BOOTS FOR COWBOYS

Paul Bond 70 years a Cowboy Bootmaker

TEXT BY BUD WILKINSON PHOTOGRAPHS BY EDWARD MCCAIN Paul Bond knows his customers right down to their boot size. Ask him about Roy Rogers, and he'll immediately respond, "7½E." John Wayne wore an 11E, while Joe Perry, of the rock band Aerosmith, requires a 9. But singing cowboys, movie icons, and rock stars don't make up the bulk of 82year-old Bond's business.

His primary customers are real cowboys; something he knows a lot about, too, having been inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City for his prowess riding broncs and bulls back in the '30s and '40s.

"I enjoy working for the fellas who really know what they want," Bond says of cowboys and ranchers. "That's one of the real pleasures of it. If you turn out a good item, and they appreciate it, it makes you feel good."

Bond has been "building" custom cowboy boots for a while. He first put hand to leather in Carlsbad, New Mexico, in 1929. He started his own company in 1946 in Carlsbad and made 50 pairs in six styles the first year. The first pair of boots sold for $32.

In 1955 the Paul Bond Boot Co. moved to Nogales. Bond chose the Arizona town on the Mexican border for two reasons: the ease of finding good workers and because he's "allergic to big towns." Since then he's created a worldwide reputation and a solid customer base. One loyal customer bought 165 pairs of boots over the years.

"Everyone who works here is more or less like your family," Bond says of the 20 or so employees who handcraft "a little over 2,000" pairs of boots annually, shipping them as far away as Europe, Japan, and Australia. Jose Cedeno has worked for Bond for "years and years" and has pride in the "hundreds and hundreds of boots that have gone through this place." There are nearly 50 styles to choose from these days, and prices range from $450 to $2,500.

Bond's workers take the necessary time to assure quality. "Anything we can do to make a boot better, we do it. We don't cut any corners. I want everyone to take their time and think as they go. If they see something not turning out right, quit it right then and start over." Choosing the best materials and making "lasts" - the wooden forms that resemble a shoe tree and accurately duplicate a buyer's feet are important in making a comfortable boot. But the most important aspect is the handling of the leather. "After you temper leather and pull it intoshape, leave it a few days," Bond explains, "and it will hold the shape better."

Customers can choose from some 20 different "leathers," ranging from such traditional types as calfskin, lizard, snake, and alligator to the more exotic ostrich, emu, and camel. Boots are made from eel, wildebeest, anteater, and turkey, as well.

The trickiest "leather" to work with? "Sting ray, no question," says Bond, laughing at the thought. "Sting ray's hard to work with - to make it come out like you want it to look. It just doesn't conform."

Sharkskin and alligator also present similar challenges.

Bond's long list of customers sounds as varied as the hides he uses. Country performers Randy Travis, Barbara Mandrell, Charlie Daniels, Dwight Yoakam, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, and Willie Nelson have been customers. So have actors Clint Eastwood, Sam Elliot, Steve McQueen, Gene Autry, and Pamela Anderson. Paul Newman once ordered seven pairs of boots with heels ranging from more than three inches down to one inch to wear in the 1972 motion picture The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean. "He wore the real high heels starting out as a young man. As he aged, he got shorter and smaller," Bond recalls.

Bond caters to cowboys, though, having been one himself. In fact, while in high school, he broke horses for the U.S. Cavalry at a rate of $7.50 per mount.

"The working cowboy has more knowledge of the boots than probably any other customer we have, about what will really stand up for him," says Bond, "because he likes to buy a pair that will last him five years."

The best part of the business? "Seeing people really happy and coming back," he says. His wife, Margaret, adds, "Very few people walk through that front door who couldn't be your best friend."

That front door opens into a 15,000square-foot building that's a combination store and factory. Visitors can look on as leather gets cut, shaped, and stitched. In addition to shopping for boots and other Western attire off the shelf, they can be individually fitted for custom boots and get a tour of the three-story operation. Unfortunately for Bond, the toughest part of the business these days is finding people willing to learn the crafts involved in the roughly 20 steps it takes to make a custom boot. "There aren't as many young men interested in learning a hand skill as there used to be," he says.

Bond doesn't plan to expand his operation; he just plans to keep on making boots. "I am not the least bit surprised that he did this," says Margaret. "I'm sorta surprised he's still doing it. I guess he always will."

Since their children have careers away from Arizona, what will eventually happen to the Paul Bond Boot Co. is anyone's guess. "I don't know," Bond says of his company's long-term future. "I just don't know."