The Litchfield Farm Kid Who Built Boot Shack One Boot At A Time
You probably know him as Kevin from the Boot Shack. Kevin Durken is the longtime owner of the Boot Shack along Roosevelt Road behind Shooters. Durken was born in Litchfield and grew up on the family farm 2 miles outside of Litchfield along Highway 24. He says the family farm had 167 acres with 22 cows with 30 sows, pigs and a large vegetable garden. Kevin believes his strong work ethic came from working on the family farm as a kid with his parents and 3 siblings.
Early Years
Kevin was involved in FFA as a young person and took his first job outside the family farm at the Super America gas station in Litchfield. He pumped gas for customers and made $2.10 an hour. Kevin recalls his classmates were envious of that wage in 1974. With the money Kevin made, he purchased a 1974 Nova, which he says was the only car loan he ever had.
Taste of Sales
When Kevin was in 10th grader at Litchfield High School, they had a magazine drive. He rode is bike into town Friday, Saturday and Sunday and sold magazine subscriptions. This was Kevin's first taste of sales and he realized he was pretty good at it. Kevin sold 45 subscriptions on the weekend. The ag instructor said it was supposed to be a contest so he bought a 12-inch TV as the top prize for the top magazine subscription seller. Over a 2-week period Kevin visited two-thirds of the homes in Litchfield selling magazine subscriptions. He sold 267 subscriptions and won the TV, which he still has today.
College
After Kevin's experience selling subscriptions, he realized sales would make more sense for him than farming. After graduation Kevin attended college in Willmar focusing on ag business and sales. He was also working part-time at the Coborns Liquor Store in Willmar. Kevin saw an ad to work for a custom lubricant company out of Dallas, Texas called Hydro Techs. He says they made custom made lubricants that were high end. Kevin moved to St. Cloud to sell Hydro Techs to area farmers while still working part-time at Coborns on 5th Avenue in St. Cloud.
Start of the Boot Shack
Kevin had a contact, who wanted to start a boot store in St. Cloud. His name was Jim and he bought a former guard shack and turned it into the first Boot Shack in St. Cloud. He asked Kevin to come and work with him and he did in 1980. Kevin recalls not knowing much about cowboy boots at the time but he learned. The Boot Shack started on August 1, 1980. Five months after the original Boot Shack opened Jim asked Kevin if he'd like to buy the business. Kevin was 22-years old at the time and wanted to borrow $2,200 but was originally denied at a bank in St. Cloud but was able to get the loan at his hometown bank in Litchfield.
Boot Shack on the Move
Kevin recalls the business getting off to a slow start in the early years. The original Boot Shack was in the parking lot of the Granite City Livestock barns. After 3 years in that location, the owners wanted the Boot Shack to move to a different location. Kevin found a spot behind the Corral Bar along Roosevelt Road in 1984. He says the new location was a big upgrade.
Measuring Feet
Kevin recalls not measuring feet in the first 5 years of the business the way they do now. He purchased 3 Brannock devices to measure feet and after playing around with it, realized he was wearing shoes that didn't fit.
Kevin Meets Deb
Kevin met his wife, Deb at the Delwin ballroom in the early years of the Boot Shack. She was a paralegal at the time and did that for many years. Kevin recalls Deb working part-time at the Boot Shack as she handled the books. He says she was instrumental as the Boot Shack transitioned into computer technology. Kevin appreciates his past and current employees including longtime current employee, Gabe Junkin. Kevin says he loves what he's doing and has no intentions to retire anytime soon.
If you'd like to listen to my 4-part conversation with Kevin Durken, click below.