We had the good fortune of connecting with Chris Thompson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chris, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I remember sitting at the guidance counselor desk in high school and she had asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I always wanted to be a veterinarian because I loved animals and then I realized how much school was involved! And how many animals I would have to put down and how that would affect my heart over time and I didn’t like that. So I asked her what kind of programs our vocational school had. She rattled off auto mechanics, auto body, nursing, printing, drafting, and something called cosmetology. Absolutely zero interest in any of those fields and I had no idea what cosmetology was. When I found out I was all in! Give me something to do with my hands creatively! And even though I dabbled in office management and accounting early in my adult life I always bounced back to cosmetology. I also moved around a lot so it became difficult keeping my licenses straight in different states and eventually I would lose one and have to retake the board and seemingly always had to be rebuilding a clientele. My last salon I ran a little Boutique side by side with it. I enjoyed the buying aspect of that Boutique and once I was done hairdressing finally I opened a little retail store. But it wasn’t enough for me to just buy and resell, I missed being creative with my hands. So I started adding in my inventory things that I actually created. Purses made from cowboy boots!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I primarily deconstruct cowboy boots and turn them back into wearable art as handbags. I have been called the Louis Vuitton of cowboy boot purses! And others say that I dream in purses! I love coming up with new designs each year and even redesigning some that were previously made but not selling. The hardest lesson learned along the way is limiting a new design to a half a dozen pieces to see if there’s interest instead of making 40 without knowing!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I couldn’t succeed in my current adventure at Dirt Road Art & Collective without the support and assistance of some great women! Namely Jean Bowser who helps me run the store and as a customer favorite for her Charming storytelling both in store and through our media presence. She is also an artist photographer and collector of all things fun and resellable! And Mia Merendino who has a large Presence at the store as well and has since our opening last year. She has an amazing eye for native art and Jewelry and has curated a marvelous selection for our customers. There are also another handful of women who I rent space to and they are of vital importance to Our Success because they’re continually refreshing and updating their offerings so our customers have a new experience every time they come to the store!

Website: ShopDirtRoad.com

Facebook: Dirtroadartcollective

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