Back in the old days, the Stelzig family used a prairie wagon and a couple of ox. They moved from ranch to ranch, offering handmade leather goods to the likes of cowboys and farmers in the new frontier. The Stelzig’s were part of the massive wave of European immigrants that entered the United States in the 1840’s. They settled in Texas, in what was then the bustling town of Galveston. Like many of their fellow Austrian countrymen they were leather craftsmen and had come in search of a dream – to prosper in a new land. They never imagined that 164 years later their name would be internationally-synonymous with upscale western wear goods. Although the Stelzig’s immediately began using the family trade to survive, it was Antone Stelzig who decided it was time to put down more permanent roots in the late 1860’s. Part of the first generation of American-born Stelzig’s, Antone spent much of his youth aboard the Conestoga wagon that his parents used for business. It was onboard that prairie schooner that he became a craftsman. In 1870, following the US Calvary, Antone settled in the Richmond-Rosenberg, area, just outside of Houston, opening a leather goods shop. By then the business had expanded to sell more than just custom saddles and harnesses. “People could actually drive their horse and buggy, or horse, into the store and pickup whatever they needed: harnesses, blankets or saddles,” says Wade Butler, husband of fourth generation Stelzig, Frances, and purchaser for the Stelzig Ranch store, now located inside of George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). The family business continued to grow and eventually it was time to relocate once again. Seven years after moving to Richmond-Rosenberg, Antone decided to pursue greener pastures in the thriving pioneer town of Houston. He founded A. Stelzig Saddlery in the downtown district.

© Houston Airport System At true example of the American dream, the Stelzig's have been in business for 164 years.

There he built a statewide reputation for providing fine quality saddles, tack, boots, apparel and dependable equipment. People would ride in from towns hundreds of miles away to purchase leather goods from Antone. He in turn passed the family trade on to the next generation of Stelzig’s.

As time progressed fine jewelry, boots, belts and other accessories became a part of the merchandise offered at A. Stelzig Saddlery. The store was actually the first to purchase from American manufacturers like Levi Strauss, Justin and Tony Lama.

“A lot of the old manufacturers the family has been buying from since they started their businesses,” Butler notes.

At times, however, business was hard. In the 1930’s when The Great Depression hit people were not as willing to spend their money on new equipment. In those days, the Stelzig’s had to depend on the honor system. Frances’ grandfather would enter into verbal contracts with sellers, load them up with equipment, and trust that they would return with his share of the profit once they sold his merchandise.

Sometimes they did and other times they did not.

On one occasion, Frances recalls, a seller did not return with her grandfather’s cut of the money. When he ran into him in downtown Houston they settled the matter over a good old-fashioned scuffle.

“He didn’t get his money, but he did get his satisfaction,” she laughs. “People didn’t settle things in court back then.”

Today, Frances and her brother Charles, fourth generation Stelzig’s, are the face of the family business. Her husband and two children are also actively involved in the Stelzig Ranch Store.

“I was pretty much raised in the business. I can remember going with my dad to the store on the weekends,” she says. “We’d go in on Sundays. My brothers and I would ride around on the horses.”

Her two other brothers are not involved in the Stelzig family business.

Until 1989 the store remained in downtown Houston. That year, Frances and Charles made the decision to relocate to a more lucrative location. They moved a few miles down to the Galleria area, which had become, and still is today, a hotbed for international shoppers.

There the company’s reputation began to grow on an international scale.

“Since I’ve been involved in the business, 28 years now, we have served seven presidents, four kings, two entire cabinets of other countries and countless celebrities and entertainers,” Butler confesses. “We have an international base of clientele; people who call us from all over the world, and we ship all over the world.”

What makes them so appealing, Butler explains, is the level of customer service they provide. He has been known to home deliver special merchandise and once even ironed the wardrobe of a client and his wife who were not entirely satisfied with the service they had received in-store.

“That’s the difference in a family business,” he explains, “quality and service.”

In 2003, however, the family was faced with another trying challenge. As part of a roadway improvement project, that year, the Stelzig’s were informed the state of Texas was taking over their property for eminent domain.

The news hit Frances and Charles very unexpectedly and actually had them thinking about closing the fourth-generation family business for good. Their customers were equally disheartened by the news.

“It was sad,” Frances remembers. “We had a lot of customers that had shopped with us for many years and they’d come in crying. It was sad for many people that we had to close that location.”

A highway ramp and a water fountain now sit where the business used to be.

Folks at the Paradies Shops, one of the principal concession operators at IAH, however, had been keeping a close eye on the Stelzig family business and were aware of the store’s international appeal. They immediately began courting the family about setting up a shop at Bush Airport.

Frances and Charles were uncertain about the offer at first, but opted to give it a chance anyway. Moving to the airport though, meant going from 12,000 square feet of floor space to roughly 800 square feet.

“We had to make decisions along the way that were very difficult. Vendors that had been with us for years had to be let go,” Butler laments. “We came into this knowing we were only going to have a modest space compared to what we were used to, and that meant we could only bring with us the best of the best of what we offered at our previous location.”

In 2005, the store opened its doors – in the secure area of the airport’s Terminal C – for the first time and business has been great ever since, Butler notes. That same year, Stelzig Ranch store was honored as the airport specialty retailer of the year in the nation by Paradies.

Profit increases for the family business have risen at a steady 15 percent annual rate since then, he adds. Saddles are no longer a part of the store inventory, but fashion western wear, fine jewelry, unique belt buckles, belts, and dozens of boot selections are.

“It’s proven out to bee very beneficial in that the customer has liked what we have to offer,” Butler says. “They appreciate the quality. Price has not really been an issue. They walk in, see the quality, and realize who we are.”

Next on the list for Stelzig Ranch Store is opening more boutiques in Houston and at other airports around the nation. Creating an internet storefront is also a part of the family’s ambitious business plan for the future.

For now, keeping the customer happy though, is still number one.

“Things change and you just have to go with the flow,” Frances asserts with the full authority of a fourth-generation Stelzig. “I’m really proud to be a Stelzig. To know that we were here from the beginning and that we made it through good times and bad – it makes me very proud. We’re going to be around for a lot longer. We’re not going anywhere.”

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