The boot brand Kreosote is but one man—JD Gabbard—some wonderful vintage tools, a 1978 Airstream, and one of the most unique and curious spirits in all of the handmade footwear world. After decades traveling the world as a fine art photographer, Gabbard found himself at a bench in a Texas cobbler shop, compelled to learn the trade of boot repair—the first step in his journey to making the things himself, from the last on up.  Today, operating out of that Airstream, Gabbard hand-crafts some of the most singular boots you'll find anywhere, each of which combines his own American folklore roots and deep historical inspiration. While in the research phase before designing his PaRLOR SkAR engineer boot, Gabbard went all the way back to 1814 to trace the history of the engineer boot forward—and let's just say he discovered some things that may rock your understanding of the style's lineage and uses over the decades. This episode was sponsored by Grant Stone, one of the best values in Goodyear welted footwear, periodJoin the Stitchdown Discord today, unless you hate boots of courseTheme Song: The Road by Punk Rock Opera