Alberta Boot Company
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nside Alberta Boot Company’s on-site factory, the iconic Calgary brand is carrying on a family tradition, now in its third generation. The scent of leather and the sound of machines used for more than 40 years provide a backdrop for the skilled boot makers working on the various stages of handcrafting western boots. This attention to detail and the care shown in constructing boots by hand contribute to this company’s longevity and fame in the Calgary area. “A lot of people, if they’re from Calgary or from the area and have been around for a long time, chances are maybe they had a pair of our boots or they know somebody
VES AHEAD WITH ITS UNWAVERING FOCUS ON QUALIT
Story & Photos by Piper Whelan
who has,” said Ben Gerwing, president of Alberta Boot Company. “So it’s pretty neat to be part of the fabric of the city.” Alberta Boot Company was established in 1978 by Gerwing’s grandfather, Clement Gerwing. The elder Gerwing grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan and led an interesting career path, from flying in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War to starting his own fly-fishing and crop spraying companies. He moved his family to Calgary in the 1960s and bought into a wholesale footwear company that sold a wide range of shoes. “Over Stampede time every summer, there was always a large demand for cowboy boots,” said Gerwing. “Whether it was
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out of Mexico or eastern Canada or the States, he didn’t like the quality that he was able to bring in.” It was then that his grandfather, in his late 50s at this point, decided to launch his own line of boots at home in Calgary to provide a better-quality product to his customers. When he started this venture, he was told it wouldn’t succeed and that manufacturing in Canada would be difficult, but he knew he could make something from this opportunity. “Here we are 42 years later,” said Gerwing. “We’re still making boots the same way.” Alberta Boot Company is one of three Canadian western boot makers in regular manufacturing, and the only one in
