Rios of Mercedes · History
Why collectors care
Rios of Mercedes is a Rio Grande Valley manufacturing house, not a one-bench shop. Collectors meet the name beside Anderson Bean and Olathe Boot Company and need to separate a Rios stamp from those companion lines, and to separate Mercedes handmade work from Guanajuato sibling lines.
The dates describe different milestones. Family history places zapatero work in Mexico in 1853. Zeferino Rios opened the Mercedes shop in 1929. Joe and Trainor Evans purchased the house in 1975.
Chronology
| Date | What stronger sources support |
|---|---|
| 1853 | Family history places Zeferino’s father and grandfather as zapateros in General Terán, Nuevo León, Mexico, making boots and saddles for Mexican soldiers and cavalry. This is a craft origin, not proof of a continuous Mercedes factory. |
| Turn of the century / 1908 | The official family history says they moved to the Texas Rio Grande Valley as revolution pressures rose in Mexico. The Texas Bucket List (October 2023) dates that Valley move to 1908. |
| 1928 | The first Rios family-owned shop opened in Raymondville. |
| 1929 | Zeferino Rios opened the shop in Mercedes, which the company history calls a Valley bootmaking hub that once held as many as a dozen shops. |
| 1969 | Zeferino retired. Earlier booklet language places a sale to Big Spring investors before the Evans purchase. |
| 1975 | Joe and Trainor Evans of West Texas purchased Rios of Mercedes. Trainor remained at the helm for more than forty years. |
| 1983 | Pat Moody joined the company. |
| 1985 | The official Rios Family of Brands history dates the Anderson Bean launch to 1985. Some booklet and retail histories print 1987. |
| 1999–2000 | Ryan Vaughan joined in production, later becoming CEO. The official history says he spearheaded a larger factory for Anderson Bean in 2000 and launched Anderson Bean Kids. |
| 2001 | Olathe Boot Company became the group’s third line. Some booklet timelines print 2000. |
| 2005 / 2007 / 2015 | Horse Power launched in 2005 and Macie Bean in 2007, both built in Guanajuato, Mexico, per the official history. Miss Macie appears in retail histories as 2015. |
Sister manufacturing lines
The official Rios Family of Brands history treats these as companion production lines, not as one interchangeable stamp. Read the name on the pair.
| Line | What the official history supports |
|---|---|
| Rios of Mercedes | Flagship Mercedes handmade house; Zeferino shop 1929; Evans purchase 1975. |
| Anderson Bean | Second line, official launch 1985; named for maiden names in the Evans family on booklet language. |
| Olathe Boot Company | Third line, official addition 2001; American-made heritage claim to 1875; built in Mercedes. |
| Horse Power | Launched 2005; built in Guanajuato, Mexico. |
| Macie Bean | Launched 2007 under Jode Vaughan’s design direction; Guanajuato make; women’s fashion-forward positioning in the official history. |
Founder attribution
CowboyBootsDB’s “Founded by John Rios” is an error relative to Zeferino / family chronologies. The family chronology identifies Zeferino as the Mercedes shop founder.
People credits
| Person | Role |
|---|---|
| Zeferino Rios | Mercedes founder (1929); retires 1969 |
| Joe & Trainor Evans | Purchase 1975; Trainor multi-decade steward |
| Pat Moody | Partner / sales from 1983; AB launch collaborator |
| Ryan & Jode Vaughan | CEO / Chief of Design. Valley Business Report says Ryan was promoted from general manager to president and CEO after a long GM tenure. The Texas Bucket List identifies Joe and Trainor Evans as Ryan’s in-laws. |
| Carlos Rodriguez | Production partner 2011+ |
| Clayton Evans | Finance 2018 |
Known for
Mercedes handmade production house; Valley zapatero lineage from 1853