:45 pm

You'll see me in the film ...and in person! Wear you best boots... and plan to do some sight-seeing.

(You can also purchase Bodacious Boots online. Each DVD includes the feature film and more than an hour of bonus material.)

Save the Date

I'll be doing a book-signing at the Boot Barn in Fairfield, California ...on Saturday, Dec. 8th ( 12-4pm.)

Stay tuned.

Tools of the Trade

Bootmaking bench belonging to Pascal in North Hollywood (a.k.a. RiffRaffLeather.com)

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.)

In the News.

Hey, did you see the article "Boot Bonanza" in Horse & Rider (November 2007)... there's a six pages of fun fashion boot trends, tips and trivia. Photos by David Stoecklein and Marty Snortum.