Business
BY KARLEY CROSS
“We pour ourselves into these boots, we really do. So, [cadets] are getting a little piece of us,” Belovoskey said.
Johnnie Holick taught Belovoskey every trick of the trade of his family business.
From apprentice to owner: Master bootmaker Leo Belovoskey continues a generations-old art of hand-crafting the iconic boots for the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets.
PHOTOS BY KARLEY CROSS COMMUNITY IMPACT
Holick’s Manufacturing carries 135 years of Aggie tradition; one handmade boot at a time
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For 135 years, Holick’s Manufacturing has shaped one of Texas A&M University’s most recognizable traditions; the senior boots worn by members of the Corps of Cadets. Operating for the last 20 years out of its current Bryan location, this small business has survived a re, industry shifts and modern retail trends by adhering to a singular principle: Building quality boots the traditional way. The history The business traces its origins back to 1891 when founder Joseph Holick operated a shoe repair business in Bryan. Holick, who would become Texas A&M’s rst Aggie Bandmaster, caught the attention of the university through his exceptional craftsmanship. This relationship led to him repairing footwear for cadets, cement- ing a bond between the shop and the Corps of Cadets that grew alongside the university. By the early 1940s, Holick’s began producing the iconic senior boots locally. Before this shift, cadets typically traveled elsewhere to purchase their boots. Moving production to the local area rmly tied the beloved tradition to Aggieland.
How we got here Today, the labor-intensive process is kept alive by owner, operator and master bootmaker Leo Belovoskey. His journey to Holick’s began in 1991 under the mentorship of longtime owner Johnnie Holick, following some insistence from Belovoskey’s younger brother who was a cadet awaiting his own boots at the time. From Holick, Belovoskey learned every step of the trade and grew to deeply respect him. “I held Johnnie on a pedestal. I thought he was one of the most brilliant men that I ever met in my life,” Belovoskey said. Years later, Belovoskey was o ered the chance to buy the business, as the last bootmaker capable of continuing production. Respecting the craft Alongside a small team, Belovoskey refuses to abandon the traditional methods. While some modern machinery assists with the initial prepa- ration work, the cutting, shaping and assembling of the boots remain largely manual processes. “We’re all about the cadets and we’re all about making a good boot,” Belovoskey said. “We make it the same way that it’s been done forever.” He said he remembers countless cadets who
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4315 Wellborn Road, Bryan www.Holicks.com
have passed through the shop, each carrying a di erent story. What’s special about Holick’s While Holick’s has expanded its inventory over the years to include sabers and other accessories, its core mission remains focused on serving the cadets. Because the footwear is built by hand, it demands a level of specialized skill that is rare today. For generations of Texas A&M students, these senior boots represent achievement, history and a deep sense of belonging. Belovoskey and his team continue to step into the workshop every day with a focus on shaping leather into a living piece of Aggie history. “[Tradition] is almost like something you can hold onto,” Belovoskey said. “People want to belong to something good.”
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