SAN ANGELO, Texas — In 1922, M.L Leddy opened his own saddle and boot shop in Brady. Now 100 years later, the business has two locations and has made hundreds of thousands of custom pieces, including boots and saddles, for people across the world.
Leddy had help from his brothers early on and taught himself how to make custom boots. In 1936, they moved their shop to San Angelo and the demand for custom boots grew even more. They were eventually able to open another Leddy’s store at the Fort Worth Stockyards.
Now store manager Sammy Farmer says San Angelo has been the perfect fit for the company to thrive as long as it has.
“I can’t say enough about how supportive this city has been for us. From the downtown organization to everyone else involved. This downtown location has been nothing but good to us and we get to deal with the cream of the crop kind of customers every day,” Farmer said.
What separates M.L Leddy’s from the hundreds of other custom boot stores in the country is every single boot in the store is handmade. Employees take the time to measure customers' feet and consult with the customer to ensure they get the design they want. From there, Leddy’s has a team of employees embroidering, stitching and molding every single boot so customers will never have to “break them in.”
The quality of these boots have allowed customers to keep their pair for a lifetime. Farmer said the pair he was wearing are at least 25 years old.
There have been countless celebrities and athletes who have custom boots made by Leddy’s, but what the store really prides itself on is creating the perfect boot for the everyday person who walks through the doors.
“We’ve made boots for many presidents and lots of musicians. But we pride ourselves in making boots for everyone, so we don’t advertise that as much,” Farmers mentioned.
Farmer went on to say there are so many families who have a tradition of visiting Leddy’s and getting a pair of custom boots - parents buying for children, grandparents for grandchildren, and so on.
"A visit to M.L. Leddy’s is like a trip back in time, where old-fashioned values are refreshingly new again...The next generation of Texans are invited to add their own story to the pages of M.L. Leddy’s rich history," the Leddy's website says.
Celebration plans for both the San Angelo and Fort Worth locations will be announced for the community can help celebrate the century milestone.