Tony Lama; A History
Tony Lama; A History
Posted by Kevin Neilson on 12/22/2011
In the very beginning of the 1900’s, Lama served the U.S. Cavalry as a cobbler in Fort Bliss, Texas. The service experience taught him the importance of a boot that fits properly, for both functionality and comfort. When he returned from his service, he started working on developing the most comfortable boot to date.
Lama started his own boot-making business, making cowboy boots. In the beginning, customers were coming mainly for boot repairs. But soon the people began to hear about the quality of his boots and came to order custom boots. His first year, he and one helper made 20 pairs of boots.
As Western stores began ordering Lama’s boots to sell on their shelves, he had to get creative to develop a manufacturing process that did not sacrifice the quality handmade craftsmanship that his boots were becoming famous for. In 1961, almost 50 years after Lama started his business, his company started producing 750 pairs of boots per day.
Tony Lama passed away 13 years later, in 1974, leaving the business to his children and grandchildren. They know the Tony Lama name is what it is today because of Lama’s insistence on top quality and they continue to strive to maintain that high-level quality and reputation their grandfather worked so hard to develop.
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