Western lifestyle apparel staple Pinto Ranch celebrates their 15-year anniversary.
Enter through the doors of any Pinto Ranch store and the scent of fine leather will immediately overtake your senses.
Your eyes will quickly catch up to your nose in awe of an impressive wall lined with handmade boots and fashion pieces. Cap this off with a friendly greeting by a knowledgeable sales associate and you’re on your way to experiencing what this 15-year-old Western business endeavors to embody: the grandeur, quality, and kindness of the American West.
Pinto Ranch began as a vision of Walter Pye Jr., a man whose retail roots run deep. From 1934 to 1997, his eponymous family retail shop was long associated with fine attire. But it was Pinto Ranch that brought Pye back onto the fashion scene.
In 2004, Pinto Ranch opened its 13,000-square-foot flagship store in Houston.
Named after a real working ranch in Wyoming, the store has since expanded to locations in Dallas and Las Vegas, as well as an airport location in Houston.
“It’s the idea of the traditions and the legacy of the West, the pioneering spirit, that American style that is all our own,” says Bea Garcia, Pinto Ranch marketing director, of the inspiration behind the store.
Inside its walls, visitors will find a vast but carefully curated collection of goods. From handmade boots, 14-karat gold buckles, finely crafted silver jewelry, one-of-a-kind saddles, and high-fashion apparel that blends ranch with runway. Here, the Western world is your oyster.
The store offers an unexpected shopping experience to customers who might expect something more stereotypical, Garcia says. At Pinto Ranch, it is about pairing high-end apparel with authentic statement pieces for the Western lifestyle. And the modern-day trend of Western influences — found anywhere from Hollywood to New York City — inspires the business.
“People are blending fashions more,” Garcia says. “It’s not such a vertical, strict styling that it used to be. We offer unique stylings that can fit with anything, because it’s truly American. I think people are open to doing something new and being individual in their fashion, which is nice, because this means that we can continue to grow and expand what we have to offer, and that people will find us just as interesting and unique as they want to be.”
Customers can also revel in Pinto Ranch’s brick-and-mortar locations. “We love having visitors,” Garcia says. “Houston, Las Vegas, and Dallas couldn’t represent us better [than they do], because they’re just iconic cities of the West. It’s a great trio of representation for us, and we hope to move forward in those cities forever and be accessible to our customers.”
Part of being accessible means Pinto Ranch has embraced the online retail atmosphere with its trademark focus on customer service. Never fear, long-distance shoppers: Pinto Ranch prioritizes providing customers with the knowledge of sales associates who have decades-long histories in Western fashion. And if a customer needs to exchange a pair of boots, the brand is quick to offer free shipping until the buyer finds the perfect fit.
Speaking of boots, Pinto Ranch prides itself on offering one of the largest selections of traditionally handmade boots in the country. This fall, Garcia says, they’ve outdone themselves. “Our boots are the tried-and-true way of making boots that dates back over 150 years, so that’s definitely a legacy that we’re proud to continue,” she says. “We’re so excited about the boots in this fall and winter. Our boot buyer, Mike Burchett, has really done an outstanding job. You’re not going to get a better boot anywhere.”
Photography: Courtesy Pinto Ranch
From the October 2019 issue.
