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are“vintage”J.B.Hills, sentback toberebuilt, resized, andrefurbished—
basically theyaregivenanew leaseon life.
Because thesebootsaremeant tobeworn foryears tocome, thede-
signprocess isnot taken lightly.Thecompanymakes itapoint tofindout
how thebootswill bewornand to learnwhat thecustomerwants. “We
don’tputbootson theshelf,weputbootson thecustomer’s feetand take
careof their footwearneeds,”Hill says.
Whilehemayhave come into thisbusinessasan investor, it’s clear
by thewayHill runs the company that hehas foundapassion. “I guess
it’s inmyDNA,”he saysashe surveyseachof the stations in thework-
room, givinghis thoughtsonadesign thathasbeencommissionedbyan
agricultural group.Hill’s clients range from realworking cowboys to
high-society types, and includeanumberof celebrities, though the
mild-manneredHill isn’t one todropnames.Onenamehewill drop,
though: SeattleSlew, the legendaryTripleCrown-winning racehorse
from the late1970swhichheco-owned.
J.B.Hill isa longway from thegenteelworldofhorseracing.And
whileHillmay insist thathis interestwaspurelyfiscal, it’snot sucha
stretch, really, forahorse lover tofindhispassion incraftingsomeof the
finest footwearever tograceastirrup.
celebratedliving.co
WINT
NOTSURPRISINGLY,MANYOFTHECOUNTRY’S
BESTCUSTOMBOOTMAKERSARE INTHEWEST.
HERE’SALOOKATSOMETOPSHOPS.
d.roundyboots,
saltlakecity
There’s noassembly lineat thisUtah shop:
DonRoundy has been handcrafting boots one
at a time fromhisworkbench formore than30
years. (801) 965-9455, roundyboots.com
johnallenwoodwardboots,
sandiego
This artist got his start in boot designwhile
pursuingamusic career inNashville. Nowhe
makeswearableart in exotic leathers for
would-be cowboys from hisWest Coast work-
place. johnallenwoodward.com
mercedesbootcompany,
fortworth
Oneof ahandful of boot companies located inor
near FortWorth’s famedStockyards, this com-
panywill builduniqueboots indesigns to suit
you. But their LimeOstrichZebraboot isworth
copying.mercedesboots.com
m.l. leddy’s,
fortworth
Since 1922, the Leddy family has been produc-
ing some of the finest boots around. Today, it’s
run by fourth-generation Leddy bootmakers.
leddys.com
stephanieferguson
,
millsap, texas
Thisaward-winningartisan startedher career
in clothingdesignand learnedbootmaking
from veteranbootmaker JackReed.
stephanieferguson.com
texastraditions,
austin, texas
LeeMillermayhavebeenbornandbred in
Vermont, but hewas trainedby legendaryTexas
bootmakerCharlieDunn. The four-yearwait
attests toMiller’s talents. (512) 443-4447
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