W&E; Today provides retailers and manufacturers with education and ideas that provoke innovation in the Western and English markets.
Issue link: http://wetoday.epubxp.com/i/267070
32 Western & English Today EARLY SPRING 2014 JAMA/OLD WEST GIRLS f er Bill W. Hippel lost his job at Acme Boot Company in 2000, he approached Jama/Old West with an odd request — at least in the eyes of his bosses. "I said, 'All I want is your kids business,' and they'd tell me, 'You can't make a living on just kids boots,'" Hippel recalls. "I said, 'I really want to try.'" Af er 28 years with Acme, which was founded in 1939 to make boots for children, Hippel understood that companies could f nd success with lines for those younger boot wearers. He's still at it. Jama/Old West has become one of the industry leaders in children's boots. "T e kids business is really, really strong," Hippel says. "It's crazy." "Crazy." "Hot." "Strong." "Amazing." Take your pick. Across the board, boot companies — from old-schoolers like Dan Post, Justin and Rocky Brands to relative newcomers such as Cinch, Corral and Tin Haul (and practically everyone in between) — are reporting major increases in the children's lines. "Everybody's kids business is phenomenal," says Bobby Smith, Miller International's vice president who oversees the bootmaking operations of Cinch, Johnny Ringo and Rod Patrick. "I don't know if we're just in the right place at the right time, but our kids business has grown in a real good way," says Bob T orp, CEO of Smoky Mountain Boots, which has a large selection of boots in the children's category. "We're getting into more and more houses, and our return factor is so low — 1 percent — and that means you're getting good prices and that the boots are wearing and lasting." Even Rocky Brands is pushing its children's lines this year. "Even though it's WeÕre not kidding: Boots for the small fry are big-time business. By Johnny D. Boggs DURANGO GIRLS JUSTIN GYPSY DUST GIRLS DAN POST GIRLS ROCKY WRX GIRLS CORRAL GIRLS 0314 Kids Boots.indd 32 2/19/14 4:42 PM