Pinto Ranch

Pinto Ranch, a carefully curated boutique of apparel, accessory, hat and boot brands for men and women, has four store locations – five if you count its newly-designed website. Walter Pye, Jr., opened the 11,000-square foot flagship store in the Galleria area of Houston in 2004 to fill a void for a high-end Western store in the iconic Western town. Each of the three subsequent locations–Dallas, Las Vegas and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)–is a spinoff of the brand’s luxury lodge theme and characteristic “YY” fire brand that harkens back to the original Houston store’s look and feel, which is inspired by a working ranch in Wyoming of the same name.

Each retail space has its own footprint that showcases its location.  The airport store, located in Terminal C just past the security gate, is a 900-square foot space that enables travelers to take home a piece of Texas with them.  The Dallas store is in the historic North Park Mall near Neiman Marcus.  “We call ourselves the Neiman Marcus of Western, so the location fits!” jokes Bea Garcia, Director of Marketing.  The Vegas location has a decidedly cosmopolitan flair to help it stand out as the finest Western store on the bustling Las Vegas strip.  Additionally, each store offers a slightly different twist on its products based on the vibe of its location and the taste of the local clientele.

“When you walk into Pinto Ranch, I hope you get the feeling that it’s welcoming and there’s a style to it where you want to know more,” says Garcia. “Pinto Ranch has a fantastic presentation and we really focus on highlighting certain brands.”

No matter the setting, each of the Pinto Ranch stores remains true to a timeless Western aesthetic and the retail brand’s commitment to quality, handcrafted and artisan merchandise. Garcia says Pinto Ranch can be summed up in one word:  “authentic.”

“We only carry handmade boots, our buckles are handmade by the silversmiths, our clothing collections are hand-picked and unique–you don’t find them everywhere.  We carry jewelry by local artisans.  So, it’s very bonafide,” Garcia says.

That authenticity is apparent at all levels of the organization, including Pinto Ranch’s knowledgeable sales staff.  “Our experts are experts,” praises Garcia.  “When we say let me have you talk to one of our boot experts, we’re serious because of the knowledge they have and their experience with customers. Our biggest differentiator is customer service.”

Elizabeth Goetz, PR & Marketing Associate, says everyone pitches in at the small company to make sure customer service is top-notch. “Each online order is managed by hand with the same person printing the order ticket, pulling the merchandise from the floor, packaging it, and processing the payment–it’s all done by one person,” Goetz says.  “That’s very unique in this world.  It helps us pay attention to details and really give great customer service.”

Goetz adds that customer service training comes right from the source, enabling the sales team to expertly serve Pinto Ranch’s high-end clientele.  “Every employee at Pinto Ranch goes to south Texas to take a tour of all the boot factories of Lucchese, Stallion and Rios of Mercedes; each employee knows what goes into making a handmade boot so they can address customer questions.”  Additionally, when Pinto Ranch adds a new line of clothing or accessories, the company hosts a designer-led seminar to introduce the product to the sales team.  “Our knowledgeable staff sets us apart from a lot of retail, not just Western,” Goetz says.

Between the four stores, Pinto Ranch has about 5,000 pairs of handmade boots in stock, making it the largest handmade boot collection in the U.S.  Boot brands range from Western staples like Lucchese, Rios of Mercedes, Old Gringo and Stallion to more cross-over styles like Freebird by Steven.  For clothing, Pinto Ranch carries lines by Vintage Collection, Ryan Michael, Scully, Double D Ranch, Stetson, Filson and more.

Whether you are a looking for a Western accessory to add flair to a simple shift dress, shopping for a made-in-the-USA Western dress shirt, purchasing a pair of boots that will last you a lifetime, or needing a Western outfit to wear to an event, Pinto Ranch has something that is not only on-point, but is also crafted with quality in mind.

“We try to stay very fashion forward,” explains Garcia.  “We pick the fashions with the Western detailing in mind–embroidery, beautiful lace and tailored, handmade quality.  We really want to stay trendy with fashion, while paying attention to our customers and offering what they want to wear.”

Customers who can’t make it into one of the Pinto Ranch stores can shop online at PintoRanch.com and can also interact with the brand on social media and via the Pinto Ranch lifestyle blog, The Pinto Post.  “There’s so much to say about what we offer, and Western is so contemporary right now – you see it on the runways, couture fashion lines, there are pieces of Western all over!” Garcia says. “Pinto Ranch is not a trendy boutique; we’re an American brand – a lifestyle. We want to spread that across the U.S. and be accessible to customers locally, as well as online. We really love our product and we want our customers to see that, too.” 

Visit their online store at pintoranch.com.