Some little girls dream of sliding on a glass slipper to become Cinderella. Not Margaret Walker and her sister Sarah Caruth. These two Kingwood natives who now live in San Antonio dreamed of slipping into a pair of vintage cowboy boots and becoming Crystal Gayle.
“She was our hero from the moment we saw her at the Houston Rodeo with her hair to her waist, twirling around in her sparkles and boots,” says Walker. “We had stars in our eyes.”
While they may not have grown up to become country music legends, the sisters did embrace the vibe and style of their idol, wearing cowboy boots as they traipsed across Texas hunting, hiking and fishing with their “outdoorsy” family. One of their favorite memories involves a family trip to Whispering Winds Dude Ranch in Bandera, where they were exposed to their first real honky tonk, Arkey Blue’s Silver Dollar Saloon. The musty joint with its sawdust dance floor made a big impression on the young girls, who realized that boots weren’t just made for the outdoors but also for dancing. “They don’t make honky tonks like Arkey Blue’s anymore, and we don’t think they make cowboy boots like they used to either,” Walker says.
That’s where their new business, Fraulein Boot Company, comes in. Like many other new ventures, theirs was born out of the pandemic. Caruth, who worked in sales and marketing, says COVID put a damper on her career. It wasn’t until a friend asked her to describe her dream job, that she realized her true passion might just be in her “sole.”
“People are always asking me where I get my boots and the answer is usually eBay or garage sales,” she says. “That’s when I decided to make new boots that look and feel like vintage. I asked my sister to partner with me and then the doors just started opening.”
Named for their late father’s favorite song, Fraulein Boots are manufactured by Rios of Mercedes, a bootmaker in Mexico with roots that date to 1850. The sisters design the boots, handpicking the leather, stitching and colors to achieve an authentic vintage feel.
Made in five styles, Walker says the boots are designed to work at home, on the range or on the runway. “There are no rules anymore,” Walker says. “You can wear a party dress with cowboy boots.”
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