Episode 057 - Into The Archives: The 145-Year-Old Story of Justin Boot Company

Nancie Thomas: They love this city so much. And they were thankful for the support they had gotten from Fort Worth. And they're we're thankful for the support they've gotten from the individuals who ordered boots and they were happy to make those boots and I feel like they just wanted to give back.

Taylor McAdams: You guys, we have a returner to the podcast. I want to give you a huge resume of who Nancie is. But before we do that, I don't know if you remember our Christmas episode from last season. If you don't remember it, check it out. Because it was so fun. Miss Nancie taught us how to wrap a Christmas present. And she's back on the podcast. Nancie, thank you for being here today. 

Nancie Thomas: Thank you. 

Taylor McAdams: Nancie is over our Archives Department and she has a story to tell. And I thought what better way to celebrate our 145 years than to get Nancie on to talk about the history of Justin, you guys are in for a treat. Because this lady knows her stuff. She started out in customer service here at Justin 

Nancie Thomas: 30 years ago, 

Taylor McAdams: Man 30 years, okay, 30 years ago, and she's lived to tell the tells in terms of lots of callers called in with the craziest stories, the coolest stories, the best questions. I mean, you guys out there listening, you understand our brand, probably more than we do at times, and you're able to help shift which direction we go. And so as Nancie's here, we get to talk about a little bit of our past a blast from the past as you will, as we kind of walk through the past 145 years of Justin. And I've got to say I'm kind of getting chills in this moment, Nancie talking about this and talking to you about this, because this has been a long time coming. And the history of the company in itself is much larger than myself. It's much larger than you it's much larger, larger than most of the people here- everyone here. And so I just am so appreciative that you took the time to tell us a little bit about Justin. So without further ado, I want to get started with this interview. I want to start with you first though if you've listened to the podcast for a while, you know that I I'm really interested in the background of our guests and how they got here. So Nancie, think back 30 years ago, what was Justin? Like? What was it like working in customer service? And then my next question past that is, would you have ever thought you would have ended up in the archives?

Nancie Thomas: No, I did not think that at all. When I came to work here, it was very, very busy. It was before, we had such an easy way to create our own orders, we wrote the orders up was similar to order entry to be entered for us. But the phone was ringing constantly, we never had a chance to put the phone down, especially at Christmas. It was so busy and I loved being busy. It was very different. And it was a lot to learn. For me.

Taylor McAdams: I bet it was and even kind of thinking about that time. Even now customer service gets to email back and forth. But email wasn't a thing. You had to quite literally talk to every single person- Did that ever get exhausting? Did that ever? Did you ever have days when you're just like I'm having a bad day? Because you really can't have a bad day and customer service? You know? 

Nancie Thomas: No, you really can be a friend to everybody. And you do become friends with everybody. I've become friends with so many people over the years, the retailers that would call to order boots. After talking to them for so long, they become a part of your family and is certainly a good friend.

Taylor McAdams: They really do. And I'm so glad you brought that up because we have kind of two departments of customer service. And most companies do. So I feel like that's no secret. There's the consumer facing side. And then there's also the b2b side where you're speaking directly to the sales reps, you're speaking directly to the retailers. And that's how our business is ran. And I love the family aspect of it. Because over your 30 years not only have you become a family member of Justin and all the employees here, but you've actually gotten that real life experience and gotten gotten to see the cool stories. And we actually stay tuned for the end of this video, we're going to talk about some of the funny things that Nancie's heard over the years. She just teased one before we got started in boy let me tell you there are some crazies out there you guys are some of them. But that's okay, we still love you anyway. And we're gonna just kind of jump right on into the history of Justin because the Justin family. Their whole family had a passion for boots and they actually, it wasn't just about the boots. It was about the story behind the boots, the passion for making the boots and then also the passion for giving back to their communities. And so let's kind of take a step back 145 years ago before either one of us were born. Tell us about how it all began with HJ Justin, what do we need to know about H.J. Justin?

Nancie Thomas:He was 20 years old and lived in Lafayette, Indiana. His father was a cigar maker. He saw no use for rolling cigars. He I don't blame him. He wanted to leave. He wanted to break away from them. There was a lot of children and I think he felt like also for Mr. Justin Jr. has said that there were so many children. He was old enough to get out on its own and make his own way and give room for the other children to grow and to be fed actually So he got on a train and made it to Gainesville, Texas in 1879. He was 20 years old and just a few months. When he got off the train in Gainesville, he acquired a job working for two sisters who had inherited a shop repair from their father who had was had been passed away. So he, worked there about two years as an apprentice learning how to repair the boots. And he kind of got itchy, he just felt like that wasn't what he wanted to do forever. He had heard about Spanish Fork, which was not far from there. It was bustling little town of a population of 200. It had four saloons, and five doctors. So he decided he would go to Spanish fort and try his luck there. There was a wagon train in Gainesville to pick up a load of whiskey to take to the saloons in Spanish Fort. So we walked up to the driver and said, I'd like to get a ride to Gainesville, Texas. And the man said, I am going to Gainesville, Texas, how much money do you have? And he said, I have $5.25.

Taylor McAdams: Which in 1879 was uh, was probably like 20 to $40. So

Nancie Thomas:Maybe, maybe, okay, so the driver said, Okay, your fares 550 I'm sorry, $5. So he had 25 cents leftover had 25 cents, a hammer and an all in his pocket when he boarded that wagon train. But he made it Spanish Fort and was tired and thirsty and hungry and dirty. He walked into the first place he saw which was a barber shop. He wanted to get a bath, but you could get a bath there. At that time, you get a bath and get a haircut and get a shave. So he told the barber he was looking to work for someone to pay for a haircut, a bath and a shave. So the barber Seville swept the floors and John H J Justin actually swept the floors and became quite apt at it, and did a lot of work that first day. So he was hired full-time to sweep the floors and do odd jobs around the barbershop.

Taylor McAdams: And I think it's really interesting Nancie, he started with, let's say $5.25. He paid the $5 He's now got 25 cents, not enough to get a bath and a shave and cut a haircut. So he swept floors and then I would imagine he kind of built some kind of relationship with this man that gave him money. So I think eventually he had to have a loan of some sort-

Nancie Thomas: but as the cowboys came in for a haircut and a shave, he noticed how ragged their boots were. So he offered to repair the boots, patch them up. So he started patching boots, it was another income for him, he patched the boots, and then he still didn't want to patch boots all his life so he said he just had to have some money he want to borrow some money to buy some skins and again buy a fine pair of boots. So the barber gave him $35 to his name, so he could have that to buy skins. So he took the money and started making the boots immediately. The first pair went to the barber shop owner, Mr. Frank See, cost $9 A pair. 

Taylor McAdams: Wow.

Nancie Thomas: He sold the rest of them to some of the other shop owners around there. And that began his business at boot making. One day he said a hired hand from one of the shop owners came in and he said I want a pair of boots presumably like Mr. Morris's. I want them high with red tops and good work and so Mr. Justin said their hands feet or as long as his arm and his round as a ham.

Taylor McAdams: Which is so hard to believe. I can't help but laugh when I read that 

Nancie Thomas: Yeah, so someone said well how are you going to turn that leather you work in a two-by-two lane to and he said I’ll take them outside and cut the leather and work on them out there when it's not raining. So the hired hand was very happy with his pair of boots all so.

Taylor McAdams: That is so wild to me and it's kind of some foreshadowing that I'm sure he didn't even plan because I know that he just used the resources that he had but having the red color yeah and then translating that to today's Justin red. The iconic Justin red that everyone sees. I think that's something cool to note too, because it was probably just based on what he had. Right? But then okay, so I remember you saying a story about he eventually needed more leathers, he needed more money for more leathers, and so he borrowed $35 or $35 from Mr. See right? You see a barber shop owner correct. And that was for more leathers?

Nancie Thomas: Yes, it was for leather for scans to make the boots. Wow. So he made several pair there in Spanish Fort. It became quite popular that cowboys from the saloon where they always heard that gossip was they'd come in to the, to the barber shop and say, As for that, that boy that does odd jobs and claims to be a good cobbler. So that's how he, he really actually started conquering the boots, repairing them, patching them, and then cutting out the leather and making them by hand, everything was by hand. 

Taylor McAdams: Wow. And something to note there is he kind of was self taught, he had to figure it out. I mean, going from being having a cigar maker as a father to going out on his own and figuring it out. I can't help but imagine I don't know if you've ever stopped to think about what that would have been like if he had to throw away a few pairs of boots because they didn't work or you know, just getting the shape and stuff that would be incredibly hard.

Nancie Thomas: And years ago, he was the first one of course to have stitching on the shaft of the boot the upper part because after a while, the boots would just kind of sag down and wrinkle. But he started making stitches in the shaft so to hold him up more.

Taylor McAdams: Which is so unique. 

Nancie Thomas: The creator of all of that they were made with very heavy leather also, it was a tanning process and it was very heavy heavy leather and it would project her legs as they wrote to their brambles and the bushes and the water things for height

Taylor McAdams: and got through all kinds of I mean wars all of it and they were correct me if I'm wrong they were a little bit taller tops then probably even today.

Nancie Thomas: Yes and other reasons is protect their legs.

Taylor McAdams: Yeah, that that's so crazy to think that we've evolved from a true need to now you have fashion boots, you have Western boots, you have work boots, you have all the things but it all derived from he saw a need yes and he had a talent and he made it happen as he did and that's kind of a cool overcomer story I think of like he could have gone a different route for that time and worked in like the coal mining places or he could have made raw one wrong decision and ended up entertaining and bars or something which is you know, there's this neither here nor there but everything had to work out exactly the way that it did Yes. So that we would be sitting here today. True Isn't that wild to think about is very wild. And even in the beginning. I know here in a little bit we'll get to talk about his love life and how he created his family and how that moves on but before we do that I've got to have one more follow up which is going from not knowing to having a plan to then eventually getting his own shop were there any have you heard anything about how what he had to do to did like in terms of building his own shop with the lean to have you heard anything else about the details of the physical process of not only being able to make boots but getting established as a business owner to-

Nancie Thomas: Well, once he started making the boots he moved to a little bit larger place. I think was like an eight by five buildings, something like that. And I had room for a basketball with his leather and things like that. So he was really thought he was doing quite well at that time. And he said I have everything here but aside so we got a piece of board and somehow ingraved with a knife I'm sure HJ Justin boots, and hung his first son. I do have a replica of that in the archives department. 

Taylor McAdams: You do and it's a it's a good talking piece whenever guests come in to the archives to talk about it because we're just in today but we were HJ Justin boot company then and then in essence yeah and then we'll get to the second part where it was H.J. Justin and sons and I think let's just go ahead and dive into their in their Nancie because rumor was or story goes. Annie was a doctor. 

Nancie Thomas: She was a Doctor's Daughter 

Taylor McAdams: Okay 

Nancie Thomas: And in Spanish Fort. And she was known as a Spitfire. She’s the one story I've heard and read from the book about Justin is she had bought herself a new hat and went to church on Sunday. During the next week, she saw a lady of the night walking down the sidewalk, or they didn't have that watch back then were walking down the street and had on the same hat. And that did not sit well with Annie. So she walked over and proceeded to take the hat off her head, which caused a fight between the ladies. Annie was fined for starting a ruckus on the street and had to pay $5 But she always said that was well worth the money for me. 

Taylor McAdams: I love that and that's why I have so many things to talk about there because she kind of set the tone for the Justin women. They did not take no for an answer. They paved the way. They were innovators in their lanes, whatever they did, and we get to talk about that in a little bit. But I think that's cool. Right off the bat. HJ found someone- a woman, that was able to hold her own, especially in those times, you know what that would take care of herself and then also support him so well. And then something else jumps out at me the $5 that she got fined $5. He paid $5. It just like I like to say sometimes now it feels like every time you go to the store, something's $5. But back then $5 was a lot of money back then. Which is so crazy to think about what-

Nancie Thomas: She had caught his eye at a square dance. Oh, so he really liked her. He thought she was very pretty. So they married I believe it 1887 And she was a great help to him. 

Taylor McAdams: Wow. And speaking of that, being a great help, she started working with him to patent not well not patent, but create a fit chart.

Nancie Thomas: a fit chart. Okay, she would work alongside with Mr. Justin cutting the leather, turning it trying to get it stitched together. But the Cowboys have come in from the trail and stop and order a pair of boots. But they'd have to complete that trail ride. And they couldn't pick them up into their next way through. So she devised a fit chart, which they could mail to their customers. And at that time, even in the 90s, early 1900s. They could mail order, they could order their votes by mail, I can mail them to him, which I thought was pretty cool for that time.

Taylor McAdams: It's very cool, especially considering my dad not that long ago. And he feels like it was just yesterday, but it was even longer. He talks about Justin being able you can mail in your order custom boots to an extent. And so I think that's really cool that these two are the innovators of it all, they really set the bar high for the cowboy boot industry, which I respect and love so much. And then that's interesting, too. We've got to stop and talk about that. Because the time that it would take to complete not only a cattle drive, but then the chance to be able to come back through Spanish for what is the timeframe there? Do you think it would be months,

Nancie Thomas:it was months, okay, I don't think it was just a couple of weeks as a long trail.

Taylor McAdams: And then to be able to have the boots made and ready to go that that's so crazy to me. Because yeah, today we can rush a pair of custom boots and make it happen in a smaller amount of time. But if you want that good quality, you do have to wait a little bit. And so I think that's cool that not only did he not have the technology back then, but he was just able to start doing it and then the boots would be ready. I think that's something that we don't stop and think about a lot know that he really did make their lives easier. You know, he became a part of something that helped their daily lives improve.

Nancie Thomas:That's what he said one time, he said that they all that little town cater to the Cowboys that we serve their work in the saddle. And they cater to the Cowboys, but there was nothing heavy or protective for their feet and their legs. So Wow. It was one of his thoughts when he started making the boots. 

Taylor McAdams: He met the need. Yeah, yeah. And that's cool. I can't help but think of any old western movie and just picture that what that's what Spanish Fort was like, you know, there's a lot of old good cowboy movies, especially with John Wayne. You know, I just picture I picture that so it's cool to go back in time. But you know me I'm a girl. I'm a hopeless romantic. I can't help but continue to talk about Annie and talk about how everything that she did. And correct me if I'm wrong. You said that they were married in? What is it? 1887 

Nancie Thomas: 87. 

Taylor McAdams: Okay, was that in Spanish for it? Was that in Nocona? Okay, so let's talk about getting to Nocona then because a lot of us have been a lot of people out there had been following Justin, since it was in Nocona. They have that tie to Nocona, Texas. So talk about that. How did the family get there? 

Nancie Thomas: They got an encounter because they'd always been talking about the railroad going through Spanish Fort. But I believe it was night 1889 They changed the route they decided going through Nocona instead of Spanish Fort, and Mr. Justin, he had to have accessible shipping. So they packed up by this time they had their first son, which was John Sullivan. So an 1889. They did move into Nocona. They had six more children. They had quite a large family. So seven total, seven total children. Wow. I'm one of seven. So it was always a happy family. When you have siblings to be your friend. 

Taylor McAdams: That's true. Yeah, you're never lonely. 

Nancie Thomas: That's true. You're never lonely. Sometimes fun, but sometimes it's nice to be kinda away and have your your quiet time. Which is probably exactly why the kids were so involved in the bootmaking process. 

Taylor McAdams: Yeah, they got their escape.

Nancie Thomas: Well, yes, and they go to school all day, but they would go to their dad's shop and work at preschool and they every one of them could build boots from the ground up. Why they were all interested in that they loved making the boots, they all had a job.

Taylor McAdams: That's kind of unique to me too. Because nowadays in 2024, everyone talks about homesteading and kind of going back to the roots and teaching your kids different trades and trade even going to trade School is becoming more of a trend. And so I think that's cool that they were already they were kind of getting a double education that would help set them up for the future. And then who knows if they decided to continue the boot making process they could or they could be like H.J. and not want to make cigars anymore and move on to something else.  

Nancie Thomas: You know, it's true, they have the choice to do that. I think that's really good. The brothers did help. And that, that business they all work together and and they each one I've heard they each traded jobs and served in each capacity so they would know what was going on with a business and not be kind of lost in one area.

Taylor McAdams: That's interesting with it with a family business. Yes, that way the left hand knows what the right hand is doing. Yeah, there's a lot to learn there too. So what was it 19 Oh,

Nancie Thomas: 1908 became Justin and sons,

Taylor McAdams: HJ Justin and sons do company and there's also a sign of that, because he had to replace his sign with just H.J. Justin. And then you have even a picture of a replica of what the store look I say store what the building looked like. Yes. Did the sons were the sons involved in any of that building are up giving it a facelift? 

Nancie Thomas: No, no by them. They moved to Nocona if I remember the book, exactly. They first live in a two room house. 

Taylor McAdams: Wow. And seven kids. 

Nancie Thomas: Well, I think the kids came gradually. Okay. Not all at one time surely. But they built on slowly there to build a room here and a room there became a very large house after.

Taylor McAdams: Wow. Wow. 

Nancie Thomas:  And reading a book I remember also there was a he made maybe the smaller house at one time, a playroom, or a playhouse for all of you and they had parties there they were very social. And in the city or the town they love being socially had parties all the time.

Taylor McAdams: Wow. And that's even that's really cool to think about because I've heard stories of John and Jane Justin you know getting ahead moving to the future a little bit John and Jane Justin being entertainers and hosting and that's just cool. It says a lot about the Justin family I just put the two two and two. I learned that from you right now but just put two and two together about that. So that's really cool. And okay, so talking more about about the sons just really quick. Did they all find their special niche did they did they find I know you said that they you know got to try every switch jobs but did was there what do you remember anything about one of the sons was specifically better at stitching or pegging or

Nancie Thomas: I never heard that one was better than the other I heard that they all did everything and there's pictures in archives also of of all of them standing and just cutting and slowly but surely they would get machinery to help them. But it was still so old fashioned looking to us now. Yeah, and I was going how do they ever learn all that and keep up with all of it?  

Taylor McAdams: For real and be a part of the innovation along the way? That's that's so mind boggling to me. Well, Nancie, we're gonna take a quick break but when we come back you guys we're going to talk about how Justin boots move from Nocona, Texas to Fort Worth, Texas, and everything in between. So stay tuned. We'll be right back. Okay. Hi ladies Summer is here. And if you're anything like me, you're looking for the perfect summer dress something that will keep you cool and stylish and also look cute too. So whether you're gearing up for your backyard barbecue, your beach vacation, maybe even a few weddings you have the summer Justin boots has you covered with their stunning collection of dresses. And that's right, I said dresses that have a sheer sleeve that the wind blows right through and keeps you nice and breezy so you can look your best when you're going to these events where you're definitely going to sweat. And as a special offer for being a Kick Your Boots Up listener we'd like to offer you 15% off your next purchase. Just use code KYBU15 at checkout that's code KYBU15. Hi everybody, and thanks for listening. You know it's about to get even better. We're gonna move on to how Justin and Sons, we can't leave that part out, got to Fort Worth from Nocona, Texas. But one thing I want to touch on before we move on to Fort Worth, because we were just talking during break. Justin became by this point in time 19 What was the 20s ish will say kind of started to become a household name. Everyone was starting to send word about it. People like Tommy Mix were starting to get boots made. So tell us about that about Tommy Mix and his partnership with Justin. 

Nancie Thomas: Tom Mix was a silent film star that we made boots for. And he was so busy he would just send telegrams to Mr. Justin and say, Make me two pair of boots but me one pair of boots made me you know and Mr. Justin would make them as he had expressed to you and I wonder made and then ship them to him. He also made boots for Charlie Russell, who was a famous painter, and started painting the same year, Mr. Justin started the boot company. 1879. So I have picture over there in archives of Charlie supposedly supposed to be helping with cattle, but he was sitting on a hilll with paper and pencil. And the, the word was they didn't get much work out of him, because he's always sketching. But He and Mr. Justin became very good friends over the years. And we do have some catalog covers from way back in the 1920s. That were a replica of some of the paintings that Charlie Russell did.

Taylor McAdams: I'm so glad you brought up the catalogs, because that wasn't something that I was initially planning on talking to you about Nancie, but personally, in marketing, we are constantly looking for new ideas on how to shape the brand. And every single one of us not just in marketing, it's in product development, and sales and customer service, find ourselves going back to we say back to the archives, but back to those catalogs, we look at the boots, boots like these, you know that were made what what I'm gonna look to cheat a little bit. This was in 1900 1900, in Spanish Fort.

Nancie Thomas: Spanish Fort, Texas. And if you'll notice the pegs, there's wooden pegs on the bottom, they made boots with wooden pegs and people really prefer the wooden pegs because when it rains or the streets are wet, they don't get they don't fall out like the nails, would they swell, and they stay in the boots better. But that was made in 1900 in Spanish fort.   

Taylor McAdams: Wow. And even these pull straps. You know, this is a cool. Wow, this is really cool. Made by H.J. Justin in Spanish Fort Texas, prior to 1900. Wow, that's so cool. But the pool tops, the pool straps here are even a different material. And this was innovative. They were called for their time. Very, very neat. So sorry to derail the interview just a little bit. But I couldn't help but think about all the history. And that that because of the archives department, we were able to document it all. Yes, we were able to keep a good which you are so organized. And everyone appreciates that. And then we'll talk a little bit about Eddie Kelly, the woman before you that preserved the history of the archives, but it's so organized and yeah, the catalogs are really really, really cool. Maybe we can do an episode sometime about the different jobs, the different eras of the catalogs or something you know, who has some beautiful catalogs, ya know, and the boots inside to just how everything's changed. So sorry, to derail. I hope you're okay with that. Okay, but so we've learned about Justin in Nocona, Texas, we're caught up up until now. And even big names have started reaching out to Justin their silent films in the 1920s were so big. I'm, I love old films. And so it's so true. So it's cool to have Tom Mix. That's awesome. Okay, how did Justin get from Nocona, Texas to Fort Worth where it is today?

Nancie Thomas: Well, Fort Worth had heard of Justin boots company. And they were booming town and they are trying to think of a way to get Justin the middle of a war. So the Romans in quite a while. And Mr. Justin decided that well.

Taylor McAdams: Oh, I'm sorry. Really quick. Is this still Joe Justin? 

Nancie Thomas: Yes. 

Taylor McAdams: Okay.

Nancie Thomas: They decided to move to Fort Worth. It was a much larger population, and the shipping was much better. So they moved to Fort Worth at that time in 1924. 

Taylor McAdams: Wow. 1924. Okay, so we've kind of covered silent films. It's the roaring 20s. Now, perfect time to move to Fort Worth to a bigger booming town with more shipping options. I mean, if that was a true concern of his, the railroad is huge was and still is in Fort Worth. So talk to us about the early years then because now there's in Fort Worth, depending on who you ask. There's generations of Justin's that have kind of ran the town here. We even had a mayor of Fort Worth that we'll get into but talk about the early that like I don't know when they first moved here anything noteworthy there in Fort Worth?

Nancie Thomas: Well, I think that Fort Worth was happy to have them here and love the Justin boots. But Mr. Justin Jr. who was at the helm when I came to work here. Well, had gone to work with his dad since he was five years old. And he always said I want to run this company as a little child. So on the family was working here in Fort Worth, as in Spanish fort and Nocona on making the boots.

Taylor McAdams:  And that's so crazy because a five year old saying, I want to run a company. Yeah, that's kind of fun and cue, but it's really really I'm sure it meant a lot to HJ that he genuinely wanted to do that and live on the legacy and and keep the company going because in all honesty, let's be honest, had all the sons decided not to be involved, the company probably would have ended there, it probably would have just done what it could and it ended in Fort Worth, and everyone saddled up and went home, you know. So that's really cool. Also,

Nancie Thomas: Also, in Fort Worth, the third son, Samuel Avis gave square dance lessons in this building. This building in this area, as a matter of fact, talk about foreshadowing weekend's they would have square dances and he would call and everybody loved to come.

Taylor McAdams: Wow. And okay, so since you talked about the building, we've got to talk about this building. We work here now. And sometimes we're like, oh, this building has character but we don't really know what that character is. We've heard the stories. So maybe tell our audience the stories. This used to be a boot factory they used to make boots-  

Nancie Thomas: They did when I came to work here we were all in this building. While I was upstairs, in the far back corner. And the building I'm in now across the street was sewing room. I've never seen so many sewing machines. There's so much whirring and business going on, which is always constantly busy. Mr. Justin want to go over there and check your next year he was running properly. And I've heard stories about by this time Justin Jr. was at the helm. Okay, but he would come downstairs and check a rack of boots. And he was really quite demanding. As far as making good boots quality you want his his name on had to be good. So if he thought they weren't made, well, he would have them redo the boots.

Taylor McAdams: Which is so good. And so funny. It kind of does showcase that he was like, nope, if we're going to do this, we're going to do it one way the right way. And I think that's really cool, because that's still kind of how I feel like in El Paso, Texas and our factory there, too. It's very much like, right, it does not pass unless it's done right the first time and stuff. So that's really cool. And kind of talking about this building too. I think it's really cool for everyone out there to know something that I get chills almost every day when we talk about it or think about it. John Justin Jr's office is still right there, it's still preserved. And if those walls could talk, I'm sure that have some stories, because it's like that wood paneling, which by this point was probably the 90s when he was here, because there was one other building in Fort Worth, right?

Nancie Thomas: It was on Lake Street. That was the first year or two they were here in Fort Worth. And then they acquired this building, which is much larger and they were had more accommodation here. 

Taylor McAdams: Do you know the numbers of like, whenever they because they first moved to Fort Worth humble beginnings, they gotta get started in Fort Worth. Do you know how many people they hired once they moved to this building? Once they expanded?

Nancie Thomas: I'm really not sure about the number of people but in the in the very beginning, it wasn't a lot like it is today or when I came to work here.   

Taylor McAdams: Wow. Yeah, that's cool, too. And I'm sorry, I'm really excited. I'm really excited about this. So I skipped the bucket a little bit. I got ahead. Talk about the 50s because so we went from the roaring 20s Everything there they moved to Fort Worth, they've settled in well. 1954 The Justin's invented the roper.

Nancie Thomas: Correct. 

Taylor McAdams: Talk about that. 

Nancie Thomas: Okay, by that time, John Justin Jr, who always said he wanted to run this company, but was never asked to run the company started making Cowboy boots, and had his own company kind of became just an leathergoods.

Taylor McAdams: So is that when they made purses,

Nancie Thomas: they made purses the 1920s. But when John Justin started making the bales they combined the belts and the purses and all leather goods, we had wallets and you know, all kinds of things that we had for for assessories. Wow.

Taylor McAdams: Which is cool, because we have that today. Oh, yes. So that's full circle. 

Nancie Thomas: Yes, the purses is a funny story about this, the purses actually had a lifetime warranty. And they were H shaped with a small mirror and a comb. And the purses were very small, but all hand done. And all hand to all the designs were hand tooled. But they had a life time warranty. And when I was in customer service, I'd get calls saying well, your boots have a lifetime warranty. And I would try to tell no, we don't have a lifetime warranty. If the boots are defective. We will replace them for something of equal value, but they don't have a lifetime warranty. And when I got to searching the handbags had a lifetime warranty. I would get calls from people saying I found a handbag and my mother or my grandmother's closet or the attic or the basement and the strap has come loose or the catch is broken. And I would have to find someone to could repair that for them.

Taylor McAdams: Oh wow- because we weren't doing it at that time. 

Nancie Thomas: Not at that time- that is this correct? Well, so by the time Mr. Justin Jr. joined the Navy and had his belt company. But when he joined the Navy, his mother ran the company for him while he was away, and the uncles realized that he was such a smart young man, and had done well in his business, when he came back, he was finally asked to take over the Justin Boot company, which is what h’s wanted since he was a child, which is so funny about timing right in 1950 and 1954. He did design the Roper Boots which became very, very popular, he designed the Roper Boots because at that time, the bull riders and the calf ropers were allowed to wear ball caps, and tennis shoes, in the rodeo because the caps didn't get in the way of the rope. And the tennis shoes allowed them to get off the horse very quickly. But they decided then that if they competed they had to dress with Western attire. So they came to Mr. Justin and said we can't do our job in these high heeled boots. So he thought and thought and thought how can I make a booth that would accommodate them. And going back to the old times, they made shoes during the war to help because a lot of boots weren't selling because the men were fighting the war. And so they start making shoes. And when Mr. Justin Jr. to come, he was gonna throw away this shoe last the shoe lasts and his dad said, Don't ever throw anything away, you're going to use that one day. So he kept making several attempts to make a boot that would accommodate the bull ropers in the bull ropin. And he remember the shoe last. So what did this basement and pull the last out and made it on the shoe last, and then raised the upper or the shaft to 11 inches. And that worked fine for them to do their job. And they were very pleased with that. But not only that, the Roper Boots became so popular. And he introduced many, many colors, so many colors in ropers. They were so such great sellers, and everybody loved them. And speaking of returning boots, when I was in first came to archives, a lady that was a school teacher was very involved in FFA with her children. And when she passed away her children sent her 25 pair collection of Roper Boots to our archive department.

Taylor McAdams: And those are the ones that we've seen. We've we've used them for a few events, but we're very close, we're very cautious of using them. That was the rainbow colors, there's all kinds of colors, all colors,

Nancie Thomas: all colors, we can oh some shades of blue shades of yellow shades of green.

Taylor McAdams: That is amazing that someone can have that many colors and that they've kept them so long, and preserve them for so you know so well. And I think too, I want to come back to the the need of the Roper Boots. First of all, that's genius, and very innovative and ahead of the time. And then to be able to introduce so many colors through the 60s through the 70s, when and even going into the 80s when the colors were vibrant, and everything was just fun. And that was like, so such a good moment. But the round toe specifically going back to the need of the Roper and the round toe specifically did make it easier for the calf ropers to get out of their stirrups. And it's so it was such a need and so used and so beneficial then that even today, the ropers still use the Roper Boots. And I think that's worth noting too, because I was trying to do the math. I don't know if you saw my face while you were talking but 70 years of the Roper Boots and it's still one of our best sellers. And it was iconic for its time and innovative and set the tone. But then 70 years later can still hold its own alongside all the new fashion and all the new Western and work and stuff. So I think that's really cool to note as well. Wow. And I actually hadn't picked up on that story where Joe Justin, Mr. Justin had said don't get rid of anything. I really respect that. And that is so cool. I think a lot of business owners out there are gonna resonate with that story of like, in your humble beginnings don't waste don't. Because one man's trash right now could be another man's treasure down the line. So I think that's really cool. Personally, I'm like, wow, so Okay, so now that we've gone through the 50s and the Roper Boots. Talk to us about the 60s 70s all the way up till the 90s. Tell us a little bit about that time period because now Fort Worth now, Justin in Fort Worth is booming. John Justin was the mayor of Fort Worth eventually, but I might be getting ahead of myself. Tell me about that all about that.

Nancie Thomas: Mr. Justin came, of course the head of the boot company and was very involved in everything surrounding our city. He rode in every grand entry during the rodeo from 1950 until he became ill in the late 90s. Well, who was sort of a city councilman and then he served Is the mayor also and was very, very did a lot of work for that. Or it's hard. There were some problems, I think with the streets and the water. The water getting done correctly for all the streets and then flooding the streets. But he was very, very smart and very helpful with all that during the time. He was very well liked by the city council, and very well liked as a mayor in Fort Worth.

Taylor McAdams: You can tell just because I was writing a story about Jane Justin, his wife, you later on, not that long ago. And the more research I did, the more articles I read about their family. They were so loved and well respected. And everyone looked to them for entertaining and for helping out in times of need that necessarily, either the funds weren't there or whatever it was, they were just willing to give back. And I think that's a huge part of them being so well in doing so well in Fort Worth. Because while it was a booming city, and while they were meeting their needs for shipping and all of the things that check the boxes, they were very human about it.

Nancie Thomas: That's true. And during that time, the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund (JCCF) was formed. Mr. Justin, I have heard that John and Jane Justin would take an injured cowboy into their home and care for him until he was ready to go back on the road and did rodeo circuit. She would cook for them. She was a great cook. She has a cookbook. She does that. 

Taylor McAdams: Yes. Jane Justin’s Jane Justin prescription for hunger? 

Nancie Thomas:  Yes, I think is what it's called. 

Taylor McAdams: Check it out, guys. It's on Amazon.

Nancie Thomas: But they did that. And the city as I did see one quote that he would be not only remembered by the wonderful boots he made, but by his care and concern for the Cowboys.

Taylor McAdams: And that goes on to the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund (JCCF) , the Justin Sportsmedicine Team® with Walt garrison and that involvement. And of course, we've had an episode of Tom feller who I feel like that's those are his passions. 

Nancie Thomas: Oh, yes. And he tells the story so well 

Taylor McAdams: But you being from the archives and getting to hear these stories firsthand. What's that like for you hearing all the impacts he's made and everything that he's done, creating those two organizations? 

Nancie Thomas: It increases your pride to work for a company that is so well known and has always been there not only for their family, their employees, but their customers?

Taylor McAdams: Yes. To all of it even now, in 2024 There's so much pride. And that's cool. Because, yeah, Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. Everyone's familiar with it. A lot of people come from all around the United States, even Canada to compete there to attend the rodeo, whatever it is. And to you and I the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo might just be the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. It's entertaining. It's fun. But to the Justin family at one point in time, that was their, their time to shine, per se, with in terms of hosting and the hospitality. I mean, talk about the hospitality tent. There was a story there, right where that's kind of how the hospitality tent even got started.

Nancie Thomas: They they put up a tent and on their property possible. I think that's what I heard. They had a huge party and that set the trend. I mean, they were always, always inviting people over and having people entertain people. They loved it. And of course, you're invited by the Justin's, in love to be invited. 

Taylor McAdams: Oh, definitely. And that kind of makes you feel the pride that you mentioned earlier about just working for the company. As a consumer. I was a big fan of Justin just knowing that to how involved they were. And even though the employees here that have lived here, all their life and they are very strong and Fort Worth. They also have that same pride of like, this is a Fort Worth company, a Fort Worth family, you know, and so I think that's really cool, too. But then even, we mentioned how spicy Annie was. So we've got to cover Jane just a little bit. Jane was a legend in her own and I just researched and you just helped me research and read and learn about everything that Jane did here in Fort Worth, but I've got to read off a list of things because Jane while Jane was very supportive of the boot company, she just I mean supported John Justin Jr. with everything. She also had a few things of her own though, too. She had the Jane Justin school. 

Nancie Thomas: Yes. 

Taylor McAdams: And that at TCU they actually got the Jane and John Justin Hall Hall of Fame built for them. There's like on the field or something. They have involvement with the John Justin wing at Cooks Children's right I say that right? 

Nancie Thomas: Yes. 

Taylor McAdams: Okay. And then there's something here about the Fort Worth we have Fort Worth Museum and Science. Oh, sorry, Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. 

Nancie Thomas: Yes, involvement there in the Omni theater science education. 

Taylor McAdams: There are so many others. And so what do you think for you? What do you think their reasoning was for giving all their time and money and energy to the community because they didn't have to, they could be a normal business owner and-

Nancie Thomas: And I feel like that they love this city so much. And they were thankful for the support they had gotten from Fort Worth. And they were thankful for the support that they’d gotten from the individuals who ordered boots, and they were happy to make those boots and I feel like they just wanted to give back as much as they could. There were very generous people. There were very nice people to work for. Jane was very active. Gotta give her credit. She was she was a quieter woman and Annie, very reserved in some aspects. But she was a beautiful woman and a very kind person. 

Taylor McAdams: And you’ve gotten to I feel like know her more than anyone just because of her collection of clothing and boots that sit in your archives.   

Nancie Thomas: Yes. 

Taylor McAdams: Tell us about those.  

Nancie Thomas: I have a few outfits a shoe that was made for her. They were made for her by Taylor that actually made clothing on sets for the Westerns that I watched in my childhood, Roy Rogers and Jean Autry, days. And people like that. He would drag his wagon behind his convertible, a big long winged convertible, and make clothing on the set. And he made her some clothing that she wore also to different like the National Finals Rodeo and things like that. And I do have some of those suits in archives.

Taylor McAdams: You do and the boots too. 

Nancie Thomas: Oh yes. We have a whole collection of boots. 

Taylor McAdams:  I wish you guys could see this. If you're ever in Fort Worth. And you do when it comes to you let us know. Because I mean just her her closet, you almost get a taste of who she was just based on seeing her outfits on the rack and seeing her boots displayed, you start to kind of paint this picture of okay, that would have been a lady I would have liked to know and hang out with.

Nancie Thomas: Oh, definitely 

Taylor McAdams: The pink boots- I remember specifically there's some pink boots. There's some like lacy looking boots or some

Nancie Thomas: I think of the boots, they would have the leather than hepato topping on that. She had leopard skin boots, she had beautiful, beautiful suits. They met she had a sister here also that made a lot of boots for her. I have a lot of boots in archives that I wish I had room to show everything. 

Taylor McAdams: You know, maybe we need to do that. Stay tuned, because there might be an archive video in the near future of just everything that's there. Because it's so cool. Like, like I said, we always tend to go back there and mentally go back there to have like, Okay, what was it like in this time, and I know product development, the team now they continually go to the archives to talk about stitch patterns. And that's how our rainbow stitching on our vintage boots with our vintage collection boots was created. They found it from the archives. And you get to live, I say live there. Because it's like we're there all the time. You get to live there every day, you get to work there every day in the archives. And so I want to get to know more of your stories and hear from you. So we're going to take a quick break, Nancie, but when we return you guys, we're gonna get to know all about Nancie's experience in archives, the stories, the fun things she's heard over the years and I think we're gonna get to learn a little bit more about the personality of Justin as a whole. So stay tuned, we'll be right back. I can't believe it. I was just talking to my niece the other day who's going to be in fourth grade this year, that's also not believable. And she reminded me that school is starting soon. And that kind of got me thinking about my time shopping for back to school. And there were so many good memories wrapped around that with, you know, buying the new shoes, the new backpack, lunchbox, whatever it was, and I just remember the stores being so crazy. So this year, save time, save money, beat the crowd, go to Justin boots.com and use code KYBU15 to receive 15% off your next back to school purchase. That's code KYBU15. Hey, thanks for listening, guys. If you've liked what you've heard so far, don't forget to like and subscribe and share this with your friends. I hope you learned something. But now we're going to dig a little bit deeper. We're going to talk about present day and get to know Nancie a little bit more to so to kind of set you up about present day. We now have been fortunate enough to work with people with the likes of George Strait, Reba McEntire, Jenna Paulette, Dusty Tuckness, Cody Webster, I mean big names in rodeo big names in country music, kind of starting with the 90s on telling me about your experience there And Justin's history in that- Do you remember the George Strait partnership or the Reba McEntire partnership coming to fruition?

Nancie Thomas: George Strait was happening when I was in customer service. *cough* Excuse me So, I do remember that. I know are 125 anniversary, the night before the rodeo started. They had the whole arena or the whole Coliseum and nothing but Justin employees could go and Justin employees were also Trick riding and bull riding and calf roping and. And the best thing though was  George Strait came down from the ceiling sang Happy Birthday. 

Taylor McAdams:  That is so cool 

Nancie Thomas: He and his son, also performed in the rodeo. So that is awesome.  

Taylor McAdams: Yeah, I think Bubba and George are both avid team ropers. They used to have the George Strait team ropin’. Nancie, that is awesome. And what a cool night. I mean, I've heard we've had Tom and Darla, both on the podcast before I've heard them talk about their time and what it was like, and they've even off camera talked about the 125 anniversary with the big olel cake and all of that at Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. That's so, so cool. And even Reba, do you remember when Reba first on

Nancie Thomas: I do- I was at customer service at that time, because it was-

Taylor McAdams: I want to say like 2015 10 later than the 90s. 

Nancie Thomas:Yeah. Okay, since you've not a little bit later than that. Okay. I had retired from customer service. And they asked me to come back and work part time in archives. So I felt the need to stay busy and stay with Justin Boot company. 

Taylor McAdams: So you loved it that much. And that's what I want to get to talk about now is Eddie Kelly, the woman before you Yes, kind of helped set the stage in the archives department telling me about Eddie's personality and who she was.

Nancie Thomas: Eddie Kelly was a quiet woman. But she was she she did a great job with everything she did. She came to work, she married a man and in the  service, and they were here at stationed here in Fort Worth. And she said the marriage didn't last. But the love for Texas did. So she came to a square dance here and fell in love with the company and kept asking for a job. And they wouldn't hire her because she didn't have the in depth employment history. But she kept asking, and they finally hired her. And she held three jobs in the factory. Every time somebody would get sick, or go out on maternity leave or quit. She'd take over that job. And then she was promoted to boot designer. And she had an office in the corner upstairs. And the story I've read about that is she had a sewin machine. She had an idea she would go to her office, sit down at the sewing machine and stitch a pattern, and then come now seriously make the boot. Well. So she made beautiful boots as well. She was very, very ahead of her time, I think in that. But when she retired after 63 years, that's a long time. That was a long time to work when I thought at one time that she wouldn't be a valuable employee that she was here for 63 years. And she worked in archives part time. And she could tell you, if we had a question from customer service about a booth Oh, that was in the 1976 catalog or that was in the 1989 Catalog. She knew exactly what catalog they were in. And she didn't go to that and pull a catalog horse. She could remember everything. She never worked a computer. Everything was by hand, handwritten when I went back there in archives. So yeah, if she had an individual call and inquire about an old pair of boots, she would have us research it and then bring it to her and she'd call them back because she didn’t know how to work with a computer.

Taylor McAdams: She didn't use the computer, which would explain when we were looking at this boot earlier. I don't know if you guys can see this, but this was probably Eddie's handwriting. Right? Is this yours? Now that's my hand, right? This is yours. Okay, well, still, a lot of her notes looked like Yes. And you pass on her tradition. And I think that's really really cool. And her her continually asking for a job that says a lot about I think the stories that I've heard about her have like she just didn't really take no for an answer, which is going along the same theme of Annie and Jane and even Enid Justin, you know, along the way, which we forgot to mention. But anyways, yeah, I think that's so cool. And then I would say, Nancie, I don't want to get too sentimental. But you fill the boots really well moving into archives, you are the only person I know that's done the archives in my short time here. And you're it's always fun going to visit with you because I learn a new story every time. And that's just because you're so open and welcoming. And and you have a passion to share the story. So I appreciate that. And one thing-one memory that I want to share really quick about Nancie, you guys is my first day on the job or first week, we always go everyone goes to see the archives to figure out the story and I picked up a pair of presidential boots. I don't remember now. I think it was Trump's boots or maybe even Kennedy's boots. I don't remember what President it-

Nancie Thomas: It was LBJ’s boots. 

Taylor McAdams:  Okay. Okay. Yes, you know exactly what I'm talking about then. And I'm thinking wow, this is cool. And next thing you know, you're telling me a story about your husband that used to work in security. So tell me that story about in Fort Worth the night before an iconic thing in history happened to talk about it.

Nancie Thomas: My husband was a Fort Worth police officer. And he was he was a youngest police officer at that time. And he was asked to be the bodyguard for Kennedy. In Fort Worth, it was in Fort Worth for a big breakfast the next morning, and it was here the night before. And my husband got to stand outside his room and protect that room all night. And the next morning, he said that Kennedy came to the door and said, Good job, young man. But my wife isn't quite ready. But if you'll stand here and wait for her to escort her downstairs, takes her longer to get dressed, as she always looks a lot nicer than I do. So he stayed took him downstairs and came back and say that said for Jackie, and met her and talk with her, and then escorted her downstairs.

Taylor McAdams: And sure enough, that next event that they went to in Dallas, was the last time in history, a horrible, very horrible history. 

Nancie Thomas: Yes.

Taylor McAdams: Yeah, last time that they would be seen again in public together. And that is so wild, Nancie, that that I mean, I'm telling you, that's what Fort Worth is. It's a hub for all kinds of different stories like this. And that's why you're the perfect one for the archives department. I love it. I always associate that story every time I step into the archives, because I'm like, I remember I'll never forget this. And it takes a person like you that cares about it to preserve it. And so I can't help but encourage everyone out there to communicate more with you get your answer questions answered, you're going to hate that. I'm saying this because you're like, I'm already busy as it is. I don't need anyone else. But you're using your customer service background, to now cater to people that have questions about their boots. Yes. Just the other day this I mean, this happens every day. If we were to ask Nancie every single day, what she does, she would say, Oh, I just had this happen. Or this person just asked this question. But just the other day, someone from England sent their boots because she had been wearing them for years. And we learned that they were like, really old boots. Yes. And they finally split down the middle here. Which is so beyond crazy to me. So tell us about your experience in the archives then because you get some crazy stories. Do you remember? Like, what's the craziest story you've ever had about boots?

Nancie Thomas: Are you speaking archive days? 

Taylor McAdams: Yeah, archives.

Nancie Thomas: Well, people call all the time and asked me about how old a boot is it found in their fathers or their grandfathers closet, how old it is, what it's made of how to care for it, how much is worth. And of course, I can't set a value on those boots. They're priceless. They are priceless. I can tell them what they retailed for at the time they were made. But a lot of people. One gentleman I remember call he called me several times, talking about some sea turtle boots, and sea turtle boots are gorgeous boots. And we don't make those since 1976. I believe, wow. We can't make them anymore. But he had a pair of boots. And he's finally said his one call. He said I really I don't have children. I have no one to leave these boots too. Would you like to have the boots in archives? I'd love to have the boots, but I can't ship them over the state line. And I probably shouldn't say this. But he said well, I'll just bring him to you. So I put them in the trunk of his car and drove them from another state here to Fort Worth and present him to my office. We will then the lady you're talking about from England, I had purchased a pair of boots on Etsy. And five years ago, she had sent me an email asking how old the boots were and what they were. And they were made in the late 30s or 1940s. And she had bought them on Etsy and worn them for several years. And then she contacted me again and said, This is fine. I have a little tear in the very top of the boots and I'm afraid to have them repaired. So she wanted to send me a champion. But there again, I couldn't bring them back from that area. So she was playing a family vacation and going to California. I sent her a call Tag took up residence in California to bring the boots back to me and she mailed it back to me. 

Taylor McAdams: Wow. Yeah. Just that's so so crazy. You'll have to write that note in there when you store them away.

Nancie Thomas: And I did I copied all my bead all the emails from five years ago. And in researching that boot, I found they were made for a in Porter harness and saddle shop. And I thought Why would his name be on one tag and the Justin name be on the other. But he had a huge store. And Taylor Texas I believe which is close to Austin. And apparently he and Mr. Justin had crossed paths. And they made Mr. Justin made the boots for his Western wear store they had also opened.

Taylor McAdams: Which is so cool because it's a piece of history that we never knew. You know, we didn't get those dots connected.

Nancie Thomas: And things that come through archives it just You know, there's so many interesting stories about my father wore these boots, and I've worn them for years. And we have one picture archives of a man from Mineral Wells, I believe he had seven sons, and one grandson, and he said a picture of them all. And they all had on boots. And the caption said, we all wear Justin boots, and the grandbaby will too soon. 

Taylor McAdams: That's so true. We're kind of like a generational brand. And since we're talking about different boots, I've got to bring a few of these up. I'm so thankful that you brought these from the archives today. Because what's an episode without a little show and tell what's true? So tell us about these boots. It looks like they were in the 1970s.

Nancie Thomas: Correct. They were made. Of course, when the salesman would come to town for a sales meeting they had they have to entertainment, and they played golf. So we made the salesman golf shoes, golf boots. And these are slick. Those were one of the salesman's as a matter of fact, that worked for us during the 70s Wow, all the tags you see, I do try to put the date there are names and short descriptions. So when somebody comes in archives and wants to know more about the boots, they can choose.

Taylor McAdams: You can tell them like this is a try quote, tricolour Eagle Ana, yes. Wow. Yes. And I just now noticed this, whoever wore them whatever sales rep it was, has some leftover manure or dirt or grass or whatever, who knows where they went with these boots. And that right there is like, that's just cool. You know, to keep the history there. Yes. Okay. 

Nancie Thomas: And then Mr. Justin Jr. had a great personality, and a great sense of humor. And he always said, anything you do, you can do better in boots. So he a device, the roller skate boots. 

Taylor McAdams: These suckers are heavy. Let me tell you, I think they're still lighter than the normal traditional roller. Yeah, 1955 Uh huh. Kangaroo. So they're made out of kangaroo. And you guys have probably seen these on our social media before. I think we did like an archives post. We can tag it below as well. But talk about this. I know we've seen some trendy videos on social media lately of like new boot. goofin are these funny trends where people have like duct tape or glued roller skate bottoms to boots. But listen, y'all, it's really been done. It really was a thing were these made for the public or just for himself,

Nancie Thomas: Just for I do believe there's a picture over there with a small child that was competing in some type of roller skate contest, and she had on a pair, but I don't think we've ever made it for the public.

Taylor McAdams: Let me tell you, it worked out for sure you can for sure, get a workout with these. But very cool. Thank you for bringing them over from the archives, Nancie, these are just a few. Hopefully, I didn't break. These are just a few of the boots that you get to deal with every day. And it might seem mundane to us workers here. But you guys who haven't gotten to see them for the first time, check out our social media, there's a lot of archival posts that we've had, that really kind of help paint the picture. And one day we'll get to do a video. I'm gonna make I'm gonna make that a personal goal, along with our producers behind the cameras here that are now probably not happy that I'm saying this, but of showing everyone what the archives looks like. Because when you picture archives, you think of a museum and you do you really do have like a museum, there's a whole room full of boots, floor to ceiling boot boxes, boots, they're labeled there. They're even, they have so much detail as like who they were from and when you receive them. And I think that is so important to preserve even the next 145 years of Justin. So, Nancie, thank you. This has been so informative. So fun. And I am so thankful that you took the time to tell us about this.  

Nancie Thomas: Thank you for having me. I've enjoyed this also.

Taylor McAdams: And you guys, here's to another 145 years. That's it. We just went through 145 years in this episode of The Kick Your Boots Up Podcast. If you liked what you saw, like, subscribe, share this with your friends. But most importantly, comment below and ask your questions. Do you have some boots that you're sitting on from the 1950s? Comment below, we'll pass them along to Nancie. She'll be able to give you all that she knows with her expertise on it all. So thank you guys for listening and we'll see you the next time you kick your boots up. Thanks for joining us on Kick Your Boots Up. I'm your host Taylor McAdams and we can't wait to share the next story of the West. Until then, feel free to like subscribe and leave us a review. Follow us on social media at Justin boots to keep up with our next episode. And we'll see you the next time you kick your boots up.