Wild West Land Blog

The richest man in the world must love buying footwear, particularly boots fit for a rodeo star.

How do I know this? Well the Oracle of Omaha happens to own (through his investment company Berkshire Hathaway) Justin Boots, purveyor of quality cowboy boots since 1879.

Now, at the start of this year, Mr Buffett had an estimated net worth of $62 billion - as ranked by Forbes magazine - so he won’t personally feel too bad about the theft of 20,000 pairs of Justin boots from a Fort Worth warehouse. But then again a $3 million dollar theft in the current economy is going to upset any CEO.

I first heard about Buffett’s investing skills after reading Peter Lynch’s classic book Beating the Street. His theory was ‘buy what you know and love’ and (not wishing to simplify a whole library of Buffet books) I think Buffet aims to keep things just as simple - buy what you understand.

The classic ‘Sage’ quote I remember is about investing in Gilette, maker of shaving paraphenalia:

You go to bed feeling very comfortable just thinking about two and a half billion males with hair growing while you sleep. No one at Gillette has trouble sleeping.

Are there that many people out there willing to buy cowboy boots? A month ago I wrote about a shopping trip down the Kings Road in London, R Soles boots and the fact every shop had cowboy boots for sale.

Today this is the most popular post on this blog and if there are people out there willing to risk jail to steal 20,000 pairs of boots then maybe we should all follow Warren’s example and start buying shares in bootmakers!

Here’s another western themed eBay find - a vintage cowgirl playing card. I’m guessing it’s 1940s or 50s era as the artwork is in the style of the old WWII bomber nose art.

The card, the king of diamonds, features a happy, smiling blonde wearing only a cowboy hat, boots and underwear. It must have been considered the perfect cowgirl costume for some late night poker with your cowboy pals!

The card is advertising one ‘Atlas Mineral Products Co.’ of Mertztown, PA. A quick Google and I find that Atlas Minerals & Chemicals was founded in 1892 and the company still exists today. The corporate website states:

The year 2007 marked 115 years of service for Atlas Minerals & Chemicals. And as we look back on our history with pride, we also look forward to the future with a spirit of enthusiasm. Today, Atlas is regarded as a leader in the field of corrosion-resistant mortars and grouts, and floorings and linings.

More cowgirl cartoons and artwork will follow…

I took a trip down the Kings Road for the first time in years and came across ‘R.Soles’. They had some great looking cowboy boots in the window and the website tells me the firm opened for business all the way back in 1975.

Are cowboy boots - like western films - back in fashion again? Half the shops in west London seemed to have them in stock. I’m guessing they’ve been in vogue many times in 33 years of trading. Take the poll below or leave your comments.

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If you’re about to head off and buy some new boots then be sure not to commit any fashion fopars - College Fashion has a great article for cowgirls on how to wear cowboy/girl boots without looking like Daisy Duke. And if you need a video refresher then watch this 2 minute guide to buying and wearing western boots with style: