Home & Ranch
Back at the Ranch boot maven talks about Santa Fe living
By WOLF SCHNEIDER
Web exclusive
Metallic-gold cowboy boots with silver-tipped toes — that's what country singer Taylor Swift just bought from Wendy Lane Henry's Back at the Ranch boot store in Santa Fe, New Mexico. With more than 700 custom styles to choose from, the shop is a Santa Fe shopping-must.
Photos by Andrew Neighbour, Santa Fe
Henry isn't just selling Santa Fe style, she's living it. We talked to her about boots, decorating her old adobe, and living the enchanted life in the Land of Enchantment.
BACK AT THE RANCH, THE BEGINNING: I founded it in 1990. It was Western kitsch with barnyard furniture, accessories, vintage. Then with Tyler Beard as my mentor, I put in used cowboy boots. Now it's evolved into the leading handmade Western boot store in the world. I even own a factory in El Paso. We're known for our tooled boots and exotic boots. We sell Back at the Ranch Private Label and Rocketbuster.
BOOTS ARE HER LIFE: I always wear boots, whether I'm going to a black-tie affair or work. I have 50 pairs, most of them on display in the store as samples. What I wear most are the "Wendy" zippered ankle boots.
DEFINING SANTA FE STYLE: I wear cowboy boots, 7 For All Mankind jeans, a trophy buckle, Gap or J. Crew T-shirt, vintage turquoise jewelry, and engraved silver and 14kt-gold bracelets with rubies by Dale Harris.
ON BUYING A SANTA FE HOME: I bought an old adobe north of Santa Fe. It's a flat-roofed Pueblo style, and we added on to it. Amazing views. We can see all the way to Colorado. [Check out photos of her home in the slideshow above.]
ON DECORATING IT: I have a turn-of-the-century Navajo rug hung on a wooden bench. Old Mexican benches and side tables from El Paso Import Co. Lots of Mexican pottery. Every wall in the house is white, so the artwork stands out: Michael Workman, John D. Free, George Phippen, Doug Coffin, and two Dan Ostermiller bronze bears. Vintage light fixtures from Uncommon Market in Dallas. The floors are brick and wood-planked, with Eastern European rugs that are colorful and look Southwest. The tiles in the kitchen are from San Miguel, Mexico, and each one is a different scene.
FAVORITE ROOM: Our bedroom. Two walls are all windows, and there's a Michael Workman 4-by-6-foot painting over the bed.
ENTERTAINING STYLE: Casual dinner parties for 8 to 10 people. Cowden, my husband, does chicken with lemon-caper sauce [check out the recipe]. And we do patio dining with barbecued salmon steaks. We set the table with Mexican plates by Gorky Gonzalez, each one with a different scene. Geraniums, pansies, and petunias in terracotta pots, and lavender in the ground. We didn't have that in New York, where I came here from!
Andrew Neighbour Photography
Wendy at the store
SHOPPING FOR HOME DÉCOR: We bought our Mexican plates in San Miguel and at the Tesuque Flea Market. Always looking for a treasure!
TO DRINK: Martinis. We keep a collection of Belvedere vodkas in the freezer — anything you'd want!
HER PARTY PLAYLIST: Brooks & Dunn, Randy Travis, Taylor Swift, Zubin Mehta, Barbra Streisand, Willie Nelson, Rascal Flatts, George Strait, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Lyle Lovett, and the Rolling Stones.
THE PERFECT NIGHT IN IN SANTA FE: On our patio drinking white wine and eating guacamole and chips.
THE PERFECT NIGHT OUT IN SANTA FE: On Ristra's patio having the crispy salmon with a Belvedere martini, and whatever dessert Ristra owner Eric LaMalle sends over.
SANTA FE RECOMMENDATIONS: Shop at the Tesuque Flea Market, from the Indians at the plaza, and at Jackalope. Eat at Ristra, Rio Chama, and Santacafe. Horseback riding at Broken Saddle Riding Co. And see the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum.
INDIAN MARKET, HER WAY: We do trunk shows for Rocketbuster and Coreen Cordova then. It's the most exciting week of the year at the store — it's when we present all our new styles. I might sneak out and buy some Indian pottery by Jody Naranjo.
HORSE TALK: We have Buckeye, a Quarter Horse, and Star, a Missouri Fox Trotter. We keep them at a ranch 10 minutes from the house. We're Western trail riders.
FAVORITE TRAIL: Into the Pecos Wilderness with trail guide Huey Ley. You see absolutely no signs of civilization. I loved seeing the sheep herd.
CURRENT FAVORITE RECIPE: Cowden's lemon-caper chicken.
