Texas
How Two Sisters From Texas Bootstrapped A Luxury Cowboy Boot Brand, Miron Crosby
Miron Crosby flagship studio in Highland Park Village, Dallas
There’s a certain class of ultra-luxury brands that only a select few know about. These cognoscenti brands are ultra-exclusive, ultra-authentic and often ultra-expensive but also handcrafted for those who value ultra-quality.
That was the original definition of “quiet luxury,” until it morphed into a no-logos fashion look that everybody seems to be wearing these days.
Miron Crosby is such an original “quiet luxury” brand, but the product it makes is anything but quiet – bespoke, luxury cowboy boots. Miron Crosby serves a narrow niche within the wider luxury boot market, but that’s the thing about ultra-niche luxury brands. Its niche clientele pull others who want to be in the know into the brand’s orbit.
In true “quiet luxury” fashion, Miron Crosby whispers, it doesn’t shout. It’s become a thriving business that has grown into three stores, called studios, since its founding in 2017.
Its flagship studio is located in Dallas’ exclusive Highland Park Village. Houston opened last year in historic Lamar River Oaks center and in its first venture outside Texas, it has a studio in Aspen, CO where the quiet-luxury crowd flocks in the winter. Miron Crosby also has a thriving e-commerce business where you can design-your-own boots in your private jet.
“We are a fashion brand that makes cowboy boots and the fashion component is what really differentiates us,” shared co-founder Lizzie Means Duplantis with me.
“There was a total void in the market for handmade, hand lasted cowboy boots that were really ‘luxe’ and fashion forward, particularly for women,” though the company also offers boots for men and kids too.
Boots In The Blood
Lizzie is joined by her younger sister Sarah Means in the Miron Crosby adventure. They grew up on a far-flung cattle ranch outside Marfa, TX, which their family has run since 1884 – just a year after the fictional Yellowstone Dutton family set off from Texas to Montana, but I digress.
The company name is a take on their great-grandfather’s, Marian Otis Means, with Crosby coming from the name of a pasture on the ranch and it’s also their favorite street in SoHo.
Growing up, cowboy boots were part of the sisters’ ranch uniform, but being girls with an interest in fashion, they never settled for standard styles. They had a special insiders’ connection where cowboy boots were concerned.
Their cousins owned the Rios of Mercedes Boot Company in South Texas and the girls were able to design their own boots and play with colors and materials at an early age.
Rios remains one of Miron Crosby’s three valued manufacturing partners operating on both sides of the Rio Grande.
Winding Road Back To Texas
After attending an Austin boarding school, both sisters graduated from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, then headed to New York City to make their way.
Lizzie’s first gig was as an intern in the marketing department at Forbes, which she turned into a full-time gig for five years. After that, she moved into finance at Goldman Sachs. Sarah followed a path in fashion, working for Loeffler Randall, which specializes in footwear.
But both women brought their cowboy boots along to NYC. “I was kind of Uptown and Sarah, as the creative one, was more Downtown, but we both wore our cowboy boots to work,” Lizzie said. “So I’d go to Goldman in my pencil skirts with my cowboy boots and Sarah did the same. Always people would stop us on the street and ask where they could get a pair.”
Sisters Sarah Means (L) and Lizzie Means Duplantis (R) in Miron Crosby flagship Highland Park … [+]
That early market research sat idle for a while as Lizzie returned to Texas, married, started a family and launched a furniture rental business. Sarah followed back to Texas shortly after, but to pursue a law degree at Texas Tech University.
“Being the bossy older sister, I finally sat Sarah down to talk seriously about the cowboy boot idea. I sold my rental business and used that money to fund Miron Crosby,” Lizzie said.
Sarah added, “It was a crazy time. Lizzie was pregnant with her third child and I was in law school so I had to commute back and forth to the store on the weekends.”
That was in 2017 and Sarah completed her law degree in 2018. But practicing law wasn’t in the cards. She immediately went full time to work at Miron Crosby.
Timing Right
The sisters’ instincts proved right as “cowboy chic” became a thing with the premiere of Yellowstone in 2018. “People are thinking about the West more than they were before, which only helps our category. We’re of the belief that rising tides lift all ships, and the more exposure to western wear the better,” Lizzie said.
While the company offers off-the-shelf selections, it’s known for bespoke personalization – having one’s initials or special date sewn onto the boot’s ear pulls or having a handwritten note transcribed into the liner of the boot.
The website also offers a design-your-own app where a customer can design their boots from a variety of features, colors, materials and styles. And a custom concierge service is available in studio or by phone to walk the client through creating their custom boot from the sole up.
Customization takes a bit longer for delivery, but then, the wait is part of the brand’s authentic luxury.
Taking It To The Bank
Miron Crosby has enjoyed remarkable success. Year-to-date, sales are running nearly 50% over 2023 and it increased the number of new customers by 69% in that time. About two-thirds of revenue is generated at retail, with the remaining one-third from e-commerce.
Growth like can strain an entrepreneurial venture, especially as the company was opening a new store in Houston last year. They found themselves strapped for cash but instead of turning to the venture capital markets, which Lizzie with her background would have no trouble navigating, they went to the bank for a loan instead.
“It was an interesting time trying to figure out what to do,” Lizzie shared. “We put a deck together and entertained the notion, but at the 19th hour we secured a bank loan and we’ve worked past that now. We ultimately decided we didn’t want to go the VC route and kept it in the family.”
Not being a cognoscenti in cowboy-chic style, I asked how many cowboy boots a woman can own and Lizzie said, “You’d be surprised. You can wear them any where, from work to date night to a wedding and knocking around town. But you’ll want to change them up depending on the occasion.”
Miron Crosby’s data proves that point. Some 47% of sales are generated from repeat customers.
Kicking Up Their Heels
Marilyn Monroe famously said, “Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world.” Boots are even more empowering and with the right pair of cowboy boots, she’s ready to take on the universe, just ask English-actress Kelly Reilly, who plays Beth Dutton in the Yellowstone series.
Beth is truly a kiss-@ss character and how better to do that than in a pair of cowboy boots. And what professional woman doesn’t want a bit of Beth to rub off on her? I don’t mean the conniving, vengeful, brawling Beth, but to have some of her fearless strength and take-no-prisoners attitude.
That’s what Lizzie channeled in her Goldman Sachs days when she made cowboy boots part of her work uniform. Now she and her sister Sarah are giving women the chance to feel that same cowboy-boot power through Miron Crosby.
A North Texas woman is apologizing to her neighborhood after being held hostage for more than 24 hours during a standoff that shut down a Providence Village subdivision and disrupted school bus service.
CBS News Texas obtained a post from the woman, who wrote, “I am so sorry, everyone, all of you have such wonderful families, and I’m sorry to bring this monster to us.”
Neighbors responded with support, telling her, “We are here for you,” and “Don’t be sorry, we were just so worried for you.”
Suspect faces multiple felony charges
Authorities said the woman was rescued by the FBI and SWAT after allegedly being held by 57‑year‑old Michael Miller. He faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, unlawful restraint, aggravated kidnapping, burglary of a habitation, and violation of bond/protective order.
Miller received bonds on all charges except aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. His total bond on the remaining charges is $4.5 million.
Neighbors sheltered in place for more than a day
Residents of the Foree Ranch subdivision are now trying to return to normal, but many say the experience is still lingering.
Preston Turner said he walked into the situation unexpectedly.
“I went to leave my house roughly on Monday morning, around 1 a.m., to go help a friend out that was in need,” Turner said. “I opened my garage, and I was approached by two SWAT members, and they were telling me to hurry up and close my garage and that we could not leave the house.”
Turner, his wife and children spent the next 24-plus hours hosting neighbors who lived across the street from the victim’s home. He streamed the standoff live on TikTok until authorities asked him to stop for safety reasons.
“And once I got the stream going, her family was on the stream, and they were asking me to continue because they wanted to know what was going on. So, very concerned about her,” he said.
Turner said he could see when Miller was arrested and placed into an SUV before being taken to jail.
Families describe fear and uncertainty
Up the block, Ruby Condensa and her family sheltered in place as the hours dragged on.
“It went on for so long. Um, at one point, I honestly did not know what was going to happen after we hit the 20-hour mark and I woke up, and I heard them,” Condensa said.
Her nearly two‑year‑old son Kai is used to playing outside, and she believes the uncertainty added to his anxiety.
“Kai, he’s a baby. He doesn’t know, but I think that obviously it was a lot just being inside. And I know my anxious energy might’ve been a little on him because it was a scary situation. Um, if it was that scary for me, I can’t even imagine what her and her family went through.”
Community gives victim space, offers support
Neighbors chose not to visit the victim’s home on Wednesday, saying they wanted to give her space after the traumatic event. But they made clear they are ready to help.
“It’s really sad, and I feel for her, and I hope that she can heal from that,” Condensa said. “And I know that, um, our neighborhood has really rallied around her, and if she needs anything. I know a lot of us would be there to help her in whatever way she needs.”
ABILENE, Texas — A Florida truck driver has been charged with intoxication manslaughter after a crash at a rural intersection left a South Texas man dead, authorities said.
Miguel Angel Casanova, 68, of Saint Cloud, Florida, suffered minor injuries in the crash and was wearing a seatbelt, according to investigators. After receiving treatment at Hendrick North Emergency Care, he was arrested on the charge.
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Authorities identified the victim as Adam Lee Reyna, 26, of Mission, Texas. Reyna, who was driving a 2019 Dodge Ram pickup, died at the scene and was pronounced dead by Justice of the Peace Mike McAuliffe. His seatbelt use was not immediately known.
According to a preliminary investigation, Casanova was traveling westbound on County Road 54 and approached a stop sign at the intersection with State Highway 351. Reyna was traveling northbound on the highway toward the same intersection.
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Investigators said Casanova failed to yield at the stop sign, and the vehicles collided.
The impact caused Reyna’s pickup to catch fire, and it was destroyed, authorities said.
RELATED| Abilene man indicted for intoxication manslaughter
Further investigation determined Casanova was intoxicated due to an overdose of medication at the time of the crash.
The investigation remains ongoing.
DALLAS — Texas can require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public schools, a U.S. appeals court ruled Tuesday in a victory for conservatives who have long sought to incorporate more religion into classrooms.
The 9-8 decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a boost to backers of similar laws in Arkansas and Louisiana. Opponents have argued that hanging the Ten Commandments in classrooms proselytizes to students and amounts to religious indoctrination by the government.
In a lengthy majority opinion, the conservative-leaning appeals court in New Orleans rejected those arguments in Texas, saying the requirement does not step on the rights of parents or students.
“No child is made to recite the Commandments, believe them, or affirm their divine origin,” the ruling says.
The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups that challenged the Texas law on behalf of parents said in a statement that they anticipate appealing the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“The First Amendment safeguards the separation of church and state, and the freedom of families to choose how, when and if to provide their children with religious instruction. This decision tramples those rights,” they said in the statement.
The mandate is one of several fronts in Texas that opponents have fought over religion in classrooms. In 2024, the state approved optional Bible-infused curriculum for elementary schools, and a proposal set for a vote in June would add Bible stories to required reading lists in Texas classrooms.
The decision over the Ten Commandments law reverses a lower federal court ruling that had blocked about a dozen Texas school districts — including some of the state’s largest — from putting up the posters. The Texas law signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott took effect in September, marking the largest attempt in the nation to hang the Ten Commandments in public schools.
From the start, the law was met almost immediately by a mix of embrace and hesitation in Texas classrooms that educate the state’s 5.5 million public school students.
The mandate animated school board meetings, spun up guidance about what to say when students ask questions, and led to boxes of donated posters being dropped on the doorsteps of campuses statewide. Although the law only requires schools to hang the posters if donated, one suburban Dallas school district spent nearly $1,800 to print roughly 5,000 posters.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, called the ruling “a major victory for Texas and our moral values.”
“The Ten Commandments have had a profound impact on our nation, and it’s important that students learn from them every single day,” he said.
Tuesday’s ruling comes after the appeals court heard arguments in January in the Texas case and a similar case in Louisiana. In February, the court cleared the way for Louisiana to enforce its law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms.
Republican Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said the Texas ruling “adopted our entire legal defense” of the law in her state. In Alabama, Republican Gov. Kay Ivey also signed a similar law earlier this month.
“Our law clearly was always constitutional, and I am grateful that the Fifth Circuit has now definitively agreed with us,” Murrill said in a statement posted to social media.
Judge Stephen A. Higginson, in a dissenting opinion joined by four others on the court, wrote that the framers of the Constitution “intended disestablishment of religion, above all to prevent large religious sects from using political power to impose their religion on others.”
“Yet Texas, like Louisiana, seeks to do just that, legislating that specific, politically chosen scripture be installed in every public-school classroom,” Higginson wrote.
The law says schools must put donated posters “in a conspicuous place” and requires the writing to be a size and typeface that is visible from anywhere in a classroom to a person with “average vision.” The displays must also be 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall.
Texas’ law easily passed the GOP-controlled Legislature and Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have backed posting the Ten Commandments in classrooms.
___
Associated Press writer Audrey McAvoy contributed to this report from Honolulu, Hawaii.
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