How Restoring A Pair Of Boots Connected One Artist With Her Past And Helped Build Her Future

The sounds of Texas.

By Joy DiazMay 3, 2021 1:36 pmArts & Culture, Heel To Toe, Sounds of Texas

Courtesy Nikki Lehr

Lost and found boot at the T-Bone Truck Stop

Two big, colorful cowboy boots on the side of the road signal to truck drivers they are approaching the iconic T-Bone Truck Stop in Columbus, Nebraska. The boots are a landmark there. But in 2019, both boots went missing after a historic flood.

Nikki Lehr is part of the family that owns and operates T-Bone Truck Stop

Megan Brewer and her work

“We actually thought they were gone forever… And finally, when all the water did go down, we found one of them just down the ditch a bit. So, it wasn’t too far away. And then the other [boot] we discovered maybe a week or two later. There’s a lake right south of Columbus. Someone actually [found the boot there], took a picture and said: ‘I think this belongs to you guys.’ And so, we were super happy to find both of them, but they weren’t in the best shape.”

Megan Brewer is a freelance artist in Columbus. She grew up loving the boots. So, it was natural to ask the people who already loved the boots to restore them to their former beauty. But, Brewer is 5’7” and the boot she worked on towered over her.

Megan Brewer – artist at work

“I used a stool a lot to reach the top! So, it was a lot of climbing up and down all this!”

Now, the boots are bringing business to both T-Bone Truck Stop and to Brewer. Her business has boomed since the boots went back on display earlier this year.

one of the giant boots, after it was restored

Completed boot

“It was almost like me getting a piece of my childhood back, I’d say. And building my future at the same time. So, it was a really great experience.”

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