Bethune Bootmakers is one person making custom cowboy boots in Chicago, Illinois.
If you’re interested in ordering a pair, get in touch!
My name is Jim Bethune, and like many people, I wanted to do something more tactile after living in the abstract world of white collar work for more than a decade.
I started out by taking some leatherworking classes, and eventually went down the rabbit hole of reading about the unique history of cowboy bootmaking in the United States. This led me to take bootmaking and shoemaking classes with folks across the US, and eventually set the stage to set out on my own as a bootmaker.
Why bother with getting custom boots? Well, I’ll tell you a few reasons…
Custom Fit
A pair of boots will be custom fit to your foot. I do this by taking your measurements and then modifying the last (the form the shoe is made on) to match them, accounting for the unique aspects of your feet and how you prefer things to fit.
Unique Design
I can make a pair of boots in your preferred leather and color, with various options for decorative stitching and/or inlaid imagery. If you have unique ideas that you’ve been wanting to see realized, let’s chat!
Quality Craftsmanship
I make boots one pair at a time, largely using hand tools. I’m not cutting corners on behalf of shareholders and I’m not compromising designs to make them easier to automate, so you get the benefit of a pair of boots that is made right and will last.
