James Cavender, a Texas Legend

James Cavender, founder of the fastest-growing Western wear chain in America, passed away on Tuesday, May 29 at the age of 87. I had the chance to meet the man once and was thoroughly impressed by his sharp wit and boundless energy for a man in his 80s.

I was in Cavender’s corporate offices in Tyler, Texas, and he came for a visit.  When he arrived, his presence was felt even before he entered the room. He was a mover and a shaker his whole life, and he still made waves in the home office that day.

First, he sought out the company’s marketing man at the time, Terry Cooper, to discuss the idea of sponsoring a rodeo series. Next, he found his youngest son, Clay, to show him a pair of gloves he came across while on a hunting trip that he thought the stores should carry. Then, he had a case of East Texas honey and wanted to be sure every employee got a jar. But his eyes really twinkled at the first chance he had to mention that he sold four pairs of boots and needed the orders fulfilled.

That episode—while my only exposure to the man—seemed very indicative of who he was. Always moving, always thinking how to serve his customers and his employees, and always looking to make a sale.

He came of age in Idabel, Oklahoma, during the Great Depression, working any and every odd job his parents pointed him toward. In addition to the family farm and ranch, James’s parents ran an appliance store, gas station, and motel to make ends meet.

James was an official “Maytag Repairman,” motel bell hop, gas jockey, and farmhand all while in high school. Lessons of hard work, frugality, and customer service took root in his mind at a young age. And those attributes paid immediate dividends, financing his education at Oklahoma A&M, where he earned his degree in animal science. From there, he joined the U.S. Air Force.

But it was after his tour of duty—working as an insurance adjuster in Dallas—that he made the most important decision of his life: marrying “Miss Pat” Whitten, a fellow Idabel native.

Looking for a better way to support his new wife, James scoured the newspapers. He noticed an ad offering the opportunity for a Dairy Mart franchise in Pittsburg, Texas, in 1957. James visited the town and saw dozens of people walking the streets with nowhere to eat. Thinking he found an untapped market, he quickly signed the franchise papers. Once he moved to town, however, he learned that all the people he’d seen were on strike from the town’s top employer, Lone Star Steel.

Nonetheless, James made it work. For eight years, the Dairy Hart (James renamed the place after breaking away from the franchise) was a Pittsburg institution, known for quality food and excellent customer service. However, by 1965, James was looking for a business that wouldn’t keep him from his young family on evenings and weekends. He sold the restaurant and opened a clothing store.

It was in the clothing business that James found the perfect combination of his skills, personality, and experiences serving customers a quality product at a fair price. As a country boy in a small Texas town, it was only natural to carry cowboy boots. He started with three styles of Tony Lama boots. They sold well—in fact, as well as anything in the store—so James added more styles. It was an inauspicious beginning for a family company that would go on to sell millions of pairs of boots.

His origin story is so uniquely American that I love telling it. After the first store was firmly established, he continued to find ways to expand his business. Today, his three sons, Joe, Mike and Clay, run the 80-some stores in 11 states. In addition to the incredible influence of their mother, you can see James living on in each of them in different ways. But, there will only ever be one James Cavender. The man is a Texas Legend to whom we should all tip our hats.