By Hannah Barricks
Photography by Crystal Wise
It’s easy to miss the brick workshop unless you’re looking for it. An ill-timed blink on Montgomery Street in Fort Worth could mean a U-turn for travellers seeking Steven Parker. Thankfully, he’s patient, and equipped with comforting phrases, like, “Don’t worry, I’ll wait,” when wayward journalists veer off course. His boot shop, Morris Boot Co., sits in the bustling Cultural District as unassumingly as the owner inside. Since reopening in 2010, after he bought the place from his long-time friend, Parker has amassed a loyal customer base that never gets lost on their way to him, visiting throughout the day for extra holes on their belts and purse straps, a service he offers without charge or appointment. “My customers expect high-quality customer service from me,” he says from the back room of his shop, leather scraps curling along the edges of his seat like wood shavings in a sculptor’s studio. In the small space, packed to the gills with tanned hides and memorabilia, Parker deftly stitches together two pieces of material, an early step when building a new pair of boots. Behind him are rows of boots he made recently, each one contributing to a legacy he began building after falling in love with leather work as a teen.
“I couldn’t think of any other job I would rather have,” Parker says. Stacked on his work table are Manila folders, each one housing precise measurements for a client’s foot. Now, 63, Parker moves with the confidence of a man who knows every inch of his trade. His hands — weathered by the work — never stop moving, weaving a thread through holes in the leather he’s holding until it resembles the stitching on a baseball. The craftsmanship is rare in a mass-produced world, an edge that enables him to thrive.
“We started with nothing,” Parker says. “And we built this company into what it is now. We’re doing 10 pairs a week. It’s going crazy.”
But crazy suits Parker. He’s been making boots since 1979, first as a hobby, then under the mentorship of veteran craftsmen and large manufacturers. The real push came from his wife, Melissa, who handed him a list of companies and said, “Call these bootmakers.” Eventually, he partnered with John Morris, the namesake of the company and original owner. When Morris stepped away in 2004, Parker carried the vision forward.
The heart of Morris Boot Co. isn’t the stitching or the shine. It’s the fit.
“If it doesn’t fit you, it ain’t worth two cents,” Parker says, echoing a philosophy he picked up early from Morris. Fitting is a science here, not a sales pitch. He begins by taking sitting and standing measurements to assess the pressure, arch, and softness of the foot. That tells him how a customer walks and where a boot might pinch or slip. Then comes the math: Manila folders become top patterns and custom lasts, tailored to each client like a sculpted mold.
“There’s 224 steps to building a custom pair of boots,” Parker says. “Every stitch, every cut — it all has a reason.”
One of the most telling details? The wiggle.
“If you look at the sole lines, you’ll see slight wiggles in them,” he says, explaining how handmade boots tell their own story. “A computer will make it perfect. But this — this is a human touch.”
Parker walks clients through a detailed questionnaire to pinpoint their needs, but many know exactly what they want — especially when it comes to leather. The offerings at Morris Boot Co. are as wild as the Texas landscape: elephant, shark, hippo, giraffe and of course, American alligator, which starts at $5,000 per pair. Each hide has its own feel and function. Elephant is tough yet pliable, giraffe has a unique texture that’s become trendy, and shark offers a rugged grain. Bullhide and ostrich remain staples. The dyeing process, Parker explained, can vary from batch to batch, especially with elephant, adding a degree of unpredictability that’s part of the appeal.
“A customer will say, ‘I want the exact color of the boot you posted last week,’ and I’ll have to explain that was one-of-a-kind,” Parker says, laughing.
Still, customers keep coming. And they return happy. For 13 years, Morris Boot Co. has maintained a perfect 5.0 rating on Facebook — a badge of honor for Parker, who prioritizes customer satisfaction above all else.
“Our motto is, the customer is going to be happy. I don’t care if it costs me money. We’re going to make that customer happy,” he says.
This approach has attracted everyone from local ranchers to celebrities. He once crafted an all-Gator pair worth a whopping $10,000, whispering how the customer was in “Full Metal Jacket” before pressing a finger to his lips to indicate secrecy. Dana Bowman, the former Army Golden Knight turned motivational speaker, also wears Morris boots. The shop even outfitted all 25 of the Texas Rangers’ Six Shooters cheerleaders in custom pairs, a project delayed by COVID-19 but completed as quickly as possible.
Resilience, Parker admits, has been part of the journey. The business weathered the pandemic without layoffs or a dip in quality. Even amid inflation and economic uncertainty, people continue to buy custom boots.
“There’s something about putting on a pair of boots made just for you,” Parker says. “It’s like a second skin.”
Around six years ago, he launched “The Picking Point” from inside his studio, where artists from across the country — including Fort Worth’s own Sonny Burgess and Jolie Holliday — come to perform and record.
“There’s a connection between making music and making boots,” Parker says. “It’s detail, rhythm, and soul.”
Morris Boot Co. frequently donates to children’s charities and military causes. Parker, a self-described “sucker for stuff like that,” recently contributed to a clay shoot fundraiser by donating custom boots.
Looking ahead, he’s building a new shop at his home in Millsap. The Fort Worth location will remain as a storefront, but Parker anticipates development will eventually change the area.
Still, he isn’t slowing down.
“I learn something every day,” he says. “You never stop in this business.”
At Morris Boot Co., Parker proves that his path is worth walking. Building trust with customers, one boot at a time, story by story and stitch by stitch.