Kansas City’s #1 western wear store, Nigro’s Western Store, has been a local institution since 1956. Why? Tony Nigro Sr. may have said it best:
“Nigro’s is small enough to appreciate you; big enough to accommodate you.”
A Livery Barn and Produce Delivery Business
The origins of Nigro’s retail business date back to the end of WWII, when David Nigro Sr.’s grandfather, George Nigro, ran a livery barn that sold saddles and tack – a barn from where he also operated a successful produce delivery business. As times changed so did the store. The delivery business shrank but the western gear side of the business was growing, so he narrowed focus and transitioned the business into a store that specialized – and excelled – in trading and selling saddles, tack, and western wear.
During the late ‘50s and into the ‘60s, David Sr.’s father also ran successful horse auctions near Bonner Springs, Kansas. The horse auction business inspired David Sr.’s brother to attend the oldest and largest auctioneering school in the world, the Missouri Auction School, where he was one of the youngest students to graduate. The Nigro family’s involvement in auctioneering continues to this day, with the family donating their time to annually host over 180 charity auctions in the Kansas City area for a variety of worthwhile non-profit causes.
During the ’60s, Nigro’s Western Store was run by David Sr.’s father while David Sr. operated his own feed and tack business for nearly five years. Family health issues brought David Sr. back to Nigro’s to help with the management. Today, David Sr. runs the store with his wife, Anita, son David Nigro Jr., and daughter Serena Nigro-Moyer.
According to David Sr., the addition of David Jr. to Nigro’s brought an entirely new level of highly personalized customer service to Nigro’s customers. This included the addition of custom boot options – a specialized service that, with David Jr.’s help, enabled shoppers to custom design their own personal cowboy boots – not to mention adding David Jr.’s significant skills in custom shaping cowboy hats, a skill that allowed customers to get the custom look and fit they desired with their hat purchase.
Today, a customer who visits Nigro’s retail store can expect personalized service along with top-of-the-line boots, hats, western clothing, and more. The store’s rich history includes a passion for family, a drive for excellence, and a commitment to quality – a commitment extended to each customer in the western wear-loving community, in Kansas City and beyond.
Western Wear Changes over the Years
As with sales of most every style of apparel, western wear sales have had peaks and valleys. David Sr. vividly remembers how Nigro’s popularity skyrocketed after the 1980 release of the box office hit Urban Cowboy. With an iconic John Travolta performance – and a cast dressed in an immaculately styled western wardrobe – it seemed almost everyone wanted to find the “Bud” and “Sissy” look that played so well on the big screen. In fact, to this day, the Urban Cowboy look continues to inspire western wear style and design.
Today, the trend in western wear is increased variety, especially in hats and boots, which make western styles suitable for almost any occasion regardless of the season. David Sr. says he quickly spots shifts in trends and aesthetics among the store’s clientele, including millennials that sport 50’s-era Harry S. Truman style Stetson hats, and a growing propensity to wear rolled-up straight leg jeans – allowing the wearers to show off their boots’ complete style, from top to bottom. With an eye on fashion, superior quality, and a wide selection across all apparel areas, Nigro’s Western Store has managed to appeal to an extra-wide spectrum of would-be buyers.
Can’t Stop by Nigro’s in Person? Visit Nigro’s Online Store!
Nigro’s brick-and-mortar western store is now complemented by a successful online service that caters to western wear lovers across the country. With the addition of NigrosWesternStore.com, western apparel customers across the U.S (or right down the street), can shop Nigro’s incredible selection any day of the week, any time of day, from most anywhere in the world.
The online store has been a great addition to the business, an addition that David Sr. has greatly enjoyed – from watching small online sales slowly grow to their current heady volume. Today, David Sr. splits work between retail and the online store, noting that one of his most joyful activities is within the shipping department where, to this day, he handwrites a personal thank you note – a note included within each and every shipped order.
The future of Nigro’s Western Store appears to be bright as it continues to grow and evolve under the direction of the tight-knit Nigro family. When David Sr. is asked what it’s been like to work as a family, innovating and growing a decades-old legacy retail business and transforming it into a brand that continues to thrive in the Internet age, David Sr. has a simple and sincere reply: “I’ve enjoyed it every day of my life. I love it.”