Ruggedly Handsome – Burns Cowboy Shop
One thing hasnt changed: you can still discern a person’s status from their footwear.
“Whether you see a boot stepping out of a Ferrari or an old ranch truck, style is on display,” says Danna Burns-Shaw, co-owner with husband Scott of Park City’s Burns Cowboy Shop.
To ensure that we look and feel confident, forthright, and well-placed in the world, be it East or West, the cowboy shop on Main Street is the first stop for footwear and accoutrements roaring straight out of the Old West.
Danna was raised in the 1876, family-owned business in Utah’s redrock country, in the little cattle town of Salina. Cutting leather under the tutelage of her father, she yearned to recreate the intricate designs of nature blooming all around her. “I was fortunate to learn bootmaking from the Luchesse family in Texas.” Danna’s “passion”, Burns custom boots, have been manufactured there for many years.
Horse gear and sturdy leather range wear were necessities for the working cowboy on the early frontier. Rare was the glimpse of an embellished boot. All has now changed!
Sourcing leather world-wide is a Burns hallmark. A hippopotamus hide from Zimbabwe springs to life with Danna’s designs, and the animal’s journey continues on customers’ feet for decades. The skill of her artisans is top-notch.
The knowledgeable staff at Burns will measure your feet to provide an exact blueprint for comfort, adding their clients’ vision, any hide, any color, any design. You are the architect; they are the craftspeople. “Many of the boots we design and sell never see a stirrup!”
Nothing in the leather business comes easy. Leather is getting harder and harder to find. “Once we run a hide, it’s gone.” Burns craftsmen use only the very best hides determined through years in the horse world with a serious grip on cowboy cache.
Danna is constantly changing and creating the next step for her present three companies: Burns Saddlery in Salina, Utah, and two Burns Cowboy Shop locations, Park City and Carmel, California. “You are either green and growing or ripe and rotting!” says this go- getter.
Stunning ostrich handbags and ladies’ beautiful western shirts are also on her design palette. “My inspiration comes from nature.” Ruggedly handsome hides and Texas wildflowers are high on her list.
Her hand-crafted belts, inlaid and tooled or simple, can be sold for as much as a saddle depending on detail. “It’s time, talent and the right materials.”
“Cowboys were ambassadors for a way of life.” Now it’s about the image of a well-dressed, confident woman or man, Burns style on display.
Coming soon: Burns 1876: A brand and evolution, 137 years of western leather craftsmanship. 363 Main Street, Park City, 435-649-6300 burnssaddlery.com.
