Why buy custom boots?
Real fit
Most people have one foot that is a little longer or wider than the other. Even if your feet are a perfect pair, it’s not likely they are just like the “average” foot a stock boot is made to fit. When you order a pair of custom boots, Don not only measures your foot in multiple places, he then builds up or grinds down a last to make it match your foot. Then, using packing tape, he creates a “glass slipper” around the last, and has you try it on. You tell him if it is too tight or too loose in any particular spot, and he makes more adjustments on the last, and makes a new “glass slipper” for you to try on. This process is repeated until the fit is just right – and then your boots are formed on your unique lasts, to really fit your feet.
Quality
Don has repaired a lot of boots, and he has noticed that even some of the more expensive brands of boots are not made as well as they should be. The insole is a part of the boot you can’t normally see, but it is what helps hold the boot together – and many off-the-shelf boots, including some costing more than $200 a pair, are now made with cardboard insoles. When Don makes a pair of boots, not only the exteriors are of quality leather, but the insoles are of a durable, high quality leather, so that the boots will last longer, and can be re-soled multiple times if necessary.
Choice
When you order a pair of Walker custom boots, you have lots of choices to make. What kind of leather do you want? Traditional cowhide, waxy calf, supple kangaroo, soft, durable ostrich, or something more exotic? What color do you want for the tops? What about the vamps? How high a heel? Toes pointy, rounded or in between? How tall do you want the tops? Do you want them plain, with just a little fancy stitching, lots of stitching, or inlay? Is there a particular pattern or logo you would like on your boots? The usual pull tabs, finger holes, or old-fashioned mule-ears? Leather soles, or rubber? You are the designer.
American made
Support our local economy, and help keep the traditional craft of boot-making alive for the future.
Call Don at his shop: 435-462-3669
