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Boot Manufacturer

Anderson Bean

mid/late 1980s · Mercedes, Texas

Sister shop to Rios of Mercedes with a louder wardrobe, handmade construction underneath bold colors and a deep exotics bench: alligator, ostrich, lizard, caiman.

Related: Rios of Mercedes · Horse Power · Macie Bean

Why collectors care

Anderson Bean is high-frequency on the secondary market and constantly confused with sister brands: Rios of Mercedes, Olathe Boot Company, and Mexico-made Macie Bean / Horse Power. Construction (channeled welt / pegs) and Mercedes vs Guanajuato geography are the useful splits.

Family chronologies give three launch dates: 1985 (Rios Family history), 1987 (Rios booklet — maiden-name etymology), and 1989 (AB About). The brand sits in the mid/late 1980s.

Brand genealogy

  • Zeferino Rios craft line → Joe & Trainor Evans purchase Rios of Mercedes (1975) → Pat Moody from 1983 → Anderson Bean launch mid/late 1980s.
  • Name: Anderson + Bean = maiden names of Trainor Evans’s mother and grandmother (Rios booklet).
  • Ryan Vaughan CEO from 1999+ (León production apprenticeship); Jode Chief of Design; Carlos Rodriguez production partner 2011+; Clayton Evans finance 2018.
  • Larger AB factory ~2000; Anderson Bean Kids cited in family history around the same expansion.
  • Siblings: Rios of Mercedes; Olathe (2001); Horse Power (2005, Guanajuato); Macie Bean (2007, Guanajuato).
  • Positioning: Medium-price all-leather handmade vs flagship Rios. Louder wardrobe / bold toe vs quieter Rios.

Known for

Handmade bones, bold exotics

Sources and references