Giddyup! Cavender’s kicks up expansion with Cottonwood location

ALBUQUERQUE — What’s better than a pair of cowboy boots? A pair of Cavender’s stores.

Cavender’s, a Western-wear retailer based in Texas, is expanding its footprint, or boot print rather, in Albuquerque with a second location on the city’s West Side.

Patrons can find cowboy hats, cowboy boots, Western-style shirts, jeans, dresses, leather belts and other accessories at Cavender’s stores throughout the country. Entrepreneurs and married couple James and Patricia “Pat” Cavender founded the store in Pittsburg, Texas, in 1965.

The retailer first opened a store in Albuquerque at 1431-A Mercantile NE in 2014. The second location will be on the corner of Coors and Ellison, in a space formerly occupied by a CVS that closed in 2021.

“We have been impressed by the growth of the Mercantile Ave store, year over year,” said Cavender’s spokesperson Jennifer Green in a statement to the Journal. “Albuquerque has been a great market for us, (and) we are excited to open another location for our customers.”

The 14,375-square-foot West Side store at 3821 Ellison NW will carry about 8,500 pairs of boots and offer personalized services, including boot fitting, hat shaping and boot stretching, Green said.

Green told the Journal the location is expected to open in April, with a grand opening taking place later this spring.

Cavender’s venture started with a single store selling only three styles of Tony Lama boots. In 1977, the business got its big break when James bought 7,500 boots from another big boot store that went out of business. James opened a store in Tyler, Texas — now the Cavender’s headquarters — to support the inventory.

Today, Cavender’s is in its 60th year of business and is selling brands such as Tony Lama, Lucchese, Laredo, Rocky Mountain and Wrangler in over 100 stores across more than 15 states.

James and Pat, who died in 2018 and 2019, respectively, passed the business on to their sons, who still own and operate it.

“Cavender’s success is rooted in our 60-year commitment to providing our customers with the best products and services at affordable prices,” Joe Cavender, president of Cavender’s, told the Journal in a statement. “We’re excited to grow and offer customers an authentic Western experience.”

Roughly 20 people are expected to be hired for full- and part-time positions, said Lynne Haire, a district manager with Cavender’s.

Green said the company isn’t planning any further New Mexico expansions “at this time.”