Standing in the interior of Al’s Handmade Boots in Midtown, Houston, you wouldn’t know if it was 1950 or 2026. Not a computer or tablet in sight. The rich smell of leather hangs in the air, and boots crowd every available surface. The back of the shop where the workers practice their craft is separated from the front by a narrow doorway, and once you step back into the maker’s space, you’re transported to another time.
Boot-making mechanisms from nearly 100 years ago sit on tables and loom over workshop areas. The steady sound of a sewing machine and a cobbler’s hammer are the only noises in the shop besides the murmur of Spanish and the occasional ringing of the doorbell signaling the arrival of a customer.
Alvaro Rivera has been a master bootmaker for over 30 years, and has been at the helm of Al’s Handmade Boots for 16 of them. Rivera learned the craft of bootmaking in Mexico from his father, who learned it from his own father. The craft goes back for five generations in Alvaro’s family. Alongside his workers—Eduardo, Nelson, Marco, Raul, Elmer, and his wife, Diana—Rivera turns animal hides into wearable works of art for his customers.
We spoke with Rivera about what it takes to be a bootmaker in an age where less and less shoes are made by hand.
