Rocketbuster · History

Why collectors care

Rocketbuster is the Boot Encyclopedia’s El Paso art-boot node. Collectors need: Who designed/built this pair (Marty era vs Nevena-led shop)? Is “est. 1989” the name acquisition or an earlier export shop? How do I attribute unlabeled flashy inlays that merely look Rocketbuster?

Maker labels, order records, and documented authorship provide stronger evidence than visual resemblance alone.

People and origins

• Pre-1989: Small El Paso company named Rocketbuster (German entrepreneur; plain brown export boots; name from Oldsmobile Rocket 88) — thin independent corroboration beyond shop storytelling; flag as oral/company lore. The prior owner’s legal name remains unconfirmed.
• December 1989: Commercial photographer Marty Snortum acquires the name + assets in a barter narrative (trade lore: 1953 Cadillac hearse for name, machines, employees, leather, patterns). Snortum’s background: catalog photographer for El Paso boot factories; vintage boot/ray-gun collector; aims to revive Roy Rogers–era color/inlay.
• Early signature: Company history claims contact with the Roy Rogers museum for a signature collection — treat as shop narrative; verify labeled pairs before encyclopedic certainty.
• 1994–1997: Nevena Christi (“Boss Lady”; fine art / Nicole Miller NYC) commissions boots → relationship → moves to El Paso 1997, funds/runs the company while Marty continues photography.
• Present: Christi as public design/operations face; internship / young-artist pipeline claimed on company history; still custom handmade (about 400 pairs/year; waits of 5 months–3+ years in company history pages).

Position on the El Paso map