Helm is an Austin-based shoe company that has become a fixture of the city’s boot scene. Well known for their trademark white stripe in the midsole, their shoes pull off a rare feat of being distinctive but traditional, with silhouettes that work in a ton of different outfits and environments. I’ve reviewed their flagship Muller … Read more
Bickmore has been in the leather care game since 1882, when they started out by making products to soothe sores on horses that were caused by their harnesses. In the early twentieth century they started branching out into shaving cream and toothpaste and eventually their journey through the oozy creams of the world led them … Read more
Parkhurst is an brand new boot company that was established 2018, so while they don’t have a ton of history they do have some interesting aspects. Based in Buffalo, New York, the company makes everything in the United States with materials from the United States — except for the rubber outsoles, but even those are imported through a … Read more
This is it: the original yellow boot that made the Timberland Company so famous. The company was founded in Boston in 1928 when it was called the Abington Boot Company, then bought by Nathan Schwartz in 1952 and renamed Timberland in 1973, the same year this boot was launched. Intended for wear by New England’s … Read more
It’s fair to say that Venetian Shoe Cream is the go-to product for conditioning boots. Whether you’re talking about boots that are outdoorsy or dressy, practically every company from so-so Thorogood to top-tier Viberg recommend you pair your purchase with a bottle of VSC. For this piece I interviewed Philip Collias, the CEO of the company that … Read more
LL Bean is one of the few companies I’ve reviewed that isn’t an actual, dedicated boot company. They’re a privately held retail store that was founded in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean when he was 40 years old and they’re super famous for their American made outdoor gear. When it comes to boots, they’re perhaps … Read more
Wolf and Shepherd is an extremely unusual footwear company that was founded in 2014 Justin Schneider, a former track and field athlete at Notre Dame. After finishing his studies, he went on to design running shoes for Adidas and a few other companies and, long story short, he got sick of wearing uncomfortable dress shoes … Read more
Dayton is a Canadian company founded in 1946 by Charlie Wohlford after he developed quite a reputation for repairing loggers’ boots, which led to pretty much anyone who had a tough, labor-intensive job coming to him to repair their boots, which ultimately led to Wohlford starting his own company. While they didn’t start Goodyear welting … Read more
At over 125 years old, Thorogood is one of the oldest shoe companies in the United States and they’re one of the few that are employee-owned, two facts that give them a lot of appeal among folks who prefer American-made. What often gets left off of that is the fact that 35 percent of their … Read more
Here’s a weird fact I hadn’t heard before I started researching these boots: the first Dr. Martens boot was designed by Dr. Klaus Märtens who was a doctor in the German Army in 1945. As in the Nazi Army. He injured his ankle while skiing and found that the Nazis’ standard-issue army boots were uncomfortable on his … Read more