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Famous Texas shoemaker Lucchese has put his plans into action and opened a new store at 1508 S. Congress Ave. The grand opening ceremony is scheduled for August 29-31.

The grand opening will feature musical performances from some local celebrities. Houston-area country singer Parker McCollum will be there for a short set and meet-and-greet on Thursday, August 29th at 7 p.m. The following day, the University of Texas' winning squad will stop by from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with Bevo, the Longhorns' mascot. Thebrosfresh will keep the party going on Friday.

Some of these visitors reflect recent collaborations within the brand. Parker McCollum has teamed up with shoemakers to release a new collection in March 2024, with designs inspired by his past albums. The Evening Patriot was the main look of the collection and consisted primarily of white and blue boots with a red rose inlay, as well as a matching blue belt.

“When I worked with the team at Lucchese to design this collection, my goal was to make these boots feel like me, so I approached it the same way I write my music,” McCollum said in a press release about the collection. “Just like with my songs, I wanted to create something that people could see a little bit of themselves in, that felt timeless and inspired people in their everyday lives, something Lucchese is already really good at.”

The UT cheerleaders have also opted for an even more contemporary design. In August of this year, the Dallas Cowboys named Lucchese their “official boot,” which the shoemaker celebrated with a themed collection that included Lucchese's first-ever children's boot. Among other styles in the collection, these white boots mimic the boots worn by the Cowboys' famous cheerleaders.

The Lucchese brand was founded in 1883 in San Antonio, where it was owned by Sicilian immigrants Salvatore and Joseph Lucchese. (That's pronounced luke-eh-seh or luke-ay-see, depending on how much you want to Americanize the accent.) Last year, it celebrated its 140th anniversary with highly detailed bluebonnet boots. The new store will carry western boots and casual shoes, accessories, leather goods and other apparel in men's and women's styles. It will be the brand's 18th store in Texas.

The space previously belonged to Maya Star, which closed in early 2024. This came during a particularly painful period of closures for locals who valued South Congress's longtime bohemian character. One of the businesses lost then was Mi Casa Gallery, which closed in April and was replaced by Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott in July. In some ways, both are better than the non-Texas or even international intruders that Austinites feared would fill the empty spaces; but especially in the case of Lucchese, which replaces Maya Star, the prices are much higher for buyers.

For more information about Lucchese, visit lucchese.com. Store hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.