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The
Qualities of Traditional Western Boots Are Still Made
Randy Watson has been a
great past
President of Justin Industries. Today he has his own
Boot Making business. He brings to you, through
Cultured Cowboy, true handcrafted boots in the
quality we've appreciated since 1983.
In 1983, Cultured Cowboy started
selling Justin Boots. We opened our account with
three men's boot styles, an
orange looking cognac color with a bold toe stitch, a
basic dark brown, a tannish
color,
and a few ladies sizes in one basic style. The
salesman wanted us to put in a black one too. I
remember that we
just barely had the money to get all the basic sizes and
widths in
those first three styles. So we told him we could
work in the black one over the next few months.
Wow, what a
beginning. Since then, we have ridden a roller
coaster ride of rodeos, Garth Brooks, Chris LeDoux,
line dances, Y2K, Covid, and this year has been our
most USA political challenge since our store began in
1974. We saw our good friend Dennis High, come
and leave as President. We enjoyed many of the
changes, and admittedly, gotten aggravated at a few.
(Just like family!) Randy Watson was doing a great
job, and we were proud to offer Justin Boots, Tony
Lama & Nocona Boots.
Warren Buffet
purchased Justin Industries from the family when
they no longer "in love" with it. Rarely does a business
last beyond 3 generations. However, there's more to
the story! When John Justin
went to Fort Worth, he discovered cement. He got the
idea of bagging the mix & you add the
water! Made him rich. NO blame here!
It's just that mixing cement & baking bricks are
relatively easy.
Boot-making is a complicated mix of training, designing, and
personalities and vertical supply line headaches.
SO the family focus
shifted more fully into construction and the boots
of Justin Industries
eventually became Berkshire Hathaway.
Well, Randy waited
out his "non-compete" and has now formed R.
Watson Boot Company. We leave Justin Boots'
recognition on this page because of the respectful searches so
many fans have of the quality they enjoyed for
generations. And because for decades, Justin
Industries were among our heroes. Between all the
brands, anyone and everyone could enjoy the perfect
fit, and function, and durability of "Western
Boots". Randy even has a video explaining why
he wanted to carry forth the tradition that made
Western Boots great.
Today, high tech has met
with tradition. Especially in Western Workboots!
New guts and new rubber based comfort soles adhered to leather
uppers have made the R. Watson work boots you will see
here to become among some
of the best workboots in the affordable world. One
of the benefits you'll appreciate is the extra heel
slip in pad above the inside heel counter, that
prevents the moisture wicking inside shaft lining
from tearing apart under your heel, as so many other
brands will. This area takes a lot of pressure
as you pull on or off your workboots.
Another appreciation
is that there are both a lacer and a pull on boot in
a round toe as well as a square toe. - WE hear a lot
from our mature customers about just not being used
to the look of the wide square toes.
With R Watson
traditional Western Boots, you'll find the best of
all worlds! Full leather insole covering
prevents the former half cover from peeling away as
you remove your foot from your boot. The midsole and
outer-sole continue the arch support and the quality
of handcrafted footwear. Pricing reflects a
production boot, however, there is so much
handcrafting that they could be classified as semi-custom
quality boot quality.
Linings are the best
available for your $$$. All the way to the toe. No
"cheating" of pressed paper in the heel
counters. Western boots have no plastic toe boxes to sweat your
toes. Real leather stacked heels. All
this means that your feet are comfy, supported to
the max and your entire body is less worn out at the
end of your day!
A customer came in to
Cultured Cowboy and introduced us to R. Watson Boots. Together, we
got online and then called them. They actually
looked at our website and determined they would need
some months to add us to their dealer network. In
January, we met in person at the Dallas
International WESA trade show.
R Watson boot company
is a small yet growing concern. We believe in them
and they are working us in. Below is a line up of
their most popular boots. It's exciting to see
them on our page and in our store. And better, on
your feet!
AND !!!
- this is exciting - They are working with us
on prototypes of a Black Shiny Boot for
Pilots. And with the Rodeo Cowboy Lacers of
the 1990's. Thousands of you have asked for
these boots to return. If you are
interested in either of these styles, Contact us so
we can include you on a list of "first to be
informed".
We hope your future
will be brighter in these times of uncertainty, with
the addition of R Watson boots on your feet!
If R.Watson western boots are new to you, you have
to try working in them to really understand how truly great they feel.
You can be the first in your network to tell how an
R Watson Handcrafted Boot holds up well, is
supportive, and doesn't wear over the outside of
your boot like so many brands we used to trust are
doing.
The boots are cut generously in size. They allow
comfortable room for your arches. Until they
break-in, they will slip on your heels. ( In fact
they are always going to slip a little, the design
is different than a short quarter shoe, so the
slipping will not rub blisters on your heels. See
the next paragraph too.)
Although a "cowboy
boot" is one of the first things you look for,
when dressing for cowboy events, people that wear Western dress
boots do not always wear them just to look like cowboys. The
arch support and quality craftsmanship allow us to
go all day without sore feet and aching backs or
legs. As you walk, Western style boots pump air
around your feet, which aids in dissipation of
moisture, and even more comfort for you. This is why
you do want some slippage on those heels!)
Laces on the lace up boots allow you to tighten or loosen, as your
feet may actually change sizes during the day. Feet
tend to be more swollen in early morning and late
evening. For feet that do change a lot during your
day, lacer boots are a good answer to your comfort
issues. Laces also give the most ankle
support.
Consider this high quality
footwear for your wife too. NO children's boots at
this time. Proper foot care NOW will pay tremendous
dividends in all their years to come. Cheap made shoes
create all sorts of problems years from now. And
soft bottom tennis shoes, designed for active
sports, were never made to wear all
day.
Cultured Cowboy is your dealership,
offering
all R Watson Boots
available. If you are looking for a style that you can't find, just call or email. We'll
be glad to talk with you about the
possibilities. Please call for
any more information on
any RWatson boot or fit.
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