Austin Boot War Kicks Up Dust
By Ethan Ravi, Alana Shadow and Asher Joseph, JCamp 2024 — Austin
Hanging behind the register at Allens Boots in Austin is a testament to its competition with neighboring boot store Tecovas: two torn-up boots, one made by Allens and the other by Tecovas. An employee presentation is offered to any curious customer with an explanation of the difference in material and quality.
Allens, whose fans include Texas native Matthew McConaughey, would seem like the obvious choice for any boot-seeking customer. Recent shopping trends, however, tell a different story, and the excessive funding poured into Tecovas’ marketing strategy is to blame.
“They have millions and millions and millions of dollars that they’ve thrown at this digital marketing,” said Allens sales associate Joe Jackson. “They’re making their name really big.”
Backed by billion-dollar companies like Yeti, Tecovas has seized the power of marketing — and many of its neighbors’ customers as well — using TikTok, Instagram and even partnerships with national parks to build its image. To counter this, Allens has turned its focus to three main factors: product quality, customer service, and historical and cultural significance.
Displaying a massive red boot above its store, Allens is a cowboy’s wonderland; a true homage to the Wild West.
Wooden aisles of boots line the inside of the store, each pair embroidered with intricate flowers, lightning bolts, Native American imagery and more. The smell of leather and the sound of The Marshall Tucker Band float through the air.
The rustic interior is rough around the edges; animal heads are fixed to the wall and every piece of furniture is either wood or leather.
The employees are dressed from head to toe in cowboy gear. They have a smile on their face as they say, “Howdy! Welcome to Allens.”
This family-owned store, one of the longest standing businesses in South Congress, prides itself on their 47 years of friendly customer service and authentic Western wear.
“If you talk to people in Austin, they’re gonna know what Allens Boots is,” said Jackson. “It’s a big picture for the city.”
Allens, which relies on the traditional handmade Texas boot making process, uses the highest quality materials available such as alligator, ostrich, elephant, hippo, and buffalo skins to make its leather. Jackson and fellow Allens employees chastise Tecovas for straying from tradition by incorporating plastic and cork into its design.
“A cowboy boot is supposed to be foot, then leather, then floor — that’s it,” said Jackson. “Theirs is more like foot, then an insert like a tennis shoe, some cork, then plastic. It’s more of a fashion boot.”
That fashion boot can be found down the street at 1500 Congress Ave. Tecovas is a magnet for shoppers who recognize the iconic footwear’s significance in a new realm of fashion that prioritizes aesthetics.
Unlike Allens’ salespeople, who are decked out in authentic cowboy paraphernalia,, Tecovas is staffed by “bootenders” who can fit customers for a pair of boots while mixing up a cocktail.
“It’s all part of the experience,” said a bootender, who asked to remain anonymous, as she handed a customer a bottle of Richard’s Sparkling Rainwater tucked into a custom Tecovas wrangler-themed cozy.
Across the store, a bootender nursed a cream-colored Stanley tumbler, in line with the “modern rustic” look that has gained traction through social media. Having started online, it’s fitting that Tecovas keeps up with the trends that it first capitalized on and allowed the website to transition to an in-person storefront.
Tecovas is for the post-makeover Julia Roberts in “Pretty Woman.” Its shelves are lined with merchandise indistinguishable from its tidy farmhouse decor, including faux taxidermy deer heads that censor the gore of Allens’ authentic animal busts. At Allens, salespeople helped shoppers select boots to try on themselves; at Tecovas, bootenders crouched to guide feet into several variations of the same boots in slightly different colors.
Like most high-end brands that enter markets traditionally dominated by customer service, Tecovas plays into its customers’ self esteem. Although its products may be available to only those who can afford them, the complementary experience allows even window shoppers to enjoy the luxury of it all.
“My husband bought me a pair [of Tecovas] online a few years ago, so I decided to get a second one,” said Emmy-winning broadcast journalist Joie Chen, who sported a classy pair of black boots embroidered with ribboned wrangler patterns. While the experience itself was the least of her concerns, Chen was content with the durability of her boots — which she occasionally uses for everyday wear.
The juxtaposition of family-owned businesses and larger chains is not unique to Allens and Tecovas. In recent years, Congress Avenue has seen an influx of national and even international brands, such as On, Hermès, and Sézane, with more to come. Local and larger brands have coexisted, but there have been a few cases where SoCo staples have had to shut down, only to be replaced by mega brands.
Despite its newfound competition, Allens shows no signs of slowing down. Allens Boots Lite at 1504 Congress Ave. houses the business’ massive clearance section, where customers have the option to bargain within reason of the item’s sale price. Recently, it has made efforts to expand their online business, and just hired its first marketing manager.
Allens Boots Lite opened nearly a year and a half ago, but big changes are coming to the outlet in a month. “I can’t say much, but the space is going to look very different,” Jackson said. “It’ll still carry boots, but it will bring new life to our block of South Congress.”
