Tecovas (company)
Industry | Retail (Western wear) |
---|---|
Founded | 2015 (Austin, Texas) |
Headquarters | |
Number of locations | 35[1] |
Key people | Paul Hedrick (Founder) |
Products | Western wear |
Number of employees | 400 |
Website | tecovas.com |
Tecovas is an American retailer of cowboy boots and Western-style apparel. The company got its start by Paul Hedrick as a direct-to-consumer business and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.[2] Along with cowboy boots, Tecovas also sells leather accessories and denim products.[3]
History
[edit]According to popular sources, Hedrick, a Texas native,[4] graduated from Harvard and began working as a management consultant in Greenwich, Connecticut, where he found it difficult to purchase cowboy boots.[5] He started designing and manufacturing boots in Leon, Mexico,[6] before launching the online retailer in 2015.[7][8] The company is named for the geological formation Tecovas Creek, allegedly due to the founder's dream of becoming a paleontologist.[9]
In addition to its online sales, the company began opening brick and mortar stores in 2019,[10] with locations across several states.[11][12][13] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tecovas opened seven new physical locations. Sales have grown primarily as a result of digital advertising,[14] with New York and Chicago emerging as two of the company's largest markets.[15]
Sponsorship
[edit]Tecovas is the official boot sponsor of the Austin Gamblers; one of 10 bull riding teams of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Team Series held every summer through autumn in the United States since 2022.[16] In 2024, Tecovas became the first official boot sponsor of the Stagecoach country music festival. Tecovas is also a sponsor of the Opry NextStage, an 11-month program designed to invest in emerging country music artists.[17]
References
[edit]- ^ "Store Location". Tecovas. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ Cronin, Mike (4 October 2021). "How boot-making startup Tecovas has grown from single store to 17 in a couple years". Austin.
- ^ Foster, Tom (March 2019). "With Tecovas, Bootstrapper Paul Hedrick Hits His Stride". Texas Monthly.
- ^ Kavilanz, Parija (13 February 2019). "Cowboy boots are pricey and tricky to buy. This startup wants to change that". CNN.
- ^ Halkias, Maria (3 October 2019). "Retail Therapy: Western brand Tecovas stomps into a crowded boot market". The Dallas Morning News.
- ^ Turner, Dennis (25 November 2021). "Amid great anticipation, Tecova's finally lands in Waco, thanks to one man". KXXV.
- ^ Segran, Elizabeth (20 December 2018). "The Warby Parker of cowboy boots has a Texas-sized plan to win 21st-century retail". Fast Company.
- ^ Alvarez Barajas, Edgar (11 January 2021). "Made for gawking: Inside Tecovas' plan to build a cowboy boots empire". Input.
- ^ DeCiccio, Emily (20 November 2019). "Tecovas: A cowboy boot for everywhere and everyone". Fox Business.
- ^ Whelchel, Lindsay (29 April 2021). "Tecovas wins favor with down-to-earth branding and exquisite styling". Cowboys & Indians.
- ^ Foster, Tom (March 2019). "With Tecovas, Bootstrapper Paul Hedrick Hits His Stride". Texas Monthly.
- ^ Feser, Katherine (9 October 2020). "Tecovas saddles up as it expands to The Woodlands". Houston Chronicle.
- ^ Muccigrosso, Catherine (30 March 2021). "A Western bootmaker is opening its first NC retail store in Charlotte. What to expect". The Charlotte Observer.
- ^ Townsend, Matthew (12 January 2021). "In Blow to Retailers, Pandemic Made Online Upstarts Even Stronger". Bloomberg.
- ^ Penny, Daniel (23 June 2021). "Cowboy Boots in the City? Why Western Style Is Trending". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ "Out friends and heroes, the Austin Gamblers". Tecovas. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
- ^ "How Tecovas approaches events, from music festivals to professional bull riding". Modern Retial. Retrieved June 27, 2024.