Polishing the boot
Burkburnett — There’s more than just boot-making going on at the Burk Boot Shop.
Owners Armando and Patricia Dominguez are in the midst of a major renovation of their longtime family business, including everything from a paint job and new flooring to the installation of a retail sales area in front.
Armando said he’s undertaking the project in hopes of kick-starting his business, even though he’s already got a steady clientele.
“I’ve got plenty of work. That’s not the problem,” he said. “The problem is that the trade hasn’t kept up with the economy. Even a $700 pair of boots, it’s labor intensive.”
Armando guesstimates it takes roughly 40 hours to finish one pair of boots, and that’s not including any special inlays or detail work a customer might request.
Making ends meet with a wife and four children becomes more difficult each year, he said, which led him to seek a more substantial income outside of Burkburnett.
“I was offered a job in Arizona, and I was considering it because it’s a salaried position, but we didn’t want to go all the way out there,” he said. “Then I was offered another salaried position in San Angelo.”
