$50 cowboy boots have brought Nicaraguan artisan a good living
14/10/2015
Luis Rojas decided to become a footwear manufacturer when he observed friends who had become shoemakers in his native town of San Carlos earning three times the average wage for a newcomer to the world of work, at $0.65 per day. He was learning to become a barber at the time, but switched to shoes in 1965 and has never regretted it.
He moved to Rivas in 1966 and stayed, setting up his own business, Cóndor, in 1973. It has survived all the ups and downs of life in Nicaragua since then and Mr Rojas is confident it will continue to do so. However, part of his success, he has said, is in being content to stay small and hands on. Cóndor makes 15 bespoke pairs of shoes and boots per week, according to its own designs and the tastes of its clients. Cowboy-style boots, often in exotic leather, are the most expensive Cóndor products at $50 per pair.
Mr Rojas has many customers across the border in Costa Rica and has even shipped his boots to clients as far away as Switzerland, but he has been content to stay in Rivas and run his 15-pairs-per-week workshop. “I have been able to do what I wanted,” he told local media. “I have helped three of my children to achieve professional qualifications and helped the fourth set up a business. Edén is a qualified agronomist, but he will make twice as much money when he takes over at Cóndor.”
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