‘It’s been a matter of when, not if’: Cowboy boot brand Tecovas enters wholesale
Tecovas, which some have called the “Warby Parker of cowboy boots,” is entering the wholesale market to further boost its physical presence after nine years of operating only through its own stores and website.
The Austin, Texas-based DTC boot brand — which has been expanding its offerings to become more of a premium lifestyle brand — has partnered with nine retailers, including Western specialty stores and premium chains that carry Western footwear such as Lebo’s in Charlotte and Texas Boot Company near Austin. Tecovas also plans to open 11 stores in 2024, bringing its total store count to 42 by the end of the year.
“It’s been a matter of when, not if, to move into wholesale,” Tecovas CEO David Lafitte told Modern Retail. Wholesale has been on the company’s mind for about two to three years, he said. Especially in markets where it doesn’t yet have a store, Tecovas is relying on those retailers to add physical distribution points and give customers the chance to try on the boots in person.
“You can’t get that feel of the product unless you’ve sat down and actually tried it on,” Lafitte said. “We think being in more physical stores, whether it’s our own or with our partners, is what makes the brand come to life a little bit.”
Thirty-six stores in 10 states will carry Tecovas’ Cartwright, Doc and Annie boots. The stores include National Roper’s Supply, Lebo’s, Texas Boot Company, Boots Etc., Murdoch’s Ranch & Home Supply, Howell Western Wear, Bullocks Western Store, Crossbow and Junk Gypsy. “We’re starting with a lot of independents, sort of mom-and-pop businesses that have been, in many cases, in the family for generations,” Lafitte said. “These are authentic distribution points that have authentic consumers.”
Lafitte anticipates the brand awareness generated in wholesale will contribute to overall growth and that wholesale could make up about 25% to 30% of its business within the next few years. That might vary based on category — while Tecovas’ own stores revolve more around its lifestyle product, other retailers may be able to move more of the ranch-style boots. Over the last few years, Tecovas has been focused on growing its own retail footprint as a way for the brand to showcase its cowboy boots. Now, the company is using wholesale to bring them into new markets it wouldn’t otherwise open stores.
Many DTC brands have entered wholesale in the name of growth. Workwear brand Brunt, which similarly focused on DTC since it launched in 2020, entered wholesale in February with partnerships with Saf-Gard, Shoeteria, Vanderloops, Haney Shoes, Blue Collar, Trav’s Outfitters, Chuck’s Boots and Workwear Safety. Other brands have held off on doing so, finding growth within their existing business models for reasons such as wholesale being too costly or losing the personalization features of their own online stores.
“Wholesale gives brands access to more customers at a much lower acquisition cost. The challenge is losing some control over how they tell their brand story, as well as how their product is displayed,” said Beth Goldstein, a footwear industry analyst for Circana. “In addition, there is the risk that brands will need to be more promotional in order to compete with other options in the space. So it’s important to choose wholesale partners wisely.”
Lafitte also sees the importance of controlling the brand image inside the stores, making sure the way the retailers visually merchandise Tecovas products is consistent with how the brand would do it in its own stores. The company provided retailers with a menu of visual merchandising fixtures they can pick and choose from.
“That doesn’t mean we get to dictate or control everything that happens with our product in there, but when we go in, we do want to understand where we’re going to show up in the store,” he said. “We don’t want to just be thrown against a back wall with other brands.”
Tecovas is also sending retail managers to the stores to share product knowledge and why they think the boots are unique with store associates. “We’re trying to sell a whole system, if you will. It’s the training, the merchandising, the fixtures in the store and then working with their marketing teams to help drive traffic to their store,” Lafitte said. “At the end of the day, this game is about sell-through. It doesn’t matter if we sell them a bunch of product, if they can’t sell it to the end user, the consumer, then it’s not going to work.”
Lafitte expects the brand will be able to compete through quality and craftsmanship, grabbing consumers it otherwise wouldn’t get because they want to shop in stores that offer multiple brands.
“And that means working with these partners in a way that’s strategic and a win-win,” he said. “Long term, we want to drive traffic to their stores.”
The story has been updated to clarify the number of stores and states Tecovas is entering, as well as that Texas Boot Company is near Austin, not Dallas.