(For 50 Years, Krause Boots Have Been On Right Track)
As a reporter for the Mayefield Messenger, Thomas Carroll captured the soul of his hometown by writing about “real people,” not just those considered newsworthy. His feature stories were well regarded and occasionally came to the attention of the metropolitan daily, the Beacon Light, which published Thomas’ stories under the heading “Dispatch from Mayefield.” The following is one of these Dispatches, published in 1975.
For 50 Years, Krause Boots Have Been On Right Track
By Thomas Carroll
Mayefield Messenger
“I like America better,” Midge said. “Do you remember Mr. Krause, in Mayefield, where you got those riding boots made in a day?”
“Mmm…”
“And we kept driving round that shopping center there, and getting lost in the one-way streets…”
“Super, that week was…”
“Wish we could go again…”
This conversation, excerpted from the novel Rat Race by British jockey-turned-mystery-writer Dick Francis, recalls an incident that occurred a few years ago when Francis was attending the horse races in Mayefield.
He needed a pair of riding boots, but had to leave town the next day. Israel and Morris Krause, owners of A.M. Krause & Sons, of Mayefield, worked through the night and had the boots ready on time. The appreciative Francis incorporated their efforts into the literature of racing fiction.
On race tracks throughout the country –and in many parts of the world—the Krause name is regarded as the very best in racing boots. The Krauses estimate that well over half the jockeys in the United States wouldn’t even consider mounting their steeds in boots other than Krause’s.
A.M. Krause & Sons is celebrating its 50th anniversary of boot making at its Mayefield plant this month. The firm’s founder, Adolph Michael Krause, died in 1966, but it is still a family business, with sons Israel and Morris and daughter Mary Kleinman carrying on the tradition of quality.
When Willie Shoemaker needs a new pair of riding boots, all he has to do is pick up the phone and call Krause’s. His conversation with Mrs. Kleinman, who runs the office, is brief since his size and custom specifications are on file, along with those of hundreds of other jockeys.
The Krause boot is popular with jockeys because it is lightweight, yet durable. They can make a pair of boots as light as nine ounces that will hold up for many grueling rides.
In their office, the Krauses proudly display one of their boots made for Shoemaker, which he wore in 100 races. It looks as if it had been worn only a few times, with the only real wear around the ankle pad.
The Krause riding boot for jockeys is made of sturdy leather with reinforcements at two main points of wear, on the toe and ankle. These reinforcements were original ideas of A.M. Krause and patented by him in 1936. The idea for the ankle pad came when he realized the jockey works his legs back and forth during a race and ankle leather wears out quickly.
The senior Krause’s entry into boot making for jockeys came almost by accident. He immigrated to the United States from Russia in 1907 and set up cobbler shops in various locations before moving to Mayefield in 1925.
He was in Mayefield for a only short while when jockey Henry Erickson came to the Main Street shop and requested a special pair of boots. Mr. Krause followed his specifications, and Erickson liked the results, ordered more and told his friends. Since then, the Krauses have hardly been able to keep up with the orders.
Israel Krause estimates that today the firm manufactures 65 percent of all riding boots for jockeys in the country. Each one is made by hand in the small, unassuming factory. In the Krause operation, each of the 14 employees can do several things. The process differs from the standard assembly line production since employees can cover for each other when one is sick, and they can be taken from one job and put immediately into another when necessary.
Israel calls boot making “a dying art,” and getting qualified workers is becoming increasingly harder. The difficulty of finding people to learn the craft is described by Israel as “the impatience of the young. You can’t just come in and learn boot making right away. It takes a long time and the young people just don’t seem to be interested in starting at the bottom.”
Mrs. Kleinman thinks that craft schools teaching shoemaking would be a good idea. “There are schools for other crafts, such as plumbers and electricians, why not for shoemaking?”
For a long while, it appeared that the Krause family tradition in boot making would disappear when Israel, Morris and Mary retired. Mary has three daughters, none interested in the business. Israel’s son –the only boy among the three’s offspring—is a successful engineer. But recently, Morris’ daughter, Randy, has shown an interest in boot making and has been working part time learning the trade.
“I hope Randy will be able to take over someday,” her uncle Israel says. “She has been enthusiastic, hard working, and has good hands,” the three qualities most important in the craft.
The business that Randy stands to inherit includes much more than boots for jockeys. The Krauses also make western-style boots, exercise boots, English-style riding boots, and Cuban heel and zipper jodhpurs.
A few years ago, the Krauses introduced their “Kroco” jockey riding boot, made of a synthetic material imported from Japan. Known to jockeys simply as “Krocs,” this easy maintenance product is fast becoming popular.
When the Mayefield Hunt Club visited England last fall, club members were wearing Krause’s heavy duty riding boots, especially designed for the vigor of hunts and steeplechases.
Although they have been involved in a racing related industry for a half century, the Krauses have no personal interested in the races. “We used to have a lot of jockeys stop by just to talk and watch us work,” Morris remembers, “and sometimes they would give us tips.
“One day we got what looked like a really good tip. Mary was excited, but we couldn’t find anywhere to place a bet. It was a good thing, because the horse lost. We don’t pay much attention to tips anymore.
“We don’t even go to the races. I haven’t seen a race in 20 years.”
The Krauses may not be personally visible at the nation’s race tracks, but they are in almost every race. When Willie Shoemaker and other top jockeys race, their boots in the stirrups have to be Krause’s.
(Robert J. Marton)