Published: May 21, 2008 10:05 am         

Henrietta shop makes boots for real cowboys

HENRIETTA, Texas (AP) — The sky is the limit when it comes to pricing handmade boots, and Henrietta boot maker Ben Hilton has built some pretty high-end footwear.

But it’s the working cowboy he and his crew at Big Sky Boots are most interested in satisfying. So much so that Big Sky will often put a rush on an order for no frills work boots, while the high-end — and high profit — boots sit on hold. It’s the kind of service that has won the support of Clay County. Now Hilton would like to expand on the success of Big Sky Boots.

‘‘What we like to build is the working cowboy boot,’’ said Hilton. ‘‘We kind of cater to the guy who needs the boots.’’

Hilton wants to add two new boot makers to Big Sky, a business that already includes boot making brothers Mike and L.B. Spikes, part-time boot maker Steve McCord and business manager Jerry Payne. Joining the group will be Stephanie Ferguson of Millsap and Bruce Bowers of Krum.

Both will move to Clay County within the next year and work in-house, said Hilton. Big Sky is also actively looking for someone in their late teens or early 20s to apprentice with the shop.

In addition, Big Sky will soon kick off a new line of working boots custom made — literally — for the client who might may not be able to shell out the average price of $1,000. It’s an idea that Hilton has wrestled with since its inception because some of the labor will have to be outsourced to Ecuador.

‘‘I really do pride the fact that everything on these boots are made right here,’’ said Hilton. But, he said, the average price continues to climb and Big Sky needs a way to provide a custom fit boot at prices the working cowboy can more easily afford.

The vamp, heel and sole of the boots will be custom built in Henrietta, while the decorative boot tops will be made in the South American country. Ecuador trades on the American dollar and has strong ties to the United States, which greatly stabilizes costs, he said.

While a pair of Big Sky Boots starts at $600, the company is aiming for a $400 to $500 price tag on the new line.

Because the boot bottoms will be built in Henrietta to the same standard boots are now, the product will retain the benefits of custom-fit footwear, including the ‘‘First-Fit,’’ when Big Sky allows the customer to try on the finished boot in order to make any corrections needed. It is a service unique to Big Sky Boots.

In the meantime, Big Sky will make some renovations to its building on the south side of the courthouse square to make room for the new employees, including the removal of a wall and work to the alley entrance.

Henrietta Growth Corp. has approved $28,000 to go toward the business’ expansion. The money will be paid back to the city of Henrietta through sales tax over the next 10 years. Big Sky Boots is generating about $1,000 in sales tax per month.

In the future, Hilton foresees a leather goods center, with custom boots, saddles, chaps and tack, as well as a spur and bit maker in one of Big Sky’s neighboring buildings.

‘‘That’s the reason why we, as the HGC, want to be on this ride with you,’’ said board member Doyle Davis. ‘‘Because we understand and appreciate what you are doing for downtown Henrietta.’’

Last year alone, Big Sky donated about $26,000 in products to local organizations and events, including the North Texas Rehab Auction and Turkey Fest. The company builds a pair of boots for the outgoing Nine-Man Board chairman each year. This year, Big Sky has already donated $10,500 in products.

In the past two years, the city of Nocona and a banker in Bowie have continuously attempted to recruit Hilton, along with well known custom boot shops such as M.L. Leddy in Fort Worth.

Hilton’s goal is to build a business that will be here long after he has passed on to the boot shop in the sky, while keeping the craftsmanship a boot maker needs alive.

‘‘I don’t want it to become a factory because then it loses its integrity,’’ he said.