Best Western

The cowboy boot comes to the city

There is a lot of history hidden inside a cowboy boot. From the tall tales surrounding its creation — the original styles are said to have been available in just three sizes (small, medium and large) and had to be shrunk with water to fit — to its intermittent appearance dancing in and out of mainstream fashion, the Western boot has come a long way since first coming into style with, well, real working cowboys in the 1860s, Aleesha Harris writes.

Cowboy boots say I’m a bonafide cowpoke. I’m a country-music-loving city slicker. Or, maybe even I’m a rebel without a cause.

But, if you were to ask Ken Grant who it is that’s walking around in cowboy boots these days, he would say they’re all one and the same. Cowboys.

“Believe you me when I say we get some real cowboys in here,” Grant says with a laugh. “But once they put a good boot on, they are all cowboys.”

And he would know. With over 15 years under his belt — or boot — as the manager of the Vancouver-based Western boutique the OK Boot Corral in Gastown, he’s seen just about every type of person walk through his front door.

The small shop has been in Vancouver for 35 years and stocks approximately 100 different styles of cowboy boots at any given time. Like most modern Western stores, the OK Boot Corral sells pretty much everything needed to outfit the urban cowgirl or cowboy,

“We sell the buckles, we sell the belts, we have whips, we have replica guns and most of the accessories,” Grant says of his shop. “Everything you’d need to cowboy (or cowgirl) up.”

But the most important items in the store are the rows and rows of boots lining the walls.

Regardless of who they are or what they’re wearing when they walk in, when they walk out, Grant’s customers are all just a little bit more country. From the feet up, of course.

So what is it about cowboy boots that has helped them remain relevant throughout the years — especially in a time when a plethora of other footwear options exist? According to Grant, it’s all about comfort.

“You can wear that boot 15 or 16 hours per day and never have sore feet,” he says.

The store stocks primarily made-in-Canada boots by Boulet, which use non-stretched leather — a fact Grant says ensures the boots stretch and form to the wearer’s foot.

“Even women with bunions,” Grant says with a grin. “I’ve had ladies in here who say, ‘Oh, I’ve got a bunion. I can’t wear boots.’ And they walk around (in cowboy boots) and they walk right out of the store with a pair of boots.

“And what lady doesn’t like a high heel?” he says, referring to the modest slope of the dressier, made-for-dancing styles.

Dancing will definitely be on the docket during the upcoming Rockin’ River Fest in Merritt. And Nikko Conyk, a buyer at Stampede Tack and Western Wear in Surrey, expects many festivalgoers will be making a boot-buying pit stop on their way up to the show.

“Usually it’s on their way out of town. That’s what we find,” she says. “The day of a concert or festival, the day they are leaving town. That’s when it increases.”

The store regularly stocks about 3,000 boots for men, women and children, but before you go, there are a few things you should know about the boots you’re about to buy.

There are basically two types of cowboy boots: The classic style with the higher heel and pointed toe (although the original design usually featured a round or squared toe), which is most-often worn for dancing or fancy dress. And the more workhorse variety, which was introduced in the 1940s, dubbed the roper.

“A roper has a low heel and a wider toe,” Grant explains of the difference between the two basic types of boots. “It gives you lots of room. Whether you’re in the barn or out riding the horse, you can do anything in that boot.”

While square toes are popular with the real ranching set, city folk and country music fans who don’t ride tend to stick to the round-toe and pointed-toe varieties, according to Conyk.

“Our clientele is more of the casual rider or a ‘weekend warrior,’” Conyk explains. “The actual boots that sell here are way different than what would sell in Alberta or a real ranch area.”

By comparison, a more traditional Western boot has a pointed toe and a higher Cuban heel. But while the toe and heel of the two boot styles may differ, the fit does not.

“With a cowboy boot you must understand, which many people do not, it must move up and down at the heel,” Grant explains.

The design is said to be a throwback to the days when cowboys had to gallop their horses across open fields and there was the danger of their mount stepping into a gopher hole and falling down.

“Down goes the horse and down goes you,” Grant explains. “And if you’re not quick enough to pull your foot out of that boot, then you’re going to get hung up very badly.”

While the majority of Grant’s customers won’t be galloping across a field on horseback anytime soon — the worst fate they’ll face in their new boots is limping home from the country-western bar — the importance of that heel movement remains.

“You may think looking at a boot that if your foot moves back and forth in the heel that you’re going to get blisters. You don’t,” he says. Instead, Grant says the movement allows for the boots to be easily put on and taken off, while also ensuring the foot moves freely and is ventilated.

“Once you get used to that movement in the back, you’ll never want to go back to a shoe,” he promises. “Then you’ve got 40 in the closet and you’re still telling yourself you need another pair.”

Perhaps the best part about the time-tested style is its expected shelf life. If you’re going to buy a good pair of cowboy boots, which will set you back about $300 for a pair of leather boots and $500 for a pair of exotics — featuring skin from ostrich, crocodile and more — you’d better like them. Because they’re going to last.

“These boots here are 15 years old,” Grant says proudly, motioning to his well-worn black cowboy boots. “I’ve got to come to work every day, walk around all day and I’ve never had a problem.

“If you take care of them, about 30 years,” Grant says of the lifespan of a good pair of boots. “And they’re always in style.” Here’s how to wear ’em

So you bought a pair of cowboy boots but aren’t sure what to pair them with for your upcoming festival, party or event? Don’t worry, it’s not as scary as it seems. It’s all about sticking to the classics. “A good cowboy shirt, a good straw hat,” Grant advises for men. “And they will normally buy the cheapest hat they can because they will go and have a couple drinks and by the end of the night they will either be sitting on it, sleeping on it, or it won’t be there at all.” As for the ladies? “I’m sorry, but you never tell a lady what to buy,” he says with a sly grin.

We will. With a few key items likely already in your closet, and a consideration to steer clear of anything too gimmicky, you’re sure to be stepping out in style in those farm-fresh boots.