The Pacific Northwest is home to the last remaining epicenter of quality bootmaking in the US (and Canada)—and the stories of how the makers White's Boots, Wesco, Nicks Handmade Boots, and Viberg came to be, and how they persisted, are quite honestly nothing short of phenomenal.

And you may know plenty about them! But Ticho and Ben from Stitchdown dug deeper than could possibly be considered sane into the archives of those four stalwart brands to uncover the stories that haven't been told before. We've got a man who made the very boots he walked in for SEVEN MONTHS to evade capture during WWII. We've got 100-year-old catalogs with the most colorful boot-language you've ever heard. We've got Arnold Schwarzenegger.

This is an illuminating history lesson worth giving, and an inspiring ride worth taking. Buckle on up.


This episode was sponsored by Nicks Handmade Boots: one of the most capable, indestructible boots available anywhere—and damn stylish too!


Theme music: The Road by Punk Rock Opera

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2026 dates and location for Stitchdown's Boot Camp 4—the world's fair of shoes and boots and leather and more—coming soon.

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