Aberfeldy Cowboy Boot Repairs (1994–2026): Was Ahead of Its Time by Precisely Thirty-Two Years
Specialist cobbler waited three decades for Texan footwear to catch on. Closed one week before twinning confirmed.
Cowboy boots, which Aberfeldy may soon need repairing. Photo: Nikodem Nijaki, “Cowboy boots IMGP9014”, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Aberfeldy Cowboy Boot Repairs, a specialist cobbler that waited 32 years for a cowboy boot to walk through its door, has closed — one week before the town voted to twin with Salado, Texas.
The shop was opened in 1994 by a country and western enthusiast who believed Highland Perthshire was “about to go big on line dancing”. In its first decade, it repaired two pairs of cowboy boots, both belonging to the owner.
It survived by heeling ordinary shoes and cutting keys, but never lost its dream. A sign in the window read “STETSONS STRETCHED”.
News of the twinning was received by the former owner with a long silence, then a sigh, then the words: “Typical.” He has said he may reopen “if the Texans come in bulk”.
Aberfeldy Cowboy Boot Repairs is survived by a set of spurs and a deep sense of irony.
The real story: Aberfeldy twin town deal (The Courier)
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