Since the dusty days of the 1800s, cowboy boots have been synonymous with the Lone Star State. Legend has it that after the Civil War ended, cowboys herding cattle cross-country needed new boots. Treading through hundreds of miles of brush and plodding through muddy creeks and winding rivers had ravaged their war-worn boots, making it impossible to endure day-long horseback rides.
Around 1870, a clever Texas cowboy visited a shoemaker and asked for a few adjustments to his battered boots: a pointed toe for easy entry into his stirrups and a taller shaft to protect his legs from rattlesnakes and Mesquite trees. He requested a thicker, slanted heal so that his feet would stay put during rough riding and so that he could dig into the ground while leading a stubborn horse down a rocky trail. The shoemaker added mule-ear pull straps to each boot to make slipping the shoe on and off a bit easier. And just like that, the first pair of cowboy boots was born.
The trend took off shortly thereafter, but early cowboy boots were only available custom-made. Later, mail-order boot companies began to spring up around the West and the functional boots became a popular fashion statement.
El Paso has been especially significant in the rise and popularity of the cowboy boot. With local bootmakers like Lucchese and Tony Lama establishing a tradition of quality, the city became known as the “boot-making capital of Texas.”
Fast-forward to 1989, when photographer Marty Snortum made a life-changing business deal in an El Paso bar. Snortum, a collector of all things retro, traded his 1953 Cadillac Hearse for a fledgling boot making business, then-owned by a German entrepreneur who was eager to get back to his European roots. “We drew up a hand-written contract…witnessed by one of my…friends and then toasted…the deal with a bottle of Tequila,” says Snortum. He dreamt of making the type of cowboy boots that Roy Rogers and John Wayne could be proud of.
It didn’t take long before his dreams were realized. He transformed his newly acquired business into Rocketbuster Boots, a custom boot-making company specializing in colorful, statement-making boots and other leather goods.
By 1995, the company had established itself as one of the country’s leading custom boot manufacturers and Nevena Christi, a fashion designer from New York City, flew to the Borderland to commission six pairs of Rocketbusters for an upcoming fashion show. Sparks flew, and soon after, Snortum and Christi began a long-distance relationship. After two years of shuttling from New York to Texas, Christi moved to El Paso and took the helm of Rocketbuster Boots.
With fifteen years of experience as an artist, fashion and graphic designer and an interest in vintage clothing and World War II era pulp novels, Christi was a perfect fit. “Taking the helm at Rocketbuster was a smooth transition,” she says, “New styles just seemed to invent themselves.”
Located just outside of Downtown’s Union Plaza, the exterior of the Rocketbuster studio and showroom makes a bold statement. The deceivingly large white-brick building is adorned with a splashy sign and the company’s signature rocket-riding cowboy. Inside of the space, however, is what makes a trip to Rocketbuster a truly memorable experience. The factory is filled with funky vintage collectibles, autographed photos from satisfied star clients and a pair of the world’s largest cowboy boots.
Dozens of boots in every imaginable color, size and design line the building’s shelves. But the heart and soul of the operation lays a bit further back, where a half-dozen bootmakers are stationed amongst large work tables. Each hand works cutting, stitching, tracing, tooling or dying strips of the world’s finest leather. From design concept to finished product, each handcrafted pair take three months to complete and the team make only a few hundred pairs each year. With the boots averaging $900 a pair, it is quality, not quantity that sets Rocketbuster apart.
According to their customers, it is the superb quality and attention to detail that make the boots worth the wait. One loyal buyer owns over 10 pairs of the El Paso-made boots. As a successful trial attorney in New Orleans, LA, Jeffrey Smith’s outrageous footwear has cause quite a stir in the courtroom. He says “I’m probably most [known] as a lawyer because of my boots.” In fact, after a week-long murder trial the most popular question on the juror questionnaires was, “what kind of boots I’d wear everyday.”
With a client list including “celebrities, CEOs, collectors and eccentrics,” says Christi, perfecting the final product is the company’s top priority. Rocketbusters have outfitted the famous feet of Tommy Lee Jones, Oprah and Steven Spielberg, among countless others. “Right now,” says Christi, “I am working on three pairs for Whoopi Goldberg.”
With El Paso’s great tradition of making great boots, the company was destined for success. “El Paso is the boot making capital of America…It is where the craftsmen and the resources are more easily located. Some of our guys have been with us over 18 years and now their kids work with me, too,” Christi says.
Continuing this custom, Rocketbuster Boots has weaved their own “quality, creativity and sense of humor,” with the city’s unique history and culture, resulting in a beautiful blend of the Borderland’s past and present.
More Information: Click here to visit the Rocketbuster website.
