Rocketbuster Handmade Custom Boots works out of a 1900 former trappers’ warehouse at 115 Anthony Street in El Paso’s Union Plaza district. According to Texas Highways, the business has a colorful origin: Marty Snortum acquired it in 1989 in a barroom trade for his 1953 Cadillac hearse.
A New York designer in El Paso
Nevena Christi, a fashion designer who had made boots for a Nicole Miller runway show in New York, moved to El Paso in 1997 and took over the company. She runs it as its “bosslady.”
How the boots are made
At the time of the Texas Highways visit, Christi and eight employees cut, painted and stitched leather at workbenches. Each boot is custom drawn to fit the customer’s legs. Texas Highways reported prices of $950 to $5,000 and a wait of about five months, so check with the shop for current pricing and timing. The shop has made boots for Willie Nelson’s 80th birthday.
Keeping a craft alive
The shop’s stated goal is to attract younger customers and new craftspeople to preserve custom bootmaking, a trade the article describes as threatened by mass production.
Know before you go
- Tours were offered by appointment. Contact the shop to confirm current options.
Rocketbuster is a good reminder that handmade work is still alive in Texas, one pair at a time.