Bootmaker
Dustin Lauw
Dustin Lauw runs Duck's Heritage Cowboy Boots in Salado, Texas, a business Duck Menzies founded in nearby Belton and mentored Lauw in for more than a decade before leaving him the shop ahead of his death in 2014. After Duck died, Lauw taught himself sole stitching, a step Duck had never let him handle on his own. A fourth-generation leather worker, he counts Tex Robin among the makers he has looked up to.
Known for
Carries on Duck Menzies's Duck's Heritage Cowboy Boots
Related: Duck Menzies · Lee Miller · Mike Vaughn · Tex Robin
Biography
History
Dustin Lauw owns Duck's Heritage Cowboy Boots in Salado, Texas. In an interview dated 25 April 2019, he describes himself as a fourth-generation leather worker who originally wanted to be a saddle maker, and says Duck Menzies was his only bootmaking teacher. After Duck's death, Lauw taught himself sole stitching, since Duck had never let anyone — including his own student — touch the sole stitcher.
He names Lee Miller and Mike Vaughn as sources of later advice, and Tex Robin as one of three men he wanted to be like.
Texas Senate Resolution No. 906, adopted 26 May 2017, says Duck Menzies founded Duck's Heritage Cowboy Boots in Belton, Texas, mentored Lauw for more than a decade, and left him the business before his death in 2014. Lauw relocated the shop to Salado; a pair there takes 40 to 70 hours to build. His great-grandfather and grandfather are noted in the same resolution for making bullwhips and dog leashes, not boots.
Sources
Identification and markings
Maker-specific markings guidance has not been documented yet. Preserve the complete stamp and compare it against dated sources.
Sources and references
Historical references are cited with the history above. Each catalog record includes its own supporting evidence.
Encyclopedia references: CowboyBootsDB and maker archives linked where available. Historical dates and attributions can vary by source.