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Corral Boot History

The whole idea of creating a brand of western boots started with a trip to Mexico, there Othell Welch, founder of Corral, got inspired and was fascinated with the handcrafted quality of the process of manufacturing boots. Othell had this idea of a brand, he had contacts of boot makers in León, but also, and the most important, he had the support of his family and friends so in 1999 Corral Boots was founded. At the beginning Corral started making men's boots, but the problem was that all similar brands were doing exactly the same - exotic leather boots for men. So Corral decided to focus on what others didn't have and what was missing in the market was a good selection of ladies boots. Finally in 2000 Corral launched its first collection of western boots for women. Very soon Corral began to skyrocket and the brand was not just in Texas anymore, it spread all over United States. In 2006, a part of the Corral business was sold to his friends in Mexico who helped get the company going in Mexico.

Corral's success is thanks to the constant introduction of western products and designs, for both women and men and because they work rather to offer Western lifestyle and not just a brand. 

Nowadays Corral has over 800 retailers in United Stated, the company employs more than 500 people in America and Mexico. The Corral Boot Company was built on unwavering values that continue to hold Corral boots in the highest regards for fashion western boots. Only the most experienced boot makers craft Corral boots by hand, and only from the finest leathers. Each Corral boot is handcrafted, one at a time, ensuring a western boot that is unique in design and incomparable in quality.
With more than 400 style options, Corral is considered one of the world’s premier boot makers.

AndersonBean Forever

The most important aspect of Anderson Bean Boot Company is the Human Element. From our craftsmen to our customers we have been truly blessed. We try to answer each e-mail and social media message that comes in with questions about our boots, because, we like hearing from our customers. We like to hear all the good things as well as the not so good. If you have had an issue with our boots, please let us know so that we can take care of it as best we can. This is all part of the process of constant attention to quality. We will stand behind our product, so that you can stand in them. As Anderson Bean expands, we have many different ideas in terms of boot designs. Not only that, but our team is working away at securing more College Team logos (we currently can make boots with the A&M logo and the OSU logo). If you’d like to see your alma mater on a pair of Anderson Bean boots let us know! We’ll try our darnedest to make sure we can make it happen!

Anderson Bean Set Apart From The Rest

The majority of our boots are made with leather soles or hybrid soles that combine an all leather sole with an injected molded rubber pad at the ball of the foot to extend the longevity of the sole and maintain the flex of the boot. With these traditional types of soles we use lemon wood pegs to secure the Spring Steel Shank in place in the arch of the foot for support. This process is more than tradition, it is pure functionality, and our craftsmen have been using it for over 150 years. The pegs will actually expand and contract with the leather as it changes temperature and moisture content so that they do not fall out or rust like a nail. It’s little things like that, attention to detail, that have helped refine our product and make it what it is today. Today Anderson Bean continues to supply the US with custom made boots. We specialize in many different kinds of leather, from Amazon Bass fish to Zebra to Ostrich to well pretty much anything you can think of. If you can think of anything else you’d like to see in our boots, let us know!

Anderson Bean Perfecting Handmade Craftsmanship

After years of working on our product we perfected the Anderson Bean Boot. You see, our boots start with premium hides to provide comfort and longevity. You will not find any synthetic hides or man-made leather in our boots, ever. Our hides are cut with an attention to detail and placement on the hide to allow each piece to naturally expand and contract with heat and moisture, just as nature designed. In the late 2000s Anderson Bean boots were sold in over 1,000 stores in the US. The reason? You. You loved our boots so much that we went from a tiny little factory selling boots in just deep South Texas, to a brand that creates custom boots for everyone. We understand quality. We understand craftsmanship. We understand comfort. And that’s why we hand make all our boots, from start to finish. From the ground up, our boots are built with the finest and most durable materials that nature can supply. Each pair is lined with premium cowhide and has leather heel counters and leather insoles. Simple attention to detail is the key in every part of the process of making Anderson Bean boots. It’s a lot easier to not overcomplicate things.

Anderson Bean Grows

Our first couple boots were handmade inside a little tiny warehouse by just a small handful of people. But the reactions we got from our customers were unbelievable. So on we went by purchasing our current warehouse today, in deep South Texas. It was big, but we knew we could fill its boots (pun intended). In the late 90s Anderson Bean was approached by many different riders and musicians because they loved our boots so much. So, we officially got some endorsers who out of all the boot companies out there, chose us! But we always say this, you made Anderson Bean the name it is today. We are a family at Anderson Bean. In fact our name came from one of our owner’s mother. We like to not only have that family vibe at our office and factory, but also with you… our customers. We don’t see you as another person wearing our boots, we see you as a member of the Anderson Bean Boot Company family.

Anderson Bean A Begining

It all started with an idea. To create a quality boot, handmade boot, with all leather construction from the highest quality materials possible. Oh all at an affordable price. That idea grew from a tiny seed into the brand Anderson Bean. So on we moved forward with over a century and a half of experience to craft a unique, high quality boot. You see, we’re from Texas. We’ve been building boots for a long time. We understand what a person wants in a pair of boots. We’re cowboys, cowgirls, ranchers, dancers, farmers and just all around people who like a comfy, handcrafted boot.

Corral Boot History

Are you interested in hand-made, designer boots with intricate leather designs and stunning decorations that will make a splash and huge statement the moment you put them on? Then Corral Boots are just what you’re looking for!

Corral Boots have been manufacturing handcrafted boots for 12 years now and have created a fashion niche in the western boot design that is unparalleled. Each and every Corral cowboy boot is individually handcrafted with the finest materials available making Corral boots unique and simply luxurious! You’ll be hard-pressed to find another cowboy boot on the market with the same flair, detail, and quality craftsmanship as a Corral Boot. What we love about Corral Boots is their commitment to keeping their prices affordable in lieu of most western fashion boot costs — all the while offering a supremely quality product!

Tony Lama Boots History

Born to Italian immigrant parents in 1887, Tony Lama first learned the leather and boot trade at the age of 11 when he apprenticed a shoemaker in Syracuse, New York. In the early 20th century, Lama joined the U.S. Cavalry as a cobbler for the soldiers stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas. After completing his service in 1911, he stayed in the border town of El Paso, Texas. While there, Lama met and married Esther Hernandez, a pianist and music teacher. Soon after, he opened a small shoe and boot repair shop. Repairs were initially the biggest part of his business, but the boots he made soon became popular. In the first year, together with his one employee at the time, Lama sold 20 pairs of handcrafted boots.

By the 1930s, Western wear stores began asking for Tony Lama’s boots. In response, he developed methods to produce greater quantities. Over the next two decades, Lama’s six children became actively involved in the business. In 1946, his son, Joseph “Bert” Lama, presented a custom pair of boots to U.S. President Harry S. Truman. The boots, named “El Presidente,” were inlaid with gold and silver. In the 1950s, the company began marketing its boots nationally.

In 1961, nearly 50 years after the first store opened, the company moved into larger quarters and began making 750 pairs of boots a day. By the late 1960s, the company moved to a new factory on El Paso’s east side. In 1990, Tony Lama Boots was sold to Justin Industries

Nocona Boots History

In 1925, Nocona Boots was founded by Enid Justin, the daughter of Justin Boots founder H.J. "Joe" Justin, in Nocona, Texas. Enid’s goal was to carry on his tradition of making quality western boots in the town he loved.

Mr. Justin, or "Daddy Joe," was a perfectionist with every detail of his handcraft. In 1879, he started a tradition of fine boot-making in Spanish Fort, Texas, appreciated by his cowboy customers who could order custom-fit boots that were ready to pick up after their return from cattle drives.

In 1887, the railroad came through Nocona, Texas, and the boot factory was moved to Nocona to take advantage of better shipping facilities.

At the age of 12, in 1906, Enid started working in her father's shop where she remained for the next 12 years learning the fine points of the trade, absorbing his knowledge and love for handcrafted boots.

After Mr. Justin died in 1918, other members of the family wanted to move the business to Fort Worth, Texas. Enid felt so strongly her father wanted the company based in Nocona, she stayed behind when her brothers moved with the factory’s equipment in 1925.

Enid borrowed $5,000 and kept seven employees to found the Nocona Boots brand in Nocona, Texas. The discovery of oil near Nocona brought many new customers to Miss Enid’s young company. The brand made a 16-inch lace-up boot that was tough enough to survive the oil fields, and the wildcatters kept coming back for more.

In 1981, Nocona Boots merged with Justin Industries, the parent company of Justin Boots at the time, bringing the boot-making histories of the two family companies full circle.

Today, Nocona Boots still handcrafts premium cowboy boots offering collections in the Fashion, Legacy, Exotic, Western, Rancher and Competitor categories. The brand was also the first to offer cowboy boots officially licensed by The Collegiate Licensing Company, the College Boots Collection, handcrafted in the U.S.A.Nocona Boots footwear is available for men, women and children at western specialty stores across the country and online footwear retailers, including Zappos.

Justin Boots History

H. J. Justin came to Texas from Lafayette, Indiana in 1879 where he had been a boot repairman.  He settled in the west Texas town of Spanish Fort on the Texas-Oklahoma border.  At this time in the Old West, the ranchers had cattle drives to move the herds to the markets in the East.  During the Civil War most of the men in Texas fought in the war and the cattle were not attended to.  The herds grew in size and freely roamed the State of Texas. When the war ended the state’s only assets were its countless longhorns, for which no markets were available.  Missouri and Kansas had closed their borders to Texas cattle in the 1850’s.  By 1866 cattle in Texas were only worth $4 per head.  In the North and East the same cattle would bring $40 per head. In 1867 O. W. Wheeler built stockyards in Abilene, Kansas.  He encouraged Texas cattlemen to drive their herds to his stockyards.  The Chisholm Trail became the route from ranches in Texas to the Kansas railhead.  The railroads moved the cattle to the eastern markets.  Daddy Joe moved his family next to the Chisholm Trail.    He realized that the cowboys needed tough and protective footwear.  This was different type of footwear from what was needed in Indiana.  The cowboys needed a tall shaft to protect the calf of the leg from the constant contact with the saddle.  The toe needed to be pointed to find the stirrup when they mounted the horse.  The high heel was a safety feature.  It prevented the foot from becoming tangled in the stirrup.  It was the equivalent of today’s seat belt in automobiles.  The leathers available were very soft.  To provide a stiffer shaft the boot-makers would stitch a pattern on the boot’s shaft.  They quickly learned a decorative stitch would sell better to their customers to young and brash cowboys. 

When the cowboys came to town on the cattle drives, Daddy Joe would measure their feet for custom crafted western boots.  He hand made every pair of boots.  Daddy Joe did not have stock boots and the cowboys did not have the money to pay for the boots as they drove the cattle down the trail to the new railroad.  With their measurements Daddy Joe would begin the process of hand crafting the cowboys boots and the cowboys would continue up the Chisholm Trail to deliver the cattle. 

When the cowboys delivered the herd they received the payment for their services on the cattle drive.  Now they had the money to pay for their boots.  As they made their way down the Chisholm Trail back home they would pick up their boots from Daddy Joe Justin. 

This lasted until 1887.  In that year the railroad came through Nocona, Texas, just south of Spanish Fort.  Daddy Joe moved his family and business to Nocona, Texas, for better shipping facilities.