Thomas County Hardware named first outpost for Russell Moccasin Co.

Apr. 21—THOMASVILLE — Thomas County Hardware is soon to become a nationwide shopping destination, as it has been named the first outpost for Russell Moccasin Co. out of Berlin, Wisconsin.

Russell Moccasin Co. CEO Luke Kolbie was on hand at the store on Thursday afternoon, marking the first day as an outpost.

Kolbie, who originally grew up in the Pelham and Camilla area, took over operations for Russell Moccasin Co. in October 2022.

Prior to taking over, the Fabricius family ran the business for over 90 years.

"We were close friends with them in the industry and they asked us to help continue the legacy, so we took over operations for them," Kolbie said.

Kolbie knew the market well, as his family had been wearing Russell Moccasins for four generations. However, Kolbie also knew that Thomasville, more than anywhere had really adopted the culture of what Russell Moccasins stood for.

"If you walk around town, you can see the amount of people wearing Russells per capita here," he said. "Russells have been here forever. President Eisenhower wore them here in the 40s and so did the Secretary of the Treasury. Russells have really been here since the beginning."

The strong history in Thomasville, along with niche market, really led Kolbie to Thomas County Hardware and longtime friend Todd Whiddon.

"The biggest thing for me, not necessarily in terms of changing the company, was changing who we are going to work with. We are interested in finding people instead of a place," Kolbie said. "Knowing Todd and knowing his background and attention to detail and his relationship with customers, he was who I wanted to work with."

While Thomas County Hardware will be the first outpost, Kolbie said he does foresee other outposts in the future, but it will take time.

Kolbie explained that Russell Moccasins have special hand-bound stitching that requires hours of craftsmanship.

"It takes an incredible amount of time and we have craftsmen that have been there for over 50 years," he said. "We can never really be this massive company that's making tens of thousands of boots, so if you can't do that then you have to be really selective of where you are."

However, being selective has its perks, Kolbie shared.

"I love being a niche market because it allows you to be the expert in this very specific type of footwear," Kolbie said. "The same way we are niche in production, we are niche in who we want to work with."

Working with fewer companies allows Russell to develop highly trained and skilled customer service representatives, such as Whiddon.

Whiddon previously worked at Stafford's in high school and was well versed in Russell Moccasin boots, as they were a hunting apparel and outdoors store.

"People from around the world would come to get boots," Whiddon said. "We sold them to places in China and overseas."

After Stafford's closed and Whiddon began operating Thomas County Hardware, he stayed in touch with Kolbie and was thrilled to hear Kolbie had bought into Russell Moccasin Co.

"He picked us because of my relationship with Russell," Whiddon said. "I worked with one of the owners in the 90s and had kept in touch with him."

The longevity of the relationship definitely payed off for Whiddon, as he now sells what he refers to as "one of the most premiere boots in the world."

"It's awesome," he said. "You think of us just as being a little hardware store, but now we have what I call the most premiere boots in the world."

Whiddon fully expects Thomas County Hardware to grow in sales due to the fact they are an outpost.

He explained that Russell Moccasin Co. will offer ready made boots for individuals who already know their size, or they can order custom pairs on their website or inside Thomas County Hardware, where they will be expertly fitted.

Whiddon also plans to offer more hunting lines and apparel as the store continues to expand.

To see their full offerings, visit Thomas County Hardware, located at 1401 E. Jackson St.