A Boot Collector Feature
Tim Bishop fits every customer in person on his acreage outside Tucumcari, New Mexico — mail-order measurements need not apply.
Tim Bishop was raised in Logan, New Mexico around working cowboys, and got his start watching saddle craftsman Melvin Keith at work on a local ranch. He formalized his saddle-making skills at Oklahoma State University's technical institute in 1992, then opened his own saddle shop in Tucumcari in 1993, taking on repairs and ranch day work to get established. Noticing that the county had plenty of saddlemakers but few boot repairmen, he moved into bootmaking — a shift sharpened further by time spent working for legendary bootmaker Paul Bond in Nogales, Arizona.
In-person fittings only — Bishop declines mail-order measurements even at the cost of business, because he builds each pair around a customer he's actually met. His boots favor an under-slung "dogger" heel between 1 5/8 and 2 inches, a French toe (with rising demand for Cutter and Fortress toes), and materials like pigskin, waxed calf, and elephant leather, often in a look that blends 1930s–40s silhouettes with 1970s–80s color combinations. Pairs start around $1,500, and his clientele is mostly working cowboys and equestrian professionals rather than city buyers.
A working cowboy's bootmaker, fitted the old-fashioned way — in person.
Pairs from smaller, custom, or long-closed makers rarely come up for sale, so this search may not find anything. It’s worth checking back now and then.