Nocona Boots

Nocona Boots is an American western footwear brand whose identity is closely associated with Nocona, Texas, and with the history of the Justin family’s bootmaking business. The brand was established in 1925 by Enid Justin, daughter of H. J. “Daddy Joe” Justin, the founder of the business that became Justin Boots. Its creation followed a family split over the future location of the original operation. After H. J. Justin’s death in 1918, some family members favored moving the business to Fort Worth. Enid Justin instead remained in Nocona, believing that her father wanted the company to retain its connection with the town. She borrowed $5,000, kept seven employees, and established the Nocona Boots operation. The brand’s origins were shaped by the economic activity surrounding North Texas. Nocona had become a practical manufacturing and distribution location after the railroad reached the town in 1887, and the discovery of oil in the surrounding area later created demand for durable work footwear. Nocona responded with a 16-inch lace-up boot designed to withstand oil-field conditions. The product helped establish the brand among workers and reinforced a positioning built around practical construction, western heritage, and regional authenticity. Nocona’s history is connected to the earlier Justin family enterprise. Enid Justin had begun working in her father’s shop at age twelve in 1906 and remained involved in bootmaking for twelve years before the family reorganization. This background gave Nocona a direct link to the techniques, customer relationships, and western-market knowledge developed by the Justin business in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In 1981, Nocona Boots merged with Justin Industries, the then-parent company of Justin Boots. The combination brought the two related bootmaking businesses back into the same corporate structure. The Nocona plant in Nocona, Texas, closed in 1999, after which production was moved to El Paso, Texas. The change marked a significant transition from the brand’s original local manufacturing base while preserving Nocona’s name and western-market identity. Nocona Boots operates within Justin Brands, a Berkshire Hathaway company whose portfolio also includes Justin Boots, Tony Lama Boots, and Chippewa Boots. The brand’s current assortment is organized around Fashion, Legacy, Exotic, Western, Rancher, and Competitor categories. It offers footwear for men, women, and children, with products sold through western specialty retailers and online footwear outlets. Nocona has also promoted U.S.-handcrafted products and introduced the College Boots Collection, described as the first cowboy-boot offering officially licensed through The Collegiate Licensing Company. That collection connects traditional western boot construction with collegiate identities and licensed school marks. Nocona’s overall positioning combines western culture, work-oriented durability, decorative craftsmanship, and continuity with a Texas bootmaking lineage. Although the original factory is no longer operating in Nocona, the town remains central to the brand’s name and historical narrative. The brand is best understood as a heritage western-footwear label within the broader Justin Brands portfolio rather than as an independent public company.

Nocona Boots emerged from the Justin family’s long-standing bootmaking tradition in North Texas. H. J. “Daddy Joe” Justin began making boots in Spanish Fort, Texas, in 1879. His customers included cowboys who ordered custom-fit boots and collected them after returning from cattle drives. When the railroad reached Nocona in 1887, the business moved there to benefit from improved transportation and shipping connections. Enid Justin, H. J. Justin’s daughter, entered the family workshop in 1906 at the age of twelve. She worked in the business for the next twelve years. Following her father’s death in 1918, disagreements developed within the family concerning the location and future organization of the company. When other family members moved equipment to Fort Worth in 1925, Enid Justin chose to remain in Nocona. She obtained a $5,000 loan and retained seven employees, establishing the Nocona Boots brand in the town that gave it its name. The new company served a regional economy that was changing rapidly. Oil discoveries near Nocona brought workers and entrepreneurs to the area, creating demand for protective and durable footwear. Nocona produced a 16-inch lace-up boot intended to withstand oil-field work. The boot’s practical design helped attract repeat customers and contributed to the brand’s early reputation for toughness. Nocona continued as a distinct bootmaking business for much of the twentieth century. In 1981, it merged with Justin Industries, which was then the parent company of Justin Boots. This reunited two operations descended from the same family enterprise, although they continued to maintain separate brand identities. In 1999, the Nocona manufacturing plant closed and production moved to El Paso, Texas. The closure ended the brand’s original factory presence in Nocona but did not end the use of the Nocona name. As part of Justin Brands, Nocona later developed a broader range of western footwear. Its collections have been grouped into Fashion, Legacy, Exotic, Western, Rancher, and Competitor categories, serving men, women, and children. The brand has also offered the College Boots Collection, a line of cowboy boots carrying collegiate licenses through The Collegiate Licensing Company. This initiative extended Nocona’s western design language into licensed college merchandise. Nocona Boots is now a division of Justin Brands, which is owned by Berkshire Hathaway. The wider Justin Brands portfolio includes Justin Boots, Tony Lama Boots, and Chippewa Boots. Nocona products are distributed through western specialty stores and online footwear retailers in the United States. The brand’s historical story remains anchored in Enid Justin’s decision to preserve a Nocona-based bootmaking identity, its response to the region’s oil economy, and its continuing association with American western footwear.

1. 2016Former Justin Leather Goods building receives redevelopment support

   The city of Nocona is reported to have received a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant to help convert the original Justin Leather Goods building into a community activity center and farmers market. The project concerns the historic site rather than a direct corporate investment by Nocona Boots.

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2. 1999Nocona plant closes

   The original Nocona plant is shut down and production is moved to El Paso, Texas.

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3. 1981Nocona merges with Justin Industries

   Nocona Boots merges with Justin Industries, bringing it into the same corporate structure as Justin Boots.

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4. 1925Nocona Boots is founded

   Enid Justin remains in Nocona after other family members move equipment to Fort Worth, borrows $5,000, retains seven employees, and establishes Nocona Boots.

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5. 1906Enid Justin joins the family workshop

   At age twelve, Enid Justin begins working in her father’s boot shop, gaining the experience that later supports the creation of Nocona Boots.

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6. 1887The Justin operation moves to Nocona

   The arrival of the railroad in Nocona improves transportation and shipping, encouraging the Justin family boot operation to relocate there.

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7. 1879H. J. Justin begins bootmaking

   H. J. “Daddy Joe” Justin begins making boots in Spanish Fort, Texas, establishing the family business from which Nocona Boots later developed.

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A heritage American western-boot brand emphasizing Texas origins, cowboy culture, durable construction, decorative craftsmanship, and selected U.S.-handcrafted offerings.

• Fashion CollectionFashion western boots

  The Fashion category presents western boot styling for customers seeking decorative and lifestyle-oriented designs rather than footwear defined primarily by ranch or industrial work. The collection sits within Nocona’s broader effort to combine traditional cowboy-boot construction with contemporary styling.

• Legacy CollectionHeritage western boots

  The Legacy category represents Nocona’s heritage-led assortment. It draws on the brand’s Texas origins and long association with cowboy footwear, offering designs intended to communicate continuity with earlier generations of western bootmaking.

• Exotic CollectionExotic western boots

  The Exotic category focuses on premium western boots made with exotic materials or exotic-inspired treatments. It occupies the more distinctive and luxury-oriented end of the Nocona assortment, where material character and ornamental detailing are central to the product proposition.

• Western CollectionCowboy boots

  The Western category contains core cowboy-boot designs representing the brand’s principal product territory. These styles express conventional western proportions, decorative detailing, and the fit and construction associated with Nocona’s American bootmaking identity.

• Rancher CollectionRanch footwear

  The Rancher category is oriented toward ranch and country use. It reflects Nocona’s connection with practical western work and outdoor settings while retaining the recognizable styling of a traditional western boot.

• Competitor CollectionPerformance western boots

  The Competitor category is positioned for customers seeking western boots associated with competitive or performance-oriented activities. It extends the brand beyond purely heritage styling into use cases where fit, durability, and functional wear are important.

• College Boots CollectionCollegiate-licensed cowboy boots

  The College Boots Collection links Nocona’s cowboy-boot format with officially licensed collegiate identities. The collection was described as the first cowboy-boot offering officially licensed by The Collegiate Licensing Company and was handcrafted in the United States.

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