Sheplers

The Toughest Heritage Since 1899

Sheplers Western Wear is a dealer in cowboy and cowgirl jeans, denims, hats, boots and every other western-influenced décor or garment. It is the oldest purveyor of westernized items and has been in the business since 1899.

Sheplers takes the Western style very seriously. It provides the best Western Wear across the world and stocks over 15,000 styles and more than 7,000,000 Cowboy and Cowgirl boots, Cowboy hats, Jeans from Miss Me, Wrangler and more.

Sheplers Western Wear was founded in 1899 when J.W. Gibson started “Gibson Harness Co.” in Wichita, Kansas. The business had four locations by 1946. Gibson sold the company to Harry Shepler in the same year who then changed its name to Harry Sheplers Saddle and Leather Co.

By 1961, Harry Shepler had set up a 10,000 square-foot store at 6501 W. Kellogg Drive in Wichita, Kansas. He renamed the business “Harry Sheplers Saddlery Co.” The store primarily sold saddles, leather goods, western shirts, and hats.

In January 1968, Shepler sold the business to the Dry Family. In May of the same year, the family hired architect John Coultis to come up with a Spanish/American-inspired Sheplers store. Coultis designed a store with a southwestern décor and high-beamed ceilings.

Sheplers added ladies apparel, jeans, boots and became an all-rounded store. It published its first catalog in 1970 which had a distribution of 80,000 in its first year. In 1971, the company changed its name to Shelpers Inc. and increased the square footage of its Wichita-based store.

It then expanded to Oklahoma City in 1973. Between the years 1971 and 1975, the store became quite popular for its merchandise. Its volume increased five-fold as it started to ship items internationally.

In 1976, Sheplers was sold to W.R. Grace Co. of New York. This led to the opening of more stores in Arlington, Texas and Englewood, Colorado. In 1978, it opened its doors to the residents of Dallas/FT. Worth Area.

W.R. Grace sold the Sheplers chain in 1986 to Sheplers Management Group. The store became a Kansas owned and Kansas operated company. Two years later, the group acquired 100% of the company’s stock and opened two new 15,000-square foot locations in Nevada and Missouri.

The store also started Sheplers.com which grew to become the largest online retailer of outdoor, western, and work lifestyle items. The online store now offers more than 21,000 unique styles from its 7,000,000 inventory units. Sheplers is currently owned by Boot Barn.