Nikki’s Western Wear brings cowboy clothing to town

A wide range of cowboy boots is one of the attractions of Nikki’s Western Wear. The local store also has western hats, jeans and shirts. (Jeff Helsdon photo)

Jeff Helsdon, Editor

Nikki’s Western Wear is the perfect location for those wanting to ‘Cowboy up’ or ‘Cowgirl up’ in the fashion.

The western wear store located on Bell Mill Side Road isn’t just drawing western fans from the area, but its diverse inventory of cowboy hats and boots is an attraction to western fans from afar.

The store was started by owner Nikki Van Brenk in 2023 out of her parents’ basement as an online company and selling through pop-up booths at rodeos. Outgrowing that space, she moved to a location on Cranberry Road and was open to the public by appointment while providing a spot to store inventory.

“I needed a place to put everything,” she said.

Earlier this year, the company moved to a larger location on Bell Mill Side Road and is open daily. The new store has a country ambiance, with a smell of fresh-cut pine from the boards on the wall intertwined with a leather smell from the 200-plus pairs of boots. Nikki’s sister Megan is in the store daily.

While a lot of the business is still online or at rodeos, Nikki said store traffic is increasing.

“People are driving two to three hours, and some people are planning day trips,” she said, adding people have come from as far as Alberta and Holland.

She is posting videos daily on behind-the-scenes life at rodeos, in the store, and her life. She also talks about her time working in the Tillsonburg Gun Shop before starting the business. Her followers are growing with 5,000 on Instagram and 15,000 on Tik Tok.

The boot selection covers a wide price range, from boots worn for a day at a rodeo to more comfortable boots worn daily. The selection includes youth boots, steel-toe cowboy boots, and made-in-Canada Boulet boots. It also includes Redback boots, both steel-toe and not, from Australia.

A separate room has several options for brands and colours in cowboy hats.

“We’re the only ones in the area with a wide variety of cowboy hats,” Nikki said.

The store is attracting people outside of the western crowd as word gets out they carry Sevens jeans for both women and men. Western-style jeans, shirts and accessories round out the inventory.

One of the latest additions is Hey Dude shoes, which are slip-on shoes.

There is some farm clothing for sale, which may be expanded in the future. A lover of the outdoors, hunting and fishing, Nikki is also looking into lines for that end.