Both have had custom handmade boots from the 100-year-old store located just off Expressway 83 in Mercedes.

But the two aren’t the only folks looking to Mercedes for their boots. In fact, Mercedes is known as the boot-making capital of Texas.

"Well, it’s because we have several boot shops in Mercedes, and that’s why it’s so well-known," said Rios of Mercedes sales manager Ruth Hernandez, an 11-year veteran of the boot-making industry.

"Lyle Lovett calls here all the time," Hernandez said.

President Bill Clinton also bought custom-made boots from Cavazos Boots.

Cavazos, which makes about 40 pairs of boots a month, has been in business for more than 45 years.

Henry Camargo of Camargo’s Western Boots, a custom-made boot store, has his own ideas about why Mercedes became home to the boot-making industry: the Rios brothers.

"Back in the 1800s, everyone was employed at the Rios factory. They had two, one here and one in Raymondville, and it was a good job," said Camargo, a Mercedes native.

He worked there himself for many years; it helped transform him into a unique boot maker.

"I learned how to make everything on the assembly line. You know, one guy could only make the soles, but I was moving around. I do everything here," he said.

While Camargo certainly knows his boots, it’s the design aspect that keeps him interested.

"I think that’s what I liked most about it," he said. "I liked to draw and be creative. I’ve done motorcycles, cars, all kinds of things."

Today, most of Camargo’s business comes from around the state, and he makes about five pairs a week. At one point, he was making up to 14 pairs a week.

The decline, he said, is just a sign of the times.

 "I was 18 when I started. All those guys I started working with have died off now. There are apprentices, but many just don’t have the talent or the patience," said Camargo, a 30-year veteran of the industry.

Another problem is the scarceness of different types of quality leather, Camargo said. With elephants, sea turtles and ant eaters now dying out, the skin is less obtainable.

Camargo went on to say that imitation boots from Mexico are also proving to be a problem, as well as more competition from larger cities like El Paso.

"They look real, but there’re generic boots. And cheap too," he said.

Boots can run anywhere from $250 to thousands of dollars. Quality is what you pay for, he said.