A Boot Collector Feature
A family operation in Abilene run by a nephew of M. L. Leddy himself — leather cut by James, stitching by his wife and daughter, bottoms by his son-in-law.
James Leddy, nephew of boot king M. L. Leddy, runs a true family shop in Abilene, Texas: he cuts the leather, his wife and daughter handle stitching, his son-in-law works the bottoms, and his former daughter-in-law creates inlays. A Texas Monthly feature on the state's top custom bootmakers singled out the shop for its old-fashioned crimped vamps, flowery tops, zipper tops, and sharp pointed toes, with pairs at the time starting around $625 and a three-to-four month turnaround.
A genuine multi-generation family operation carrying the Leddy bootmaking name into a shop of its own, with clients that have included country singers Buck Owens, George Jones, and Johnny Bush, along with former U.S. representative Charles Stenholm.
A Leddy-family name, run as a true family shop in Abilene.
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.