Fashioned by McGlasson: Handmade cowboy boots fit like gloves

Every cowboy, cowgirl or cowpoke wannabe knows a good-fitting boot that’s contoured to fit your feet, built to last with details as exclusive as your fingerprints, is as hard to find as that needle in a haystack.

One good place to look is McGlasson Handmade Boots, where Gary and Clara McGlasson have been making high-quality boots for more than 20 years.

After learning the trade from the “old-time masters Ted Truelove and Dennis Coddle” in Amarillo, Texas, they perfected their craft then set up shop in Clara’s hometown of Spokane in 1991, Gary said. Their unique boots have garnered notoriety nationwide, been displayed at the Cheney-Cowles Museum, appeared in publications and have caught the eyes of collectors.

“I’m not your normal cowboy lookin’ kinda guy,” Gary said in his slight Texan drawl while pointing to his ZZ Top-like beard. His jeans are tucked into a favorite pair of McGlasson knee-high black boots and his stories can pull a smile from the surliest of cowpokes.

It was during a stint in the Marines when Gary discovered a hidden talent. “I was a parachute rigger in the Marine Corps. That’s where I learned how to sew. I found out I had kind of a knack for sewing machines,” he said. “Plus, coming from Texas my grandfather wore handmade (boots) all his life. Growing up there you understand that handmade boots are double-cool.”

The McGlassons aim to please their customers with a keen eye to detail and pride. “We average 40 hours in every pair of boots and a year waiting list to prove it,” Gary said. “When you start going into fancier styles then of course you’ve got a lot more time.”

The process begins with a call to Gary. “Then I start my measurin’ and while we’re measurin’, we’re visitin’. I’m finding out what they do; what their idea of a good fit is. You don’t just fit the feet, you’ve got to fit the brain, too, and that’s the hardest part sometimes.

“Then we draw pictures and different measures of the bone structure, the leg and if you got a bunion, we build a home for the bunion. Then we build a wooden last to match each foot,” he said.

Clara McGlasson is a quiet force as she methodically moves about their shop. Her voice is steady and soothing. After measuring, Clara constructs the last. “She’s probably one of the better last-fitters in the country.”

The labor intensive boot-making process begins. “We use all kinds of leathers. We use the old techniques. Everything’s done by hand. Each part of the leather is custom picked for each customer.”

The artistic boots consist of designs that are colorful, intricate and rewarding to its maker and wearer. “That’s all leather, one piece under or over; not paint,” Gary explained. “There’s no rough edges, no points. I do all that with a skiving knife by hand. It’s balanced all the way up.”

Clara McGlasson hand-sews the welt and “beats these nails out to the exact shape of each arch so each is properly tended to,” Gary said. “Your arch fits proper so your metatarsals and the middle of your heel don’t hurt after you’ve been on your feet all day.”

Each boot is numbered and signed, placing them in the artistic and highly collectible category. “They’re worth almost as much wore out to a collector as they are brand new to a wearer. It’s weird,” Gary smiled.

McGlasson boots command a steep price due to the high-quality leather, artistic expression and craftsmanship that goes into each pair. “They start about $1,000 and go right plum outta sight from there depending on what you want done,” Gary said.

With the cost of their boots, one would think the McGlassons struck the mother lode, but they know better. “If you’re looking for something that you need to make a living at right now, this ain’t it,” Gary said.

“This is a poor man’s job; we’ll never get rich,” Clara McGlasson said. “When we did this it was all about our kids. We wanted to raise our three kids and be involved in their schools. They all graduated and we were home with them.”

“We’ve been very blessed and very lucky to find something we can do well, have fun at, do together, that’s legal and make a living,” Gary chuckled. “The living ain’t the best in the world but that don’t much matter. If our kids needed us we were there.”

The saying, “Once a customer, always a customer” holds true with the McGlassons. Let’s say you damage your boots or need a new pair because you’re getting married. “All you got to do is holler at us from anywhere in the world and we’ll fix it or you can get another pair made to fit exactly the same way,” Gary said.

Every artist takes pleasure in seeing their art displayed; the McGlassons are no different. “When I see our boots walking down the street I think to myself, ‘cool,’ ” said Clara.