Albuquerque Artisan’s Boots In High Demand

By Leon Sterling, 9-22-05

Is there an article of clothing more universally and instantly recognizable than the American cowboy boot? Or more appealing to both Americans and our admirers? Cowboy boots are often referred to as “western wear,� but that indicates their origins more than their current locale, which can be in any of the 50 states. Nearly anyone, anywhere who has been drawn to a pair of cowboy boots fully understands the lure, even if they barely understand the logic.

	Deanna McGuffin and her boots

And if anyone tries to convince me that cowboy boots are “retro,� I shower them with facts – cowboy boots have continued to evolve and grow and strike out in directions that cowboy boot admirers have never seen or imagined before.

Cowboy boots will never feel the same as sneakers or sandals, but they make you feel good in a whole other way. They alter the way you walk, and you like that. And they can be a bold fashion statement (with your jeans stuffed into those spectacular shafts) or a subtle one (with slightly long, boot-cut jeans hiding the custom stitch work and contrasting colors … until you cross your legs).

Cowboy boots are also uniquely genderless, like classic Levis. Women not only look as good as men in boots and jeans, quite often they look quite a bit better.

Levis used to be in the very same category – uniquely American, universally recognized – for nearly as long as cowboy boots have been around. But then the classic American blue jeans suffered innumerable, mind-numbing copies from off-shore, until Levis themselves started to be made everywhere but America.

Cowboy boots are inching their way toward a similar fate. The quality of factory-made boots is worse every day, and more and more American “cowboy boot� brands are being produced in China. There’s only one thing holding real cowboy boots back from the abyss: handmade cowboy boots. Because there’s no way that factory-made boots can compete with the art of the American boot-maker, in quality of materials, workmanship and – most important of all – fit.

	Photos by Judy and Michael Sterling

Shoes of any kind can be a fashion statement, but they’re ultimately “functional footwear.� Cowboy boots are that, and a good deal more – they’re arguably the ultimate American art form. Cowboy boots were indeed originally designed for entirely practical purposes – protection against one’s own saddle, along with the conditions found where one took one’s horse – the occasional rattlesnake or spiky flora, as well as dirt, rain and mud. But today they’re often made for the pride and pleasure of the wearer.

A hand-made, custom pair of cowboy boots is very much like a hand-built, custom automobile – they’re both designed for travel, and they both provide the pleasure of a uniquely individual method of “getting there.�

And there isn’t just one kind of cowboy boot. Work boots are in a distinct class from rodeo, casual and dress boots. Work boots are entirely meant for practical purposes. But they’re still better at those tasks when they’re custom-made, and serious cowboys know that. While factory-made cowboy boots may be increasingly ubiquitous (Lucchese, Justin, Nocona) and continually less expensive (Ariat, Acme, Durango), it’s the custom-made boots that set the styles and trends. They’re not only far better-made, they’re far better for your feet.

I’ve been wearing cowboy boots off and on for more than thirty years. And, no, I didn’t grow up on a ranch, work cattle or even ride horses. It all started for me the day that I was stopped in my tracks in front of a tack shop in Santa Monica, California. There was a pair of hand-made horsehide boots on display (by Stewart of Tucson, Arizona). I was young, I had my own apartment, a decent job and I wanted to try on those distinctive saddle-tan, slightly square-toed boots.

They were nothing like any other footwear I’d ever worn. The leather was amazingly soft and comfortable. The feel and support was extraordinary. Even driving a car was a different experience. But the store, it turned out that, was less than reputable. They sold me a pair that was slightly too small, because they didn’t have one in my size. “They’ll stretch,� the man said. And stretch they did, in no time, to the point of busting.

I’ve learned a lot about boots since then, most recently on Jennifer June’s very helpful website. She’s a California cowboy boot maker whose site is a great place to start and return to for resources and advice on how to buy cowboy boots, where to buy them and how to take care of them.

It was on her site that I discovered New Mexico has a third-generation custom boot maker in Albuquerque, and a woman, to boot. Her name is Deana McGuffin and her business is McGuffin Custom Boots. There are several women making boots throughout the country now. But Deana (pronounced “Deena�) McGuffin is one of the earliest.

Of course, half the reason for getting a custom pair of boots is for them to look highly distinctive, or, at the very least, clearly better than factory-made boots. McGuffin’s designs more than fit the bill. Her leather tooling is remarkable, and her multi-layered leathers with complex, in-set designs are stunning. Take a close look at the range in the photos and you’ll see contrasting leathers, wingtips and wonderful floral designs.

You can also learn how to make your own boots with Deana McGuffin over a two-week intensive course. The $2,500, one-on-one boot-making course teaches the complete process from start to finish, and when you’re done you’ll have a brand new pair of boots. McGuffin has also taught boot-making through the New Mexico Arts Division’s Master and Apprentice program.

Her grandfather, C. C. McGuffin, was 27 when he left Texas to set up his own boot shop in the Roswell, New Mexico courthouse square in 1915. His son L. W. (Deana’s father) showed early natural artistic ability that turned him into one of the southwest’s finest and most sought-after leather-craftsmen. He set up shot in Portales, New Mexico.

In 1981 (after much urging from a sister-in-law that someone had to carry on the family business) Deana McGuffin began learning from her dad, and worked with him for five years before striking out on her own in Clovis, New Mexico. She finally moved the whole family to Albuquerque when healthcare for her parents became an over-riding issue.

Father and daughter have demonstrated their craft at the Smithsonian and at New Mexico Folk-life Festivals. Their boots have been displayed at Arizona’s Desert Caballeros Western Museum, and in the exhibition “Sole of the West� which was toured by the Arizona Commission on the Arts. Deana is an annual participant in the Boot and Saddlemaker’s Round-Up – the largest boot-making convention in the world, held in Wichita Falls, Texas – a veritable “who’s who� of custom boot-making.

Deana McGuffin is calm, collected and confident. She’s also straightforward in her approach: there are no two feet alike, including our left and right feet. That’s why finite measurement is critical and size irrelevant. What matters is the shape of your feet, both of them, individually. Does that mean you’ll have to travel to Albuquerque to have yourself measured for custom McGuffin boots? Nope. McGuffin has created a detailed mail-order, self-measuring guide.

Last year McGuffin won the prestigious Open Class Award at the annual Boot and Saddle-makers Roundup. This year she’ll be one of the judges. I spoke with her recently about her art:

LS: What are your thoughts on the origins of the cowboy boot?

DM: Some believe that the cowboy boot started out as a modified German military boot. That may be, but it’s pretty clear that cowboy boots evolved in the southwest along cattle trails. They were built for specific reasons and purposes.

LS: What’s special about custom boots?

DM: It starts with the fit. Custom fit is where a lot of my business comes from – people who simply can’t buy off-the-rack. Then there’s the quality of the hides. I pick and choose and offer my customers the best. Most customers want both the fit and the artistry that you can only get with a custom-made boot. When they’re done, they’ve got a one-of-a-kind pair of boots. You can also style custom boots so you can’t tell if a person’s feet are wide or if they have large calves.

LS: Please say some more about the importance of fit.

DM: There are several crucial steps in the making of a properly fitting cowboy boot. You have to measure both feet in several ways. We do a full tracing around the foot, then measure the widest part behind the toes, then the height of the arch or instep, then the distance from the back of the heel to the front of the ankle – that determines the size of the throat, or base of the shaft. We stretch the selected leathers on lasts that match the customer’s feet, form the vamp, which is hand-sewn into insole, then attach hand-made soles and heels to the lasts.

LS: What are some of the things that make a big difference?

DM: A lot of little things that are never done in a factory are critical to the fit and feel of a boot. One of the key things is that hand-made boots are stretched twice, each time in a different direction, while they’re being made. Factory-made boots are not, so they end up stretching on your feet, and they get sloppy-fitting over time, possibly a short time depending on the quality of the hide. And that’s another important factor. Mexican-tanned leathers, for example, are typically dry. So they don’t age well. The choice of leather makes all the difference.

LS: Do you have any preferences for the type of boots you make?

DM: Style and design are more meaningful to me than the hide. I enjoy challenges much more than making simple, standard brown or black boots. But I won’t do anything with any kind of endangered species – never elephant, and only farm-grown alligator, ostrich, anything exotic. I have no interest in encouraging poachers by buying endangered leathers.

LS: For a lot of people, the cost of custom-made boots is a stumbling block. What makes them worth the difference?

DM: My starting price is $1250 for a basic pair of boots. It may sound like a lot, but I put in at least 40 hours into just a basic pair of boots. And $250 of that total is materials and overhead. So, you do the math. Factory-made boots not only cut corners all over the place, they don’t use quality materials. And they frequently use cardboard in the sole and heel. People are very willing to pay lots of bucks for art-work that hangs on a wall, but aren’t always able to translate that into wearable art, something that’s both a unique piece of art and something that’s functional.

LS: I know that there must be custom boot-makers throughout the country who charge a good deal more than that.

DM: Yes, there are. I am doing exactly what every other custom boot-maker does, and still charging far less because I’m not in a store-front, high-rent location. Try getting custom boots made on the west coast or the east coast. Part of my business involves educating customers – everybody loves the idea of cowboy boots, and in particular the idea of custom-made boots. But then a lot of folks seem very surprised at the cost. I have to explain the difference between what a custom boot-maker like me does and how factory boots are made. You really do get what you pay for.

LS: What are some of the ways to spot a custom pair of boots?

DM: The best way is to look at the toe. Custom boots rarely have the fleur-de-lis patterns – “toe bugs� – on the tops that factory-made boots have. The stitching usually ensures that the boot bends properly over the toes, but a toe bug is also used to hide leather that doesn’t fold properly. When a custom boot-maker uses a toe bug, they use a pattern that’s unique. I use the same one that my dad first started using more than 40 years ago.

LS: I guess it goes without saying that a good pair of custom boots will outlast any shelf boot?

DM: Oh yeah. We use heavier materials. We hand-sew lots of the stitching and pay careful attention to every detail. Factory production is all about saving time and money. To a boot-maker, it’s all about making something that will not only look great but also last a long, long time. We won’t use paper or plastic, which is common in factory-made boots. And because we build our boots with pegs and stitching instead of glue, they can be rebuilt when necessary. Boot-makers use wooden pegs in the soles because they expand and contract with the leather. Factories, if they use pegs at all, use brass. Brass pegs don’t absorb moisture, so when the leather expands, moisture gets in around the brass and rots the leather.

LS: So even though you started somewhat late in life, you’ve stuck with it for more than 25 years?

DM: I used to watch my dad and told him I wanted to learn the family business. But it was that old thing – he didn’t think girls could do that kind of stuff. After working on him for several years, I finally convinced him to let me learn. And I’m glad I did. It’s a truly gratifying thing to produce custom boots. Cowboy boots are unique, timeless and sexy. But you really can’t appreciate a custom boot until you’ve had a pair made for yourself and you put your feet into them. There’s nothing else like it.

For more information on McGuffin Custom Boots, call Deana McGuffin at 505-452-0690, or e-mail her at:

Leon Sterling is an award-winning advertising, public relations and marketing communications writer/consultant now located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He can be reached via e-mail at: [End of article]