By Jordan Barron

Photos By: Margarita Ponce

The smell of leather is a familiar, intoxicating scent, and no one is more familiar with it than David Mata. David, like so many of us, grew up knowing El Paso as “the boot capital of the world.” However, for David, that was his literal upbringing. For more than 40 years, Norberto Mata — David’s father — and his mother, to whom they attribute everything, were among the finest leather craftsmen and craftswomen around. In the heyday of Tony Lama, Justin Boots and Lucchese, David’s parents proudly came home every afternoon smelling of the finest leather around. In the Mata family, filling soles is very serious business.

David, his father, and his daughter Polly do their work in a discreet building, on a discreet street, in indiscreet fashion. Walking up the stairs, you smell leather. As you approach the New York-style loft, you’re greeted by a nine-foot door that alone is a statement piece. Once inside, you are embraced by nothing but love, passion, hospitality, and a little tequila. “We’re El Pasoans; don’t ask me for anything, just make yourself right at home,” seems to be David’s mantra.

My love for downtown El Paso never ceases, and frankly, I’ve come to realize that it’s only because of the people who occupy its unexpected spaces that I feel this way. A year ago, David explained that his mother unfortunately passed away from Alzheimer’s. Since that time, he noticed his father, Norberto, was not “acting himself” and rightfully so. “They spent a lifetime together. I noticed that he wasn’t himself, and I wanted to do something to get him out of his funk. One day my daughter Polly asked him to make her a pair of boots. And now we’re here; White Buffalo Boot Company.”

Among us lies a table covered in beautiful leathers of all sorts of textures and colors. “We honor every part of the animal,” says Polly. Whether it’s a pair of beautiful boots, a weekend bag or a belt, every part of the leather is used to bring a smile to their customers’ faces. “We want to honor our abuelo and abue’s legacy, and we want to make sure we pass that legacy on to our community.” That rang true.

While we were there, a young woman who had never owned a pair of boots in her life walked into the shop wearing a long black dress. Before she left (beaming with excitement) she wished that she “hadn’t worn such a long dress so people could see my boots!” Her expression is David’s reward, he explains. After spending a lifetime in architecture and construction, David, like many small-business owners, says that starting over isn’t easy — but he has never been so free in his life. Working alongside his father and his daughter is more meaningful to him than anything else in the world.

At White Buffalo Boot Company, you aren’t just another customer, you’re family. From the moment you walk in, you’re engaged in a long-standing tradition of not only boot-making but Mexican American culture and hospitality that’s unique to El Paso. In a world full of globalization, instant orders and shipment tracking, White Buffalo Boot Co. welcomes everyone with personalization, craftsmanship and a sense of pride you can’t get from mass production. “When we make something for you, it’s yours. There’s only one like it in the world.”

In this place, legacy isn’t something remembered. It’s something you wear. Luckily for us in El Paso, White Buffalo Boot Company is right where they belong — and we intend to keep them.

For custom order consultations, David can be reached through their website, whitebuffalobootcompany.com, or on Instagram @whitebuffalo_bootco.