John L. Little Cowboy Boots

Lucien Little founded Little's Boot Company in 1915. He started off as a shoe salesman for Southwest Texas and began his business by opening a shoe store on Commerce Street in downtown San Antonio, Texas.

Business was good, Lucien expanded and opened a shoe repair department. One of the cobblers Lucien hired was also a bootmaker. That cobbler taught Lucien's son Ben, how to make cowboy boots... and he taught Ben well.

John, Ben and Lucien Little

By the 1940s Ben Little was creating fancy cowboy boots with pointed toes and pitched heels, overlays and dense rows of stitching. He enjoyed a reputation equal to his contemporary Cosimo Lucchese and the Little Boot Shop was one of San Antonio's premier bootmakers.

Bootmakers Devil in the Details

Ben had two sons... John and Dave. Both were to become master bootmakers. Ben died in 1966 and John took over the business. He was the oldest and under his supervision the Little Boot Shop continued to make top quality traditional Western cowboy boots.

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Killer cowboy boots. Made by John L. Little.

Tough as nails. Uncompromising. Brutally elegant.

The cowboy boot as art

"Bad Boy" boots

Cowboy attitude as art

John L. Little was a master. He made cowboy boots.

Made 'em right. Made 'em beautiful.
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Dave Little

Dave Little is not only a master bootmaker, he is a formidable artist as well. He began to push the boundaries of the conventional cowboy boot in the 1970s. In the process Little has redefined the art and craft of the western boot. Today, Little's Boots offers an outstanding western boot... Perfectly proportioned. Impeccably crafted. Superb quality.

Dave, along with his daughter Sharon, continues a tradition started over 90 years ago... creating handmade western boots that are far more than the sum of their parts. Little's boots continually raise the bar. Remarkable boots made by a remarkable gentleman.

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I acquired these bad boys many moons ago. No longer wearable. Too many rodeos. Too many roads. Too many Saturday nights. Still powerfully beautiful, they are great display boots. Retired and available for purchase as collectibles only... visit my website or drop me a line if you're interested.

John L. Little Cowboy Boots: Collection J. Davis
Vintage Photographs: Collection J. Davis
All other photography: J. Davis