Western Wear Store Has Huge Inventory of Vintage Cowboy Boots

Brad Hammond rubbed elbows with the rich and famous during the 20 years he worked as manager for the infamous radio personality Wolfman Jack.

"It was a flashy life, but I'm having more fun running Kowboyz," he said at his Santa Fe Western wear store. "I really enjoy knowing that people appreciate the things I sell."

Less than three months old, Kowboyz has an inventory that is the envy of collectors of vintage Western clothing and boots. A few of the items are new, but most of the shirts and 5,000 pairs of dressy cowboy boots were made in the 1940s through the 1970s. An increasing number of locals are beginning to stop by to check out the alligator, ostrich, snake, goat and deer skin boots.

"A lot of business has been through word of mouth," Hammond said. "A few other boot stores in town are sending customers to me."

Lieteau, a male impersonator from Boston whose stage name is Lito Libido, found out about Kowboyz while shopping at a nearby business.

"I heard that the selection was the best and it was the least expensive place to get cowboy boots," she said. "I normally do cowboy characters in my act, so these fancy black boots I'm buying will be great. They're really me."

Hammond, who owns the store with his wife Suzanne Grais, knew his inventory would be a hit because he operated Kowboyz in Los Angeles for 20 years before moving to Santa Fe in January. The building on Beverly Boulevard was smaller than the one he's currently leasing off Guadalupe Street. It had a whole bunch of small rooms jampacked with boots. But the cramped quarters didn't deter Hollywood celebs from stopping by. Hammond remembers the time that Brad Pitt sat on the floor to try on numerous pairs of boots and asked for a special deal if he bought four pairs. Sylvester Stallone, Red Buttons and Julia Roberts were customers. Reese Witherspoon once spent three hours talking on her cell phone and trying on boots in one of the back rooms before buying three pairs.

"These celebrities would pull up in their Porsches and come into the store to try on scuffed, used cowboy boots," Hammond said.

Two of Kowboyz's shirts became famous in 2005. The costume director for the movie "Brokeback Mountain" bought the shirts worn by the two leading characters at the store. In 2006, the shirts were auctioned off for charity and fetched more than $100,000.

"One day, while I was talking to a guy who was shopping for boots, I told him that someone bought the two shirts for more than $100,000," Hammond said. "The man looked at me and told me it was him. He liked the shirts so much, he wanted to stop by the store to see what else I had."

Hammond knows his inventory so well that he can look at a pair of boots and say when they were made and out of what material without checking the label. Boots with cloth pull-ups inside were made before the mid 1950s. Short boots predate the late 1950s. Boots were made taller in the early 1960s.

"The 1970s was a good decade for boots," he said. "It was the last of the really good boots. Artisans' hands touched the boots, even if they were made in a factory."

Prices for used boots range from $75 to $600. While some pairs look as if they have walked many miles, others are bright and shiny. "I've got a pair of used, black alligator-skin Lucchese boots for $600 that look like new," he said. "If you were to buy them new today, the retail price would be about $2,500."

Hammond has a group of suppliers from California, but he's always looking for new sources of old boots and shirts. The store also has a selection of hats and belts, some of which go back to the 1950s.

"I've got two storage garages filled with inventory not on the shelves," he said. "There are 5,000 boots here and another 4,000 in storage."

Kowboyz

531 South Guadalupe St.

HOURS: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily

PHONE: 984-1256