Custom boots favored by cowboys
No Name Boot Company sits at the end of a driveway tucked behind massive shade trees and alongside a young filly with a nose slightly out of joint – literally.
The screen door slaps shut when customers step into the shop; a mountain scene mural drawn by Leonard Smith’s niece decorates the wall; his nephew’s toy trucks sit beside the leather grinder.
Since 1963, Smith has built custom boots in his Otis Orchards shop for the working cowboy and “just about anybody” who wants functional, resilient boots. His wife, Melody, has worked alongside him, imparting her expertise on the decorative stitching and administrative end.
Smith’s venture into boot making began in a high school program that required students to work part time. Like most teenagers, work wasn’t top priority but that didn’t deter Smith’s teacher from finding him a janitorial job at White’s Boot Co.
“I went in at 3 p.m. every day. That evolved into, ‘Can you help us out over here,’ and, ‘Can you come in on Saturdays,’ ” Leonard Smith said. “Your hunger grows as you’re around it.”
Soon he was learning the trade from “Nick the Russian” (Nick Blahcuzyn of Nick’s Custom Boots). “I’d go out on Saturdays and help him. A lot of what I learned was from him.”
In 1985, Leonard Smith opened up shop in his garage and contracted with White’s. “We also had dealerships that we made stock boots for and that grew into making custom boots for a lot of out-of-state customers,” Melody Smith said.
Ten years ago, Leonard Smith entered the world of pull-on boots. “I learned from Jimmy Ayers – he’s world-renowned and out of Texas,” he said. “I couldn’t have done the pull-on boot without him. He knew all the secrets and techniques.”
The Smiths state their boots outlast those made by big name boot companies because many have out-sourced to other countries that use inferior materials such as cardboard and plastic. “For a working cowboy to go in and buy a stock boot, they just don’t last. They might get a month out of them from all the wear and tear,” said Melody Smith.
“Working cowboys get about two years out of our boots before they send them back for new soles or a rebuild,” Leonard Smith said.
“The thing about our boots is the balance of the heel and everything fits,” Melody Smith said. “If you have back or knee issues, it’s all in the feet.”
Leonard Smith spends at least 16 hours crafting each pair of boots which includes detailed measuring and building a custom last. Cost starts at $375 for a pair of basic work boots.
The most intriguing boots Leonard Smith made was the Kill Bill boots. “A doctor came in and said, ‘I want to order a pair of Kill Bill boots for my wife.’ I did hours of research, but I had fun doing those boots. I’ll tell you what: I had over 30 hours of sewing alone with inlays on top of inlays.” But the reward for this boot maker was the phone call he got afterward.
“He said the boots were wonderful, and his wife was really excited but the real thing was they fit. That was the first time she had anything on her feet that fit.”
His most famous pair of boots was made for Clint Eastwood and his most challenging was for a bilateral below knee amputee. The Smiths love to tell the story about the spunky horse riding woman who wanted boots to fit her prosthetic legs.
One day the young woman came in for an adjustment at the same time another customer who “whined about everything” was there.
“She sat down, told Leonard Smith she needed something done with the boot, pulls off her leg with the boot on it and hands it to him,” Melody laughed. “The guy just stood there. After that he never came back with any complaints or anything. She was great in making a point. She’s just a remarkable gal.”
Despite Leonard Smith’s hip replacement two years ago, he’s adamant that he’ll continue making high-quality boots “probably until they bury me. You can’t work you’re whole life, getting up in the morning and rammin’ and jamming,’ and just shut it off. People die when they do that.
“Besides,” Leonard Smith smiled, “I like making boots.”