Family bootmaking business has roots in Lubbock, Texas, and Juárez, Mexico.    

By Lynn Ascrizzi 

“It’s difficult to find bootmakers, or ‘zappateros,’ as we call them. They are disappearing.”  — Iram Cobos 

Since his early teenage years, Ruben Cobos has been captivated by the beauty of well-crafted leather boots. “I learned bootmaking in Juárez, Mexico, when I was about 15 years old. My dad used to live in part of the city. I would walk to his shop,” he recalled.  

His bootmaking lessons began in earnest, when he apprenticed with master leatherworker, Merced Salazar, of Juárez, who taught him how to make shoes and boots. In 1962, by the time he was 18, Ruben launched his own boot shop business. Soon, he became a master bootmaker. 

His first enterprise was called La Reyna Del Arte (The Queen of Art). It began with a small shop in Juárez, with two employees. But it didn’t take long for the company’s durable work boots to grow into a full business. Cowboys, in particular, appreciated the ruggedness of the footwear and became major customers. 

“They’re called botas,” Ruben, 80, said, underscoring the proud Hispanic heritage and values that distinguish the handmade boots. Despite competition from big companies that mass-produce low-cost boots, including those made with synthetic materials, his business, now called RC Custom Boots, has prevailed for over six decades. The abbreviation, RC, stands for Ruben Cobos. 

“He is still guiding the company,” his daughter, Alex (Alejandra) Garcia, said. “We all grew up in the family business. After school, I’d be coming to the factory. My mother, Maria Luisa Cobos, was also involved. For us, my dad is a role model. We would see him doing a lot of hard work and sacrificing. He worked so hard, sometimes at night. We always admired his work ethic. We saw that he was so proud of what he had made and how he guarantees his boots. Every single pair.” 

What makes the company’s leather boot brand stand out? 

“It’s the quality of the boots we make — which is so different from a mass-produced boot,” her father added. “And, that we are able to do custom boots for the customer. They are able to choose a different sole or heel, or boot height, or color combination or stitching pattern. Also, it’s the leather that we use, and the way in which we make the boots, that adds to their quality.” 

Moreover, the company repairs and resoles its boots — a special customer service that extends the life of the footwear.  

Overall, the business attracts more men than women buyers. “There are more male than women cowboys,” Ruben noted. “But female cowboys are a good market. There’s a tradition that women buy the boots for their kids. This keeps the tradition of bootmaking growing.”   

That day, Ruben’s son, Iram Cobos, who manages the family business, translated his father’s Spanish into English. “Right now, my role is in factory production,” Iram, 35, said. “I enjoy it a lot. I take care of restocking the store or bringing new styles to market. New styles may require different techniques for making them, but our boots are still handmade. We still cut leather by hand and boot tops are still stitched by a regular sewing machine, not by computer. That gives our products a totally handmade look.” 

Recently, Iram announced that he plans to learn the entire trade, from beginning to end, and become a master bootmaker. “My father has become an inspiration for me, to follow in his footsteps.” 

Products by RC Custom Boots are made in a factory in Juárez. Also, its recently built, 4,500-square-foot storefront is located in Lubbock, Texas. “We make western style boots. We cater more to the working cowboy. But we also offer custom leather boots, handmade boot stock and kids’ boots. We sell boots for the whole family,” Iram said. 

Their children’s boots, he added, are built to have the same durability as the adult boots. “We have seen storebought boots for kids and compared them to ours. Customers say we have a really strong boot for kids. And, we can make a custom baby boot for an 8-month-old,” he said. 

A PROUD FAMILY  HERITAGE 

Alex, who handles company sales, is fluent in both English and Spanish. She takes pride in her heritage. “We are very close as a family. We’ve always been a close, tight family. We are blessed to do this, to keep Dad’s legacy,” she said. Her father, she pointed out, is highly disciplined regarding work, but he was never strict with his family. “My dad is the easiest person in the world to be with. As a father, he is easy going, gentle, letting us do what we wanted to do. He never imagined, as a parent, that his kids could take part in the business.” 

One of her earliest memories of the family boot business occurred at age six or seven. “It was all that we knew — all the leather skins — the workers, with each person having a role — the work done in the factory. To my brother, Iram, the boot business was his college. Now, he is in charge of all production. He grew up 100 percent in the factory. He’d be in the back, with the workers, learning the trade.” 

At first, Alex, 45, attended cosmetology school. But it was her love of the family business that determined her future. “When I got involved with the bootmaking business, at age 27, I was a female in a male-dominated industry.” Her job description is a point of pride and faith. “I believe that God puts you where you need to be,” she said. 

When she stepped into the family business, she was married and had a small child. At the time, her husband, Joe Garcia, was serving in the U.S. Navy. In 2004, the military moved the family to Lubbock, Texas. Later, they relocated her husband to another city. But Alex opted to stay in Lubbock. 

“I had already started selling boots at the local flea market. And, I rented a little booth, every Saturday and Sunday,” she explained. By 2006, she helped to set up the company’s first storefront in Lubbock. “It was small, not even 300 square feet,” she recalled, a space about the size of a small bedroom. At first, the store specialized in custom orders. Then, it carried pre-made stock. 

Her first sales began with eight pairs of the company’s leather boots. “They sold right away, on the first weekend. My dad made the boots,” she said. Sales kept mounting. “I never expected it to grow the way it did. We realized there was a demand for handmade, working cowboy and rancher boots. Everything is 100 percent handmade.” 

Currently, about 90 to 95 percent of boot sales are made by working cowboys. “The western industry has become more fashionable,” she explained. “Western boots never go out of style. But for the last few years, they have become more popular. Most people want to wear work boots. They are so versatile. You can work in them or go out in them.” 

Today, RC Custom Boots has about 11 employees working in the factory. Leather is sourced from U.S. suppliers. New sales are made largely through word of mouth. “Despite Covid and the economy, growth is steady. In the past several years, sales have been strong. And, we still have sales from customers we attracted 18 years ago,” she said. 

Iram observed, however, that the trade is changing. “It’s difficult to find bootmakers, or zappateros, as we call them. They are disappearing. Juárez, in Mexico and El Paso, in Texas, used to be the boot capitals. They don’t follow the trade like they used to.”   

One possible solution is to create new designs, Alex stated. “For every trade show we go to, we try to come out with something different. We do about three large Ranch Rodeo shows per year in Texas. A lot of families who live and work in the state, shop at the trade shows. Most of them are our customers.” 

And, she cited a recent addition to their product line, “We make lace-up shoes. They’re pretty much like lace-up boots. They’re becoming very popular,” she said, to which her brother Iram added, “They can be worn as lace-up work boots or as dress style lace-up shoes.” 

Prices for stock boots go from $295 a pair and up. Custom boots start at $600 per pair. “And, we do a lot of kids’ boots, from infants to youth-sized, starting at $185,” Iram said. 

The boot company ships all over the country — to Connecticut,  Virginia and New York, and to the East and West coasts. And, they ship abroad, to Australia and to Vienna, Austria, that country’s most populous city. 

Recently, reports indicate that the number of U.S. leather boot businesses have been steadily growing over the past five years. Although a positive trend, how does a small boot business handle the competition that such growth will likely produce? 

“You need a passion for running a boot business,” Alex said. “You have to take the time to learn the trade. That’s what makes the difference. Competition will always exist, but as long as you’re true to the work and product, it’s OK.”