Beloved Boot Maker to Open New Store in Fort Worth Stockyards — a PaperCity Exclusive

Tecovas Boots will open its first Fort Worth store at 2341 N. Main Street this Friday, June 26. The official grand opening celebration has been delayed due to coronavirus restrictions, but the store will open for business in the Fort Worth Stockyards.

Tecovas is known for its hand-made, high quality line of boots (without too much embellishment and fancy stitch work). It also falls into a more affordable price point. The Stockyards store will be the brand’s eighth retail showroom. It will be located in the building next door to the new SpringHill Suites, with top chef Tim Love’s Atico perched on its rooftop.

“Our primary goal at Tecovas is to create a western brand with the best experience in the business ― from our products to our customer service, to how our customers shop with us,” Tecovas’ founder and CEO Paul Hedrick tells PaperCity Fort Worth.

Founded in 2015 as an online only model, the first brick-and-mortar Tecovas store only opened in 2019 in its hometown of Austin. Now the company boasts eight showrooms across the state of Texas, filled with a full range of its boot styles from calfskin to suede and exotics from Caiman belly to ostrich quill.

“Starting online was the original innovation ― and will always be a hugely important part of our mission ― since the online western shopping experience was, in general, underdeveloped at the time that we were getting started with the brand,” Hedrick says.

“Since we sell 100 percent directly to customers, it was also the easiest way to start. But opening stores has always been a part of our mission to come full circle and give customers the full experience they want from the brand. People love to try our boots on in person ― to look, feel, and even smell our products in real life.”

Each Tecovas store is decked out with unique merchandise and decor befitting its specific location. The bootmaker just opened another new location this week in Austin’s Domain NORTHSIDE outdoor shopping center as well.

KRS Realty Advisors founder Kerby Smith purchased two buildings near all the action in Fort Worth’s historic Northside and revealed plans to introduce new restaurants and stores in them back in January of 2019. Tecovas will take up residence in the building facing Main Street ― the first opening in the newly redesigned space.

“I’m excited to bring a top quality bootmaker like Tecovas to Fort Worth,” Smith says. “This is the type of tenant that I had hoped to bring to this space.”

Hedrick says his Tecovas stores are all about the experience. “We like being close to the action when it comes to nightlife, tourism, great restaurants, and other great destination shopping. Main Street already had the history, and now it’s shaping up to be one of the coolest streets in the country. We’re proud to be a small part of that story,” he notes.

Tecovas recently added a new boot to its lineup. The Carter features the brand’s exotic full quill ostrich, this time with an understated square toe shape. Tecovas also produces a full range of accessories from matching belts to leather bags, wallets and apparel.

“It’s hard to imagine a better place to open a Tecovas store than in Fort Worth,” Hedrick tells PaperCity. “The town is just about as Texan as it gets ― and it’s definitely boot country. When it came to figuring out where to open in Cowtown, the Stockyards were the dream choice ― it’s an area with deep-rooted history in everything that a cowboy is and does — from cattle drives to honky tonks to western wear.”

It’s hard to overestimate the bootmaker’s popularity. In fact, the last time Tecovas issued its python snake skin boots, they sold out in 24 hours. Here’s a tip: Tecovas is about to issue those coveted snake skin boots again, but if you want to score a pair, you better sign up for its notifications and be ready to jump on it right when the boots drop.

“The fourth store we opened is in Oklahoma City, so we’re officially a multi-state retailer,” Hedrick says. “As for future states for Tecovas stores, they’re certainly in the plans, but we’re keeping those plans under wraps for the time being.”