King Ranch Saddle Shop
                 
The King Ranch saddle shop, located in historic downtown Kingsville, is a
hub of novelties of the old ranching days that used to encompass south Texas,
mixed with some current styles of the modern era. It is a store that really has
it all when it comes to leather crafts. They sport everything from furniture to
  boots to clothes and even guns. Everything in the saddle shop is priced at a
  price worthy of the “Running W” brand, which if you ever get the opportunity to
  visit you will notice has been incorporated onto everything they sell. The
  history of the ship is simply that it began as a place where cowboys would come to have their boots and saddles repaired by a skilled craftsman. Today this shop still sells customs saddles and boots, but it is more of a souvenir shop
that caters to tourists visiting the Ranch or the university. 
                 
The saddle shop was opened in 1909 and for 70 years stood as the most
preeminent department store south of San Antonio. The current employees are
fourth and fifth generation Kineros, which means the people of the King Ranch.
The way that the leather work is done however, has not changed in over 100 years and can still be witnessed in the shop being made by hand.

Ranching, especially in south Texas, is one of the toughest ways
to make a living. Between the sun, prickly vegetation, the animals themselves,
and the humidity all the odds are against you. A rancher or cowboy is hard on
gear and he can’t sport gear that can’t even carry its own weight. His clothing
and tack has to be the highest quality and the best made or it is useless. The
King Ranch is one of the largest ranches in the world, and employs hundreds of
ranch hands and they have to have the best gear and they have to have gear that is complete with the brand that they ride for.

The King Ranch saddle shop is a place that few people outside the
ranching community knows about but it continues to grow in popularity and the
items offered there will continue to grow and change with the times. Even as
technology changes, the saddle shop will continue to hand craft every item that
goes out the door and every item will sport the coveted “Running W’ brand that
has become a staple in the ranching world as the symbol of the King
Ranch.


http://www.krsaddleshop.com/default.asp

Justin Martinez
10/22/2012 03:30:29 am

Hello, my name is Justin. I found this blog quite interesting because I would like to visit the King Ranch Saddle Shop in the near future. I have always been interested in the manufacturing of leather, and according to the blog, I believe this would be a neat location to witness it first-hand. Thanks for the information.

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Kevin Allen
10/22/2012 03:33:15 am

Hello, this is Kevin Allen. I was interested in this blog because it talked about one of the shops in Kingsville that has been around for a long time. My mom grew up in Kingsville, and her father worked as a ranch-hand on the King Ranch. When I moved to Kingsville to attend the local University, she told me about all the different places that she knew about growing up including this local shop. The story about the tradition of handcrafting everything is very interesting.

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10/22/2012 03:48:04 am

Hello, my name is Tamara Lee. I found this blog interesting because it contains history about the town I live in. I have lived in Kingsville for about two and a half years now, and I had no idea about the detailed history of the King Ranch Saddle Shop. I have been in the store before, and as you said in your blog, everything in the store cost a pretty penny.

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Rebekah Ramos
10/26/2012 07:40:26 am

Hi, my name is Rebekah Ramos. I found this blog very interesting due to the fact that it talks about a store that sells some items about one of the most iconic ranch in Texas. The King Ranch is one of the biggest in the United States with their own breed of cattle that they bred especially for the Texas weather. There is a reason all of their merchandise is so expensive.

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    Michael Hall