A Boot Collector Feature
Vicente Cavazos builds every boot himself, start to finish, out of the same Rio Grande Valley bootmaking hub as Rios of Mercedes.
Vicente Cavazos — described by a Texas Monthly feature on the state's top custom bootmakers as an unsung elder of the trade — does the entire boot himself, from fit to finish, out of Mercedes, Texas, the same Rio Grande Valley town that's home to Rios of Mercedes and JJ Specialty Boot. The feature singled out Cavazos's artistic stitching and inlay-and-overlay work, including imaginative top designs ranging from roses to a Corpus Christi cityscape, plus stylish ostrich wing tips. Pairs at the time started around $225 with a four-to-five week turnaround.
One-man, start-to-finish construction and imaginative top art, with clients that have included former president Bill Clinton, U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige, and actor Tommy Lee Jones.
A one-man Rio Grande Valley shop known for artistic tops.
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.