Role Club By Brian the Bootmaker
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yeah curious how long this 1 man thing can go on.
also curious if this artisanal/quality bubble is going to be to support what he does
head high, middle finger higher
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I think he'll be fine, because he doesn't create a massive backlog, per se…. He opens up to accept stock boot orders a couple times a year. He doesn't carry backstock, and he doesn't have a million boot design options. So long as he doesn't grow beyond his means, he'll survive, a la "Roy".
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…..I have to admit, shell is not the most comfortable thing I've ever worn. My pair of shell boots is beautiful, but it does not give at all and they took forever to break in. I'm not entirely sure they are broken in, actually.
Shell dress shoes and boots are TANKS… I don't know how people wear them in to the point that they get the coveted ::) ::) ::) "rolling" on the toe box. I assume they just moonwalk everywhere they go to get like that, lmao!
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yeah curious how long this 1 man thing can go on.
also curious if this artisanal/quality bubble is going to be to support what he does
I know bootmakers that have been one man operations for the last 20+ years and have to turn away customers. If you keep your overhead low, work reasonably efficiently, and don't expect to make enough to buy your own jet, it's possible to have a lifelong career.
I'm hesitant to call it a bubble, too. I think there will always be people that are willing to pay for shoes and boots that fit well and last. But I could be wrong; I often am.
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^^
I'm a city dude so I tend to only see small mom and pop shoe stores closing out for Tom McCain, fayva and payless shoe stores
I'm relatively new to all this quality stuff. when I got one of my first quality pair of boots I'm pretty sure I thought the heels and soles were made out of "wood" and you were kind enough to give me a schooling that it is leather
(which still blows my mind)finally, it's more fun to call everything a bubble and folks talk about if it is or isn't sustainable, hahahahaha
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I had a long conversation with Brian about future plans and business strategy/operations (given that is what I do for a living). He definitely is thinking about expansion plans and we iterated on a few ideas that we think he could pursue, both in the near-term and longer term. Part of the challenge is finding the breathing space to fully explore and launch some of these ideas given the constraints on his time. Everyone he's talked to about potentially helping him in the shop seem unwilling to put in the time and effort to learn the craft and meet his expectations. Many also feel like they already know what they are doing and cannot set aside their egos to unlearn/relearn, especially from a younger person, no matter how talented.
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…..I have to admit, shell is not the most comfortable thing I've ever worn. My pair of shell boots is beautiful, but it does not give at all and they took forever to break in. I'm not entirely sure they are broken in, actually.
Shell dress shoes and boots are TANKS… I don't know how people wear them in to the point that they get the coveted ::) ::) ::) "rolling" on the toe box. I assume they just moonwalk everywhere they go to get like that, lmao!
I think it depends on the foot of the person and the way they walk. I destroy shoes and had rolling on my shell boots in a few weeks. Used a deer bone them and keep shoe trees in them to minimize it. But yes she’ll is tough stuff
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…..I have to admit, shell is not the most comfortable thing I've ever worn. My pair of shell boots is beautiful, but it does not give at all and they took forever to break in. I'm not entirely sure they are broken in, actually.
Shell dress shoes and boots are TANKS… I don't know how people wear them in to the point that they get the coveted ::) ::) ::) "rolling" on the toe box. I assume they just moonwalk everywhere they go to get like that, lmao!
I think it depends on the foot of the person and the way they walk. I destroy shoes and had rolling on my shell boots in a few weeks. Used a deer bone them and keep shoe trees in them to minimize it. But yes she’ll is tough stuff
I'm terribly slow at breaking in anything… 3yrs later, my 555-03's STILL "crunch" when I walk
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I’m basically a human Boulder who rolls over anything he wears.
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yeah curious how long this 1 man thing can go on.
also curious if this artisanal/quality bubble is going to be to support what he does
My worry as well. I would love to support him, and asked him about making me a pair of custom Boondockers, but he was unable to build what I asked (which I didn’t think was too crazy) and was priced almost double what a similar pair of Vibergs cost.
I get it, you pay for quality, but in the end, my
$1,000 road champs did not treat my feet much better than my $350 red wings do, so I would never be able to justify it, although I respect his work and would love to be able to give him my business.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Just made the correlation from where/what other forum i know you from ravination.
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dope boots, thanks for the image @UnTucked
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dope boots, thanks for the image @UnTucked
I'm just snagging them from his FB page, lol!
He started the thread but doesn't seem to be keeping up with it, so I'll just keep the pics flowing
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hey everyone doesn't follow social media so having it all here on the forum is appreciated, by me at least.
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