I Am Going To Stitchdown’s Boot Camp! Are You?

Ben Robinson created a great website many years ago, called Stitchdown, catering to the world of boots, the leathers used to make them, and with a heavy focus on local American manufacturing. His website quickly rose to the ranks of ‘top read shoe/boot-related sites,’ and his success was not only impressive but inspiring. Seeing a great community building around the idea of craftsmanship, with a focus on boots, Ben created a highly anticipated event called ‘Stitchdown’s Boot Camp,’ which is currently in its third year running. Let me lay the backdrop.

👉 Watch last year’s recap:

I have known Ben since I arrived in NYC (8 years ago). We sat down at a pub and discussed both of our lives in great detail, wondering how we could one day come together to create great things for the shoe industry. At the time, though, we differed in our ideas of how to get there. This was before Stitchdown even existed, and Ben was eager to make an impact. I was so engulfed in growing my shoe brand, J.FitzPatrick, that in reality, my heart simply wasn’t in the mode of growing The Shoe Snob, as I was being pulled from too many directions and chose to focus mainly on my retail company. In hindsight, it was a mistake, but that is how we learn in life. Ben, surely feeling my lack of commitment to working together, created Stitchdown, and the rest is history!

Several years later, Stitchdown was growing, and Ben had the brilliant idea to create a great event that could bring together not only the brands that he enjoyed, the tanneries that supplied them, but also the people who supported these brands. Stitchdown’s Boot Camp was thus born. The first two events were held in New York. I had planned to attend since they were so close to me. Sadly, the proximity to my own event, The New York Super Trunk Show, prevented me the first year, and the second go-around was simply for the fact that I couldn’t find a babysitter and did not want to drag my toddler there. I was pretty bummed, actually, but all things happen for a reason.

When I heard that the next event was in Chicago, I figured I definitely wouldn’t be able to make it. But when Ben came to visit my event in early October, we had a great chat and arranged for another ‘pub visit’ to rekindle our ideas of ‘great minds thinking alike.’ We once again opened up about what was going on, how the past had been, and how we could come together in the future. And I thought, I need to see this Boot Camp event in person. So, I quickly booked tickets and am happy to be returning to one of my favorite cities, the Great City of Chicago!

Ben was kind enough to offer me 10 Free General Admission tickets for any readers of The Shoe Snob Blog who wish to attend. If you are local to Chicago (or want to come from afar!) and are free on Saturday, November 8th, I highly recommend checking it out, and at least come say hello!

To get one of these ticket codes, simply email me at [email protected] — I hope to see some of you there!

Learn more about the event here: https://www.stitchdownbootcamp.com/

—Justin FitzPatrick, The Shoe Snob

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