Cowboy Christmas draws thousands the first weekend

Thousands of shoppers strolled through booths full of five-gallon hats, boots and fringe at Cowboy Christmas on Friday, giving them a chance to shop like a cowboy even if they aren’t one.

The Western Goods Gift Show returned to the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center on Thursday. The rodeo-related National Finals event attracted more than 350 exhibitors and expects tens of thousands of buyers daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Dec. 14. At last year’s show, 370,000 shoppers came through the turnstiles.

Santa Fe, New Mexico, resident Gigi Mitchell said it was her 25th year selling her western silver jewelry at Cowboy Christmas. She likes the annual show because there are so many “unique” creators there.

As a one-person business, Mitchell said she prefers art shows like this because they are longer and worth the preparation. She also attends the Houston Rodeo and art shows annually, including one in Summerlin.

“People who are into high-end art, that’s their genre,” Mitchell said. “That’s what they like.”

Some buyers were on hand Friday to check out the listings while they were in town. Victoria Pavsic said she came from New York with a group of friends for a bachelorette party. Cowboy Christmas was one of the first stops of the weekend.

When asked what the party was buying, Pavsic quipped: “A cowboy. And matching hats for our group.”

Other exhibitors say they rely on Cowboy Christmas for much of their annual sales. Nevena Christi, owner and maker of the custom-made Rocketbuster boots, said the annual show is the only one they attend because it brings together a diverse potential customer base of Western fans, ranchers, European travelers and Los Angeles stylists.

“Last year we even had a few people from the marijuana convention,” Christi said, referring to MJBizCon, a cannabis industry trade show in the north and central halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center next door. “I made some fancy leaf boots.”

Each pair is individually made to order. At Cowboy Christmas or the El Paso store, Christi and her team said they work with customers on design, size and everything in between. Rocketbuster’s custom-made boots are so well-known that celebrities like Kendrick Lamar, Reba McEntire and Shaboozey wear or will wear them.

“I do about a year and a half’s worth of sales,” she said of Cowboy Christmas. “We measure feet and sketch boots and the rest of the time we can travel for fun.”

Contact McKenna Ross at [email protected]. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X.