Straw cowboy hats sit on display for sale at Cavender's Tuesday March 24, 2015 at their Tyler, Texas location. Cavender's is a western wear store that offers a wide selection of cowboy boots, hats, clothing and accessories. It is still owned and operated by the Cavender family. Known as "Cavender's Boot City" in Texas and "Cavender's Western Outfitter" outside of Texas, the company has 68 stores across Texas and Lousiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico, plus additional new stores scheduled to open soon. This year marks their 50th anniversary. (AP Photo/Tyler Morning Telegraph, Sarah A. Miller)

Cowboys have a saying about unnecessary change: “Don’t interfere with something that ain’t botherin’ you none.”

That type of common sense and western wisdom appears to be the foundation of Cavender’s Boot City, a family-owned firm that believes honesty, hard work and a commitment to quality merchandise are the keys to keeping the doors open.

Cavender’s is celebrating 50 years and counting as a go-to place for top quality western apparel and accessories.

Headquartered in Tyler, Cavender’s is undeniably Texan with a reach that extends into Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico and Oklahoma, where it operates as Cavender’s Western Outfitter.

 

EARLY DAYS

Selling western apparel isn’t founder James R. Cavender’s first rodeo, it seems.

In the 1950s, the young entrepreneur tried his hand in the restaurant business, opening up a little burger spot in the East Texas town of Pittsburg.

He soon tired of food service and branched into retail, selling cowboy (and cowgirl) clothing with the help of his wife, Pat.

By the 1970s, the couple had five stores to their credit with plans to open more, always mindful to remain fiscally disciplined.

Their operations today include 68 retail locations, a website and four new stores in the works.

Not bad for a guy who wanted a way out of flipping burgers.

The couple has since passed the management torch to their three sons: Joe, president; Clay, merchandising; and Mike, operations, but the founder still has his boot toe in it.

“I still have my office in the old Dairy Mart,” James Cavender, 84, said by written statement. “There is no fax and no secretary, but I still go in a few times a week and work. I still sell boots. … I sold four pair this week.”

The company remains focused on the importance of family and quality, using their own ranches as a type of testing ground for work products.

A story about the family’s 50-year footprint in the industry appears this month in a special collector’s edition of American Cowboy, highlighting legends and values of the culture.

“I’m proud of building this organization and having good people, our store associates,” the founder said.

 

A COWBOY CULTURE

Walk into Cavender’s and you’ll find plenty of choices, from tried and true standbys such as pearl snap shirts and basic cowhide boots, to newer trends in fashion, accessories and home décor.

Robert Weesner, a Cavender’s employee who has worked for 16 years at the Tyler store, grew up roping and riding and knows his way around traditional apparel.

At 61, he doesn’t seem to miss the grime, flies or smells associated with working around livestock all day.

“I’m in the warmth in the winter, in the cool in the summer and I’m dry all year ‘round,” he said with a grin. “I’m doing pretty good.”

On the sales floor, Weesner can match customers to their perfect pair of boots, ranging from cowhide to crocodile, or customize a hat brim to suit their style.

“I can make it look like a pancake or a taco,” he said of the latter.

The Tyler store at 2025 WSW Loop 323 is multi-purpose, housing retail sales on one side and administrative functions such as marketing and buying on the other.

A simple wood door separates the retail world from the administrative one, but there are common threads that tie them — plenty of rough-hewn wood, barn tin and brown burlap mixed with ranch-style furnishings.

Hallways are lined with mementos and photos of iconic cowboys such as John Wayne and Gene Autry.

Chief marketing officer Terry Cooper works out of a modest corner office packed with books and western collectibles: hanging art, cowhides and sturdy wood furniture.

His task lighting is made from a dried cactus lamp, sans the spines.

“I grew up on a farm so I know that experience,” he said. “I love the world of Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. We’re a lot about those values here. We like to let our word be our bond.”

Cooper said a typical Cavender’s customer is someone who enjoys the outdoors.

In spite of the state’s changing landscapes, he believes Texas will always be best known for its wild and wooly cowboy roots.

“The future of western wear looks good,” he said. “As there is more and more pressure for people to conform and to look alike, it motivates people to be unique and different. As long as there is western wear, there’s a good representation for what they want to be.”

 

‘SOMETHING SPECIAL’

Downstairs, company buyers are Christmas shopping.

They attend rodeo and concert events throughout the year to identity popular items and emerging trends then order accordingly, months in advance.

Anticipating the style and purchasing preferences of unseen customers can be risky, so it pays to do your homework, said buyer Julie Gibson, a 20-year employee.

“We like to watch and see what people have on,” she said. “You can see the trends emerging.”

Customers seem to fall into one of two categories: Texans and people who want to look like Texans, she said.

Far south Texas, near San Antonio, always seems to be birthplace for new styles, said buyer Scott Hamill, nearing his 30-year mark with the company.

“Men don’t seem to change a lot,” he said. “Men’s styles have changed at a glacial pace over the years. Colors seem to stay the same.”

Women are the opposite and embrace new looks, said buyer Lou Calicutt, who points to turquoise jewelry, sparkly beads, frilly fringe and Aztec influences as this year’s hot-sellers.

Ms. Calicutt, with 25 years, is among the company’s long-termers who applied for a job after college and landed a career.

“We’ve been together a long time,” she said. “When you’re here, you’re part of something special.”

Hamill agrees.

“This is my summer job to get through school,” he said jokingly. “It’s been a long summer.”