Guthrie, Oklahoma-based Lisa Sorrell can trace her own bootmaking ancestry back to one of the first cowboy bootmakers ever: Gus Blucher (a man quite aptly named for a shoe). Gus presumably would’ve been quite proud, as for the last three decades Lisa has oh so gracefully maintained a position of remarkably high esteem in the cowboy bootmaking pantheon, thanks to her overall skill and coveted inlay/overlay work that commands a starting price of $10,000 per bespoke pair.
In what is without question one of our personal favorite episodes ever, Lisa dispels a stack of cowboy boot myths; gets deep into why the form and construction of the uniquely American art form evolved in the ways they did; discusses what makes 1940s cowboy boot lasts the unmatched pinnacle; and explains why she’s the “ambassador for raising prices” (it’s almost certainly not why you’d think) and why cowboy boots are a whole lot like lingerie.
Give it a listen below!
![lisa sorrell my elusive dreams](https://stitchdown.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/lisa-sorrell-my-elusive-dreams-e1675123184546.webp)
“My Elusive Dreams”
![lisa sorrell turning to the light](https://stitchdown.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/lisa-sorrell-turning-to-the-light-e1675124250126.webp)
“Turning To The Light”
![lisa sorrell a satisfied mind](https://stitchdown.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/lisa-sorrell-a-satisfied-mind-e1675125604757.webp)
“A Satisfied Mind”
![austria boots arnold schwarzenegger lisa sorrell](https://stitchdown.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/20-1024x819.jpg)
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Austrian flag boots (which Lisa never wants to make again, so please don’t ask her to!)
![walking the floor over you lisa sorrell](https://stitchdown.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/walking-the-floor-over-you-lisa-sorrell-821x1024.jpeg)
“Walking The Floor Over You”
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This episode was sponsored by Standard & Strange, which has taken all of the finest Japanese boots and brought them to Oakland, NYC, and Sante Fe, just for you