The Fort is a

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

-based multi-channel marketer specializing in western lifestyle merchandise including jeans, shirts,

cowboy boots Cowboy boots are a specific style of riding boot, historically worn by cowboys. They have a high heel that is traditionally made of stacked leather, rounded to pointed toe, high shaft, and, traditionally, no lacing. Cowboy boots are normally m ...

, hats, saddles and tack, old west clothing, work wear and home décor.

History

Fort Brands & The Fort Inc is a family-owned,

privately held company A privately held company (or simply a private company) is a company whose shares and related rights or obligations are not offered for public subscription or publicly negotiated in the respective listed markets, but rather the company's stock is ...

, established in 1972 by Carl and Shirley Wohlfarth, The enterprise began with their children’s love for

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...

s. When the tack shop the Wohlfarths frequented for years closed, it ignited the idea for them to start their own shop. The first store opened as a one-room

horse tack Tack is equipment or accessories equipped on horses and other equines in the course of their use as domesticated animals. This equipment includes such items as saddles, stirrups, bridles, halters, reins, bits, and harnesses. Equipping a hors ...

shop on 48th and Old Cheney Rd. in

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

. Carl and Shirley worked part-time in the store while working full-time to support the family, Shirley as a nurse and Carl as a lieutenant in the Lincoln Fire Department. As the business grew, they added jeans and boots to their product offering. In 1987, Fort Western relocated its Lincoln store from 48th and Old Cheney Rd. to the Alamo center at 56th and Hwy 2 where the tack shop grew from a one-room display to the largest in the Midwest. The Lincoln store now occupies over of

retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and ...

space and the product mix has expanded to include western jewelry,

outerwear Outerwear is clothing and accessories worn outdoors, or clothing designed to be worn outside other garments, as opposed to underwear. It can be worn for formal or casual occasions, or as warm clothing during winter. List of outerwear * Academic ...

, belts, suits, home décor,

collectibles A collectable (collectible or collector's item) is any object regarded as being of value or interest to a collector. Collectable items are not necessarily monetarily valuable or uncommon. There are numerous types of collectables and terms t ...

and even furniture… all reflecting the

western lifestyle Western lifestyle or cowboy culture is the Lifestyle (sociology), lifestyle, or behaviorisms, of, and resulting from the influence of, the (often romanticized) attitudes, ethics and history of the American Western cowboy. In the present day these i ...

. The Lincoln store’s two-story unique floor plan includes an

Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

Sho

with authentic reproductions of 19th-century historic cowboy clothing and accessories. The lower level houses other specialized areas including a cowboy shop and workwear department. The store’s large selection of merchandise and unique decor attracts general shoppers as well as

enthusiasts. Customers fly in from all over the country to visit the store. Even country music legend Garth Brooks has shopped the Fort’s aisles. Image:old fort.jpg, The Original Fort Western Store in Lincoln, NE, 1972-1987 Image:Linc_2008_2.jpg, Fort Western Outfitters Store in Lincoln, NE Image:Nebraska City Store.jpg, Fort Western Outpost in Nebraska City, NE Fort Western's “Fort Frontier” brand is attached to shooter and range boots, commonly used in

cowboy action shooting Cowboy action shooting (CAS, also known as western action shooting, single action shooting, Cowboy 3 Gun, Western 3-gun) is a competitive shooting sport that originated in Southern California in the early 1980s, at the Coto de Caza Shooting R ...

, sold in their

Shop. The Fort Western used a similar process to design one-of-a-kind custom Nebraska Cornhusker boots that were custom made and signed by Nebraska Husker coaches. The Husker boots were auctioned off at the 2009 Cattlemen's Ball to raise money for

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

research. In 1993, Fort Western added a second

store in

Nebraska City, Nebraska Nebraska City is a city in Nebraska, and the county seat of, Otoe County, Nebraska, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,289. The Nebraska State Legislature has credited Nebraska City as being the oldest incorporated ...

. With , the store is the second largest western-style outfitter in Nebraska. Nebraska City is the headquarters for the Fort Western catalog. The catalog publishes several times throughout the year and is distributed to all American states and 12 countries. In 2000, Fort Western took their store online, adding

eCommerce E-commerce (electronic commerce) is the activity of electronically buying or selling of products on online services or over the Internet. E-commerce draws on technologies such as mobile commerce, electronic funds transfer, supply chain managemen ...

to their existing retail and catalog marketing channels. Today the Fort Western is one of the largest

western wear Western wear is a category of men's and women's clothing which derives its unique style from the clothes worn in the 19th century Wild West. It ranges from accurate historical reproductions of American frontier clothing, to the stylized garment ...

outfitters in the Midwest and continues to grow with plans to expand its retail store locations. In July 2012, Fort Western launched a mobile optimized version of their Website. The third Fort Western retail store opened in

Columbus, Nebraska Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Platte County, in the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. The population was 22,111 at the 2010 census. It is the 10th largest city in Nebraska, with 24,028 people as of the 2020 censu ...

in November 2012. At 11,000 square feet (1,022m²) this store is a sizable addition to the Fort Western family.

References

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External links

The Fort Official Site
Privately held companies based in Nebraska Retail companies established in 1972 Retail companies of the United States 1972 establishments in Nebraska American companies established in 1972 Nebraska City, Nebraska