Stitchdown Shoecast

Graham Ebner—Bespoke Cowboy Boot Maker—Really Nice, Really Expensive

Graham Ebner is the Next Big Thing in Bespoke Cowboy Boots

When Graham Ebner says he makes “really nice, really expensive” cowboy boots, it’s somehow barely a brag. In just five short years the Houston native (“to be... Read More...

DEEP Inside Russell Moccasin—How The 125-Year-Old Brand Builds Some of the World’s Most Unique Boots

Just about one year ago, Luke Kolbie and his business partner Joe Julian took over ownership of 125-year-old Russell Moccasin: the Berlin, Wisconsin bookmaker t... Read More...

Cowboy Bootmaking Legend Lisa Sorrell on Myths, Lore, and Why Craft Has Never Been More Important

Guthrie, Oklahoma-based Lisa Sorrell can trace her own bootmaking ancestry back to one of the first cowboy bootmakers ever: Gus Blucher (a man quite aptly named for a shoe). Gus presumably would've been quite proud, as for the last three decades Lisa... Read More...

Shoebag! Horsebutt: Over- or Underrated? Crucial Overdye Explorations. And What’s the Deal With Gaston’s Boots??

That's right it's time for another SHOEBAG episode, in which Ben and Ticho dig precariously deep into such pivotal topics as: what is an overdyed leather and ho... Read More...

DEEP Behind the Patina Thunderdome Scenes With All the 2022-23 Judges

The six months of beautiful boot-aging mayhem known as the 2022-23 Stitchdown Patina Thunderdome is OVER! The esteemed judges have selected their 50 winners in... Read More...

Nicks’ CEO Shuyler Mowe on Explosive Growth, Developing New Leathers, and Spokane’s Uniquely Competitive Bootmaking Scene

For the past three years, CEO Shuyler Mowe has lacing up his now decade-old Builder Pros to helm Nicks Handmade Boots, shepherding the Spokane maker from a pure focus on work boots and into a new era of lifestyle relevancy—and dramatic growth that's ... Read More...

Taft’s Kory Stevens on How to Accidentally Start a Hugely Successful Shoe Brand

In 2014, Taft Clothing was selling camouflage and polka-dot no-show socks. One fateful Reddit moment later, Kory Stevens was somehow overseeing a shoe and boot ... Read More...

lorena agolli—sole survivor cobbler shop toronto

Cobbler Lorena Agolli on Apprenticing Under a Bespoke Master, Her Red Wing Habit, and the Nice Way to Tell Customers Their Shoes Suck

Back when Lorena Agolli was getting started in the trade, an aging cobbler grabbed her forearm, frowned, and dismissively said, "you’re not strong enough." Well... Read More...

Grant Stone’s Wyatt Gilmore on GYW Shoe Addiction, Japanese Old Man Style, and NOT Grant Stone

Wyatt Gilmore runs Baroda, Michigan-based, ever-rising footwear brand Grant Stone. So of course we had him back on the Shoecast and completely barred him from even mentioning his own company. Instead, Wyatt gets into what makes the feeling of Good... Read More...

White’s Boots’ Eric Kinney on Bootmaker Shortages, the First MP, Stitchdown vs Handwelt, and More

When Eric Kinney took over as president of Spokane, Washington legend White's Boots in 2019, the 170-year-old maker didn't even have a website. Just four short ... Read More...