Not Your Ordinary Boots, or Boot Maker
A ranch woman goes against the grain and kicks up success
By Cyd Hoefle
Photography by Cyd Hoefle and contributed by Nikki Edmundson
On the east side of the Tobacco Root Mountains, 20 miles south of Three Forks, just outside of Harrison, is a beautiful ranch owned by the Edmundson family. Tucker and Nikki, their four children and Tucker’s father, Rick, have been operating the ranch for years. It’s a typical Montana ranch, with generations working side by side, teaching and passing down traditions.
Across the driveway from the ranch house is a beautiful new building that any rancher would be proud to own. Ranch business is not done there, however. The building houses Canty Boots, a business that Nikki Edmundson founded, owns and operates. And though young, the business has already found its way to international markets.
Nikki grew up in Butte and graduated with a degree in education from nearby University of Montana Western, in Dillon. As a young wife and mother, she finished student teaching in Harrison and was offered a position as a teacher, but a chance visit to an antique store in Butte and the purchase of a used pair of western boots derailed those plans.
“I loved the look of the eel-skin vintage boots, but eel doesn’t stretch like leather does,” Nikki said. “So, for comfort’s sake, I cut the tops off, sewed them on upside down and folded them over. They were very comfortable then.”
The fashionable short boot, a look that was new and different and drew attention. “I wore them into a couple of stores in Butte,” she said. “People started complimenting me on them. I got excited thinking, ‘Maybe I’m onto something.’”
She made a few more pairs, received a positive response, and loved feeding her artistic side. “The idea that I might make a little money from this was really exciting,” she said, “But I wondered, would it supplement us financially at all?”
There was the dilemma. Should Nikki take the teaching job with stability, summers off and benefits, or take a risk and throw herself into something that complemented her artistic, creative personality?
“It was a hard decision,” she said, “but the feeling that I kept falling back on was excitement. It was scary and risky and a huge chance to take, but I kept thinking, ‘I can do this!’”
With Tucker’s encouragement and insight, she began buying up used, quality boots. The piles stacked up. Not only did she turn the tops of the boots down, she also began exchanging the tops with other boots. Her hobby soon moved from the house to the garage, where she would work until she had a carload and could travel to stores and trade shows across the region.
The years flew by, and two more children were added to the family of four. Work on the ranch continued as boots piled higher and higher in the garage. When she had enough inventory of colorful, fun boots with added belts, fringe and braids, she filled her trunk and headed to Aspen and Las Vegas, asking shop owners for a chance to be on their shelves. At a trunk show in Las Vegas during the National Finals Rodeo, her boots started getting attention. The exposure made a difference. Sales started to rise.
“Canty” is not a style of short boot, but a brand. It’s an adjective that means lively, upbeat and in good spirits. It seems quite appropriate in describing Nikki as well. Her upbeat personality, her perseverance and her dedication are what grew the business.
Not one to take “no” for an answer, Nikki had it in her mind that Kemo Sabe, a high end, top-of-the-line Western store in Aspen, should carry her boots. They said, “no.” She kept coming back, they kept saying, “no.” When most people would have given up in the face of such rejection, she did the opposite. She kept working on her products, making them better, more unique and higher quality. Tony Llamas became paired with Lucchese tops. Fryes married vintage. Gringo bottoms were matched with Maraschino tops. She kept at Kemo Sabe until they finally said “yes.” They placed a small order. It drew attention.
A Victoria’s Secret stylist shopping in Kemo Sabe came upon the beautiful and unique Western boots and imagined her models wearing them. She bought enough pairs for seven models to do a shoot in sexy lingerie with Canty boots on.
“It took off after that,” Nikki said, “Social media started sharing that photo. It was incredibly humbling and very exciting.” Kemo Sabe now handles her boots in all three of its locations in Aspen, Vail and Las Vegas. Their orders are large and they keep growing.
“That was five years ago,” Nikki said. “It was a real break for me. NFR was the first one, and then Kemo Sabe, and finally Victoria’s Secret.”
It didn’t stop there. Soon after the Victoria’s Secret photo went viral, Nikki’s grandmother messaged her and said, “It isn’t only young, slim girls that wear Canty’s, older divas do too.”
The two of them re-created the trending Victoria’s Secret photo. Only this time, the models were her grandmother’s friends, ages 65 to 90. They posed in black slips and beautiful Canty Boots, taking on the same poses as the younger women. The tongue-in-cheek humor of the photo was a huge hit.
“It was a fun thing to do,” Nikki said. “It showed my grandparents’ spirit.” The original photo also included the photographer, in the middle, with his arms around the models. Nikki’s grandfather excitedly stepped into that role. “He had so much fun doing it,” she added, “It was one of those things that you thought about and wondered, ‘Do I have time to do this? Is it worth it?’ But look at this picture! Look at the joy on each of their faces! Grampa died not long after this, and I think, ‘What if I hadn’t taken the time?’”
One of Nikki’s favorite custom orders is when a bride contact her hoping to pair her boots bottoms with the tops from someone special. “I love getting the order to pair a bride’s boots with an antique pair of grampa’s boots,” she said. “It just such a cool way for the bride to remember her day, especially if the boots tops belong to someone they lost.”
Balance seems to be something Nikki has mastered. With her shop right next to the family’s farmhouse, she and her family have easy access to one another.
“I couldn’t do this without the arrangement we have,” she said. “Tucker is such a great partner. He’s very busy with the ranch, but he always takes time to help me out. Our faith has been the center of everything and neither of us would be doing what we are doing without our Heavenly Father and we both know when to stop everything and help the other one. He’s put so much work into my shop and I am a professional gate opener when he needs me!”
Today, Canty Boots completes 50 one-of-a-kind pairs per week and orders continue to come in at a rapid pace. Nikki has added help to her one-woman show, opened up a retail shop in the front of her workshop and can proudly say her boots are being worn from all over Montana to as far away as Australia and Hong Kong — incredible growth for an 8-year-old company. Canty Boots can be found at the Northern Hotel in Billings, as well as the shop in Harrison and online at cantyboots.com
“Once I made the decision to jump into building this business, I have never looked back. I have a good support system and things will work out. My advice to anyone is to keep trying, and don’t accept ‘no’ for an answer.” she said.
Today, when a supplemental income is so often necessary for families to succeed on ranches, it seems the Edmundsons have found a perfect fit.