A Boot Collector Feature
Pablo Jass spent twelve years working alongside Ray Jones before opening his own shop in Lampasas.
Pablo Jass spent twelve years working alongside the late Ray Jones before opening his own shop in Lampasas, Texas, carrying forward much of what he learned at Jones's bench. A Texas Monthly feature on the state's top custom bootmakers described the shop as still turning out tougher-than-hell real cowboy boots made for working on the range, built around Jones's signature box toe, white piping, and stiff tops, with electric topstitching done by Pablo's wife Juanita. Pairs at the time started around $600 with a six-month-to-one-year turnaround.
A direct link to Ray Jones's central Texas bootmaking lineage, carried forward as genuine working cowboy boots rather than showpieces. Clients have included author and boot historian Tyler Beard. The shop's influence has traveled further still — Houston bootmaker Zephan Parker apprenticed here before opening his own shop.
A Ray Jones apprentice, still building working cowboy boots.
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.