I'll Take a Hat, Boots, a Cowboy, and a Belt. What? You Don't Sell Cowboys?
The Cowboy Shop
I am a rhinestone cowgirl. I have only ridden a horse when on guided trails and have only been to a honky tonk when traveling. In Central New York, there isn't a niche for cowgirls. However, still, I love the western look. I have cowgirl boots, jeans, belts, and hats. Oh, do I have cowgirl hats.
My wonderful Julia Shady Brady hat came from a little shop called The Cowboy Shop. They don't sell cowboys, darn it, but they sell some authentic western items and their customer service is top notch.
What the Site Sells
Western clothing, footwear, hats, accessories, gifts, books, knick-knacks, and a really ugly cowgirl cookie jar.
The Site
This is a simple site that opens with different products on the home page depending on the season. This season it's the really ugly cowgirl cookie jar and other western household products. But move on past that cookie jar. There are treasures on this site!
The categories are lined down the left side: Children, Ranch Wear, Cowboy Hats, Boots & Shoes, Western Wear, Gifts, Jewelry, Luggage, Purses & Handbags, Books & Videos, and Cowgirls.
You can also search by keyword or manufacturer.
Click on a category and thumbnails of the products appear. There aren't hundreds of items on this site but there is enough variety to enjoy browsing. If you like an item, click to enlarge the photo and read the description.
You will see several other products that you may interested in under the listing and you can check them out or move on.
If you wish to buy something, click to add it to your cart. When you are finished shopping, you go to the checkout where you will either input your email address and password if you are returning shopper or register with your address and email as well as a password for future visits
Once you do that, you will see the many shipping choices you have. There are seven choices in all with the cheapest being regular ground UPS shipping. Choose one, add any notes or comments you may have for the site, and move on.
You then input your major credit card and expiry and that is that. Your order confirmation will appear and you will receive an email. When the order ships, you will receive another one with tracking information.
You can expect your order to arrive within that timeframe that you chose at checkout. Orders come well boxed and with good packing.
My Experience
I wanted a Julia Shady Brady hat. I would not accept any substitutes even though the Shady Brady line is quite expensive. A search brought up The Cowboy Shop and I found the hat I wanted for a price that was slightly lower than the others. At the time, that hat was on fire, selling like crazy, so I was happy to find one in stock.
My first venture into customer service was when I asked what size hat I should take. I apparently have a small head and even the small sized hats were slightly large on me. I saw that the site sold XS cowboy hats and wanted to ask if that size would be the right one for me (It was.). The owner of the site got right back to me with instructions on how to figure out my exact size and I did so then ordered.
My order went through fine.
I got the hat a few days later but UPS was nasty and had tossed the box around a lot. When I opened it, the brim of the hat was somewhat bent. These hats are made to be shaped and bent some but I couldn't get the brim to do what it was supposed to do.
I contacted the site again. Once again, the owner got right back to me, telling me a method of how to shape a cowboy hat. It had to do with steam and shaping and all kinds of stuff I didn't want to do. I wrote back that I really had no desire to steam my hat into shape and I was told I could return the hat for another one. In fact, the owner sent out a new hat before I sent the old one back and didn't charge me. My new Shady was at my door in a couple days, in perfect shape. I sent back the old Shady and life was swell.
I wrote a letter thanking the owner because, often customer service is just awful when it comes to returns and dealing with customers after the sale. She was friendly and said it was her pleasure dealing with me. That's a first from a website owner who gets a whiny complaint about a bent brim of a hat that is fixable — but the customer is too lazy to do it.
I was very pleasantly surprised at how accommodating this site was and how friendly the owner was. I love my Shady and wear it often and it remains one of my favorites among a bunch of favorites I now have.
I have since bought a pair of Roper boots and had the same good experience with no UPS box tossing problems.
Shipping and Returns
Shipping is via UPS based on weight. One little quibble I have with the site is that you don't know what your shipping charge is until you get to the checkout. I don't like not knowing at least an estimate of what I will be paying. Shipping charges are fair though and only jump by a small amount per item. It's the first item that is the on where handling is bundled into the shipping cost.
Quibble two is that all sales are final unless the product is defective. That could be a bad thing when ordering boots or other items that you are not sure of the fit. That is why I contacted the site before I bought the hat. However, as you read, I was able to return the hat I got and it wasn't technically defective. I could have fixed it myself but I'm not THAT much of a cowgirl wanna be. I believe they are fair with honest customers but still don't like the returns policy.
Conclusion
This is a small website with decent prices on unique western items. It doesn't rival the big guys like Shepler's and Langston's, but it has some things they don't (including the ugly cowgirl cookie jar).
I give this site 4 stars. I am not real thrilled with the returns policy but the phone number is toll free and prominently displayed and anyone can call and check on sizing and such before ordering if they are unsure. I recommend you do that or write to the site. They seem to be very eager to help their customers and to accommodate them.
Recommended:
Yes
