
Courtesy Thorogood
A hand holding a boot near a machine.
Boots being made in the factory.
In the grip of winter, I’m not the guy you want to talk with at the party. Not unless you share my interest in lumbar-friendly snow shovels, roof rakes, the safest way to drive on “black ice,” and of course the absolute necessity of owning proper winter footwear.
I’m thoroughly a fan of Thorogood boots, which are made right here in Wisconsin by the employee-owned Weinbrenner Co. Headquartered in Merrill with unionized manufacturing plants there and in Marshfield, Thorogood is something of a corporate anomaly these days. It’s worker friendly! Besides making a damn fine boot since 1892.
I speak for all phlegmatic Wisconsinites: We want our boots to be rugged, ankle-supporting and waterproof, but also comfortable in fending off the fierce polar vortex. And for me it’s mandatory that my boots can be re-soled and re-heeled like Thorogoods. Because nothing signals wasted money more than cheap boots with glued-on soles that you toss into the trashcan when they fall apart.
I’m on my third pair of Thorogoods, and it only took three dog walks for the newest boots to fit like a glove. For sure there are better, cooler and more costly boots to be found. I will confess to eyeing a pricey pair of Red Wings. Heck, a decade ago indy icon Justin Vernon (of Bon Iver renown) even cut a video paean to Midwestern values that was sponsored by retro hip Red Wing.
I’m tempted to ask how Eau Claire’s favorite son could promote a Minnesota bootmaker? But sturdy boots are sturdy boots. You can find Thorogoods at regional stores like Blain’s Farm & Fleet, The Shoe Box, and Duluth Trading Co. as well as online. There are various product offerings, including a new line crafted for women construction workers. I’ve been buying the retro 1957 model. At a bump over $250 that’s a fair price for a good Wisconsin product.
As for Weinbrennner, it seems to be doing just fine. It broke ground last fall for a $14.5 million expansion in Marshfield in central Wisconsin. The state’s business support-arm, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., contributed $250,000 to rehab an abandoned industrial site.
And it’s true: Weinbrenner is unabashed in championing its strong union connection through the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which represents its employees. “We manufacture Thorogood boots for America’s working men and women,” Weinbrenner president Jeff Burns said in a press release. He called those folks “the foundation of our company” as he praised the high percentage of unionized contractors doing the rehab work.