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Where it's at
When you are in cowboy country, you’ve got to look the
part. The near legendary King’s is the best store
in the west to get kitted out in the right gear for ranches
and rodeos.
The twin stores of King's Saddlery (saddlemakers) and King's
Rope (clothing merchants) are situated on Main St, Sheridan,
Wyoming. The air is filled with the smell of new leather,
and Dude’s (wannabe cowboys) and the real McCoy’s
test out lasso ropes filing the air with the whip of tar.
What's in Store
Leather caps, chinks, belts, poker chip racks and saddles
are all on offer, and King’s Saddlery is rated by critics
as on of the world greatest.
It’s a family store owned by 70 something Don King.
His unique designs and styles learned while as a saddlemaker
apprentice is now known as the Sheridan style with exuberant
yet controlled design, often with garlands of wild roses intricately
carved into the leather drawn from the local tradition of
floral tooling. King’s customs saddles, now hand crafted
by Don’s son, John, can reach upwards of $4,000 a piece.
Dong King is now honoured as a living treasure fo American
Folk Art. The family’s leatherworks can be seen in as
high profile households as Her Majesty the Queen of England
and Bill Clinton. |
