Lisa Sorrell: Bespoke Boot Maker

When you visit with Lisa Sorrell you soon realize that she has a zest for learning and chooses to live a bigger and kinder life. Lisa was raised in southwest Missouri in a conservative church where the women all wore long hair and long dresses. Her mother began teaching her to sew when she was 12 years old, and by age 15 she was making dresses for ladies at church.

Lisa met and married Dale in 1990 and moved to Guthrie, Oklahoma, after the wedding. After six months of being a new bride, Lisa became bored and restless after leaving her sewing business behind in Missouri. Seeking employment, she answered an ad in the local newspaper looking for someone to “stitch boot tops.” The ad was placed by Jay Griffith, who had recently moved to Guthrie from Fairfax after managing Blucher Boots. (Historical record shows that during Jay’s time at Blucher Boots, it actually became Griffith Blucher Boots.) Jay was quick to point out that sewing material was nothing like sewing leather, but he decided to give this young, naïve woman the job.

Growing up, Lisa had never been around anyone who cussed or drank alcohol. Lisa said Jay did both… passionately! Eyes wide open, Lisa was overwhelmed with her new job. She had never seen a machine that had a foot or a knee lift, and had never sewn on leather. She was trying to navigate this new world of people screaming and cussing at each other and amid all the utter confusion, Lisa found that boot making appealed to her at a basic level… read more >