Bootmaker
Dave Wheeler / Wheeler Boot Company
Wheeler Boot Company was started in 1960 by Paul Wheeler, a Missouri-trained repairman who turned to custom western boots in Houston. Since 1984 his son Dave has designed and built the pairs with Jorge Amaro. The official home page says the shop is no longer taking orders.
Why collectors care
Wheeler Boot Company is a Houston family custom shop whose later pairs were built by Dave Wheeler and Jorge Amaro. The official home page says the shop is no longer taking orders, so collectors now meet secondary-market pairs.
This page is a bootmaker card under Modern masters. Paul founded the shop in 1960; Dave managed it from 1984.
Biography
The official history page says Paul Wheeler came from a Missouri shoemaking family, moved to Texas in the 1940s for repair work, and began custom ordered handmade boots in 1960. Since 1984, son Dave has managed the shop and built boots with longtime maker Jorge Amaro. Dave and Janis oversee each pair from leather selection through finish. Customers are measured in person and sometimes bring their own hides, especially after alligator season in Louisiana and East Texas.
Dimlights (25 April 2019) records Dave going into repair at about age 12, bootmaking about 18, two years of college, a brief radio job, and his father starting the boot side in 1960. CBS Sunday Morning (5 February 2017) described a two-year wait and named clients including Dick Cheney and Robert Duvall. Those names are reputation, not pair certificates.
Known for
Houston family custom shop; customer hides; pictorial tops; retired bench