For over 50 years, Cavender’s has built a legacy helping cowboys and cowgirls across America gear up for adventure. What started in 1965 as a small boot shop in Tyler, Texas has grown into the nation’s leading destination for quality Western wear.
Staying true to our Texas roots with Southern hospitality, we take pride in outfitting families for ranch work and rodeo competitions while also expanding our fashion-forward styles to appeal to Western enthusiasts from all walks of life.
While trends in Western culture constantly evolve, the Cavender’s commitment to providing exceptional shopping experiences remains unwavering. Our customers motivate us daily to keep improving selection, service and value across categories.
We know shopping for boot and apparel needs online leaves some uncertainty about fit or fabric. That’s why our Customer Care team obsesses over educating shoppers to turn digital visitors into loyal Cavender’s patrons.
Roots Deep In Texas Soil
Cavender’s founder James Cavender first opened the doors of his original Tyler storefront in 1965. Having grown up the son of a cattle rancher outside Amarillo, James gained hands-on retail experience working at TG&Y five and dime stores across small-town Texas.
When the opportunity arose to open his own venture selling Western wear, Cavender’s lifelong passion for riding and admiration of the cowboy lifestyle steered him toward specializing in boots.
What set Cavender’s apart in those early days was James’ dedication to personally fitting each customer’s foot to recommend the ideal boot from hundreds of available options. News spread quickly about receiving red carpet treatment from the shop owner himself.
Rather than seeing other local stores as competition, James took pride helping newcomers thrive to mutually strengthen the resurgence of Tyler’s downtown shopping district.
Booting Up Expansion
By 1970, demand from Cavender’s loyal patrons was so high that James expanded the Tyler flagship location into a full-scale Western wear store packed with apparel, accessories and gear for the whole family.
The boot fitting knowledge passed down in the Cavender family combined with excellent customer care created a hometown feel attracting shoppers from far beyond the East Texas community.
James soon launched the first of many additional stores in Longview and other towns where Western fashionistas craved easier access to Cavender’s growing selection of name-brand footwear, clothing and more.
In 1976, Cavender’s stretched into its first flagship-sized location on the historic Tyler square filled with over 2,500 pair of boots ready for trying on. Known to locals as “The Yellow Boot” for its bright yellow exterior with towering boot statue out front, this downtown destination store cemented itself as a Tyler tradition for decades to come.
Outfitting Families & Serving Communities
Throughout the late 70s and 80s, the Cavender family expanded their footprints launching over a dozen shop locations across Texas in major metro suburbs like Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin as well as college towns like Waco, College Station, Lubbock and Midland.
The conveniences of modern malls with covered parking allowed Cavender’s to scale up store sizes stocking over 100 brands and doubling down on superior service. Knowing customer loyalty hinged on helpful attentiveness during trips to their stores, the Cavenders looked to hire those sharing their people-first values.
Cavender’s store managers are empowered to serve their communities by sponsoring Little League teams, marching bands, FFA chapters and other civic causes to strengthen relationships. Stores transform into parade floats, donation drop-offs, or gathering halls for local events.
Team members forge bonds aiding neighbors in times of crisis like natural disasters. When hardship struck during hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, and floods over the years, Cavender’s rushed to donate clothing, diapers, water and supplies to aid relief efforts for victims.
Next Generation Leadership
In the early 1990s, James Cavender handed the family business reins to his son Joseph Cavender. He continued charting an ambitious course to enhance Cavender’s buying power in order to bring customers greater variety in branded merchandise.
The company acquired a 200,000 square-foot distribution center which Joseph filled by attending major footwear and apparel trade conventions to grow vendor partnerships. Savvy software systems were implemented to synchronize inventory data between retail locations and newly launched phone sales teams to meet fulfillment demands.
Joseph foresaw the rise of online shopping and heavily invested in Cavender’s first transactional website allowing web visitors to browse and purchase products without needing to visit stores. The site vastly broadened customer reach nationwide by introducing the Cavender’s experience to those unable to shop locally.
In-house video production capabilities were also built out to begin filming original Western lifestyle content for advertising and public television programs like nationally broadcast Inside the Cavender’s Boot Shop hosted by the Cavender family highlighting new products and expert boot fitting advice.
Continued Family Values
Now into the third generation of family leadership, CEO Joe Cavender Jr. continues encouraging innovation across design, manufacturing, marketing and customer engagement.
The Cavender’s credit card loyalty program surprises repeat buyers with perks like exclusive merchandise promos, birthday gifts or double points offers. Store events create festive atmospheres around the latest product launches.
Our social media channels and email subscriber group called The Herd feeds enthusiasts cowboy culture spotlights, styling tips, sale alerts and brand highlights to enhance their Western journeys.
Behind the scenes, Joe Jr. rallies teams to streamline processes leveraging expanded supply chain capabilities, cloud-based point of sale systems and other technologies connecting physical and digital operations to maintain excellent service levels.
No matter how much progress, our family values stay unchanged in prioritizing relationships from vendor partners to employees to customers new and old who feel part of the Cavender’s crew.
Guiding Riders In The Right Boots
Since those early years hand-selecting pairs behind his boot fitting stand, education remains imperative to the Cavender’s shopping experience.
We continually produce sizing guides, brand comparison charts, how-to videos and style spotlights so customers can make confident purchase decisions. Our personal shoppers freely share expert recommendations over phone, email, online chat or in-store visits to aid selection.
Understanding every customer journey differs, our omnichannel model allows patrons the flexibility of buying online then exchanging in stores or vice versa. Troubleshooting boot discomfort issues after the fact demonstrates our commitment to achieving the perfect fit.
Cavender’s goes to great lengths easing first-time shoppers anxiety over investing in quality footwear built to endure. We offer price-matching guarantees if competitors run sales. Discount bonus cards encourage return trips to redeem built up rewards.
Regardless how shopping habits evolve, our customer care stays constant helping you explore Western wear styles expressing your inner cowboy or cowgirl spirit. We consider it a privilege being part of your adventure.
Built On Boots But So Much More
Western footwear remains the heart of Cavender’s but our product selection reaches far beyond boots these days. Across categories, you’ll discover hundreds of reputable brands offering the latest in innovation and design to fulfill needs.
Boots: From work boots to exotic skins, ropers, wedges and shoetheticals, we showcase an unrivaled assortment of Western boots for men, women and kids from favorite makers like Ariat, Justin, Tony Lama, Dan Post, Lucchese, Old Gringo and so many more.
Apparel: Our clothing ranges from rugged ranch wear and riding gear to boho-chic, patriotic looks and street fashions influenced by the Western aesthetic. We partner with trending labels like Stetson, Wrangler, Miss Me, Panhandle, Rock & Roll Cowgirl, Roper and CINCH while also developing our own proprietary clothing lines.
Accessories: The smallest details complete ensembles so we carry all the embellishments from haute couture hats, eye-catching jewelry pieces, Wild Rag neckties and bandanas to stylish saddle bags, embellished belts and wallet chains.
Home & Gifts: Help friends and family embrace the Western lifestyle by gifting décor pieces, drinkware, parties supplies, garage art and more to outfit their abodes with cowboy character.
Clearance: Our fast-moving inventory allows us to continually refresh in-demand styles so discounts on clothing, shoes and accessories rotate frequently giving bargain hunters chance to snag quality items at outlet prices.
Cavender’s Marketplace: As an authorized reseller for over 100 top Western brands, our Marketplace expands your ability to find rare, sold out and custom one-of-a-kind items via our network of trusted partners selling via our platform like specialty boutiques, individual artisans, collectors and more.
Shared Values Strengthening Communities
Cavender’s understands shopping decisions represent far more than just finding functional products these days. Consumers increasingly make social and political statements where they spend dollars.
We believe workers behind our goods deserve safe conditions and fair wages. We actively monitor manufacturer compliance with ethical labor practices through trusted supply chain auditing processes.
At home, Cavender’s practices inclusiveness through our messaging, hiring and policies to foster a welcoming environment for team members and customers across all races, creeds, orientations and ways of life.
Our locations often serve as central community hubs for charitable activities benefiting first responders, military/veterans, medical research, youth programs and more. Company donations aid neighborhoods rebuilding from disasters.
From small town rodeos to big city parade routes, Cavender’s showcases local pride supporting events keeping Western heritage alive through sponsorships. Our boots march alongside fellow Texans celebrating Lone Star culture.
Growing The Future Frontier
While older generations still fondly recount memories getting custom fitted for boots by Mr. James himself back in Tyler, younger patrons are discovering their own individual Western identities through Cavender’s every day.
As popular culture turns to Western fashion redefining looks, we take pride being trailblazers introducing emerging labels and daring designs to new audiences. Our forward-thinking merchants stay on the pulse of rising trends.
Digital innovation constantly enhances how we serve customers online and connect stores to ecommerce allowing convenient interfaces like buy online, pick up in store. Virtual try-on tools and fit quizzes personalize shopping without geographic barriers to make Cavender’s accessible everywhere.
No matter what the future holds, Cavender’s roots keep us grounded in loyalty to the community, delivering exceptional experiences, and fulfilling needs for all chasing the horizon – one boot step at a time!
