Looking for opinions on places in Houston or surrounding areas you'd recommend.

Rocky Carrol at Oak Forest Boot Shop on Ella across the street from Double Dave's.

Just be sure your bank account can handle it.

these are $texas but supposedly some of the best in the nation

http://www.wheelerboots.com/

also these:

http://www.rjboots.com

and i think who RTT is referring to is RJ's boot company

Stelzig's

http://www.safariexoticleather.com/

Holick's

Pepe's Boot Shop in Brookshire (off of FM 359)

Are custom boots made based on your foot or does the custom refer to the embroidery and style of the upper boot part?

i was guessing the made off of your foot.

They are made off your foot. The customization on embroidery and everything comes as a perk of having them custom made. As long as you dont get too crazy, most places will customize the boots with some embroidery included in your price. Custom boots are the best fitting shoe you will ever own, and will last forever as long as you resole and keep the treatments recomended on them. RJ's Boot Company on Ella has made boots for every president since forever (except Obama, if you ever go, ask him about it), Princess Diana, Liz Taylor, and the list goes on and on of celebs and power players he makes them for. The guy is hilarious too. Its worth it to go by just to shoot the breeze with him. His shop is the old condemened looking building around the corner of 34th and Ella.

Assuming I don't want a bunch of fancy embroidery, what's a ballpark price range for custom boots?

RJ's starts around $500

but that was at least 5+ years ago

I heard Rocky Carroll closed up shop (don't know if true). I bought a pair from him a few years ago. Took 4 months when he said 2 and they cost way way way too much for calfskin with no real design, but they fit like a dream and are extremely comfortable. I'm getting another pair made right now by Jesse's Boot Shop in South Houston. Significanly cheaper than RJ but I hope they fit just as well.

Thanks rd and others for answers.

I know I can order *kinda* custom from other brands, just wondering how the prices compare and if it's worth paying more for a perfect fit. My Luccheses fit ok, but definitely not a pair I want to wear every day or for long periods of time.

yes it's worth paying extra for a custom fit.

hell, even my stomp in the mud everyday work boots are handmade.

Could RJ's do custom for something like these Lucchese exotics? I really really like these, but if I'm going to spend that much I would want to do custom fit.

http://www.cavenders.com/product.asp?cat=1&dept_id=501&pf_id=LCY7072W8&cm_vc=productpage

looking to turn my gator from sept into a pair of customs. might have to go see rj.

My grandfather has 25-30 pairs of really nice boots that he cannot wear anymore. His foot is 2 sizes bigger than mine, I thought about taking some to a boot maker and getting them re-sized.

Is that possible? Is it going to cost me a fortune?

i would recommend exchanging your feminie feet for those the size of a man.

David_Puddy, last time I was at Rocky's shop, it was around $2000 for exotic skin, with some customization on the neck of the boot. He could definately make some that look like the Lucchese's you have listed, but they are going to be more than what those Lucchese's cost. One thing about the custom ones though, especially with gator, that goes unnoticed by many is that he will get two skins that match nearly perfectly for the 2 boots. Most mass produced boots match close, with a few outliers that are flat out way off from eachother, but the customs will look nearly identical. Part of the reason they cost so much.

[This message has been edited by ccolley68 (edited 1/11/2011 2:29p).]

Thanks ccolley

Stimulus,

Jesse resizes boots.

http://jesseshoerepair.com/

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&rlz=1C1_____enUS378US378&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=Jesse's+Custom+Boots+south+houston,+tx&fb=1&gl=us&hq=Jesse's+Custom+Boots&hnear=South+Houston,+TX&cid=1191093461879604723&dtab=2&ei=Oc4sTdqnF4W0lQel-JXwCg&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBkQqgUwAA

[This message has been edited by ElCheAg (edited 1/11/2011 3:44p).]

quote:

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looking to turn my gator from sept into a pair of customs. might have to go see rj.

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Did you choot da gatah? Peppa 'is ass a little bit? I bet he don' lak dat, no sir.

I'll have to check out Jesse's...thanks

Useful thread

Just read W's book the other day and was wondering where he got the boots with the President's seal. Very nice.