Cavender’s Boot City, which calls itself “the premier destination for authentic Western wear,” is set to open a new store in Tuscaloosa on Friday. The new store will be located in Midtown Village, off McFarland Boulevard.
Cavender’s has over 100 locations and offers a wide selection of boots, clothing and hats. It also offers personalized services such as boot fittings and hat shaping.
Luke Mintz, a senior majoring in political science, said he sometimes works with family members who are shoe cobblers. He said he believes Cavender’s boots are of good quality.
“I’ve worked there for several years with them, and I know any Cavender’s boots that come in, we’ve never had difficulty fixing or preserving for the long run,” he said.
Mintz said he believes the store has a great selection of boots and that Western wear of the store’s quality is an untapped market in Tuscaloosa.
Justin McGee, a junior majoring in biology and history, said he has been interested in Western wear since he was a kid. He said that when he wants to buy boots or hats he has to drive to Birmingham. He also noted that Tuscaloosa has a local Western wear store called Ervin’s Work and Western that sells similar products to Cavender’s.
“I hope Cavender’s doesn’t outcompete them too much just because they have that chain store name associated,” he said.
Reece Thompson, a senior majoring in biology, said he is not the target demographic for the store as he does not dress in a Western wear style but has friends who do.
“The general consensus among my friends who are from the South and wear cowboy boots is that they really like to invest a lot in getting a nice pair of boots that last them for a very long time,” Thompson said. “If you’re going [to Cavender’s] to refresh your boots every five years, that is an interesting business situation.”
McGee said he believes Cavender’s has a good selection but particularly likes to buy hats from the store.
“I think for me personally it’s horrible because it’s going to do irreversible damage to my wallet,” he said about the new location.
