There are stories about hard work, and then there’s this one. If you’ve ever wondered where we got our name, you don’t know Wei. Wei Mah is our founder, father, and grandfather. Long before there was a storefront on Gaetz Avenue, there was a hard-working cobbler making a name for himself and a legacy for his family. He was willing to risk it all to build a better life, including his finger.
Now every evening after dinner, Wei would head back to the shop. While most were calling it a night, he was lacing up boots under the dim shop light. He’d made a promise that boots would be ready by morning, and his word was everything.
That night, while tightening a lace on a boot repair machine, the leather cord caught. The machine spun fast. In a blink, the lace pulled tight and tore off his forefinger. Gone. Just like that.
Most people would have rushed straight to the hospital. But not Wei.
He wrapped his hand, set his finger aside, and went back to work. The boots weren’t done, and that mattered more than the pain. When he finally did make it to the hospital, it was too late to reattach it. But to him, that didn’t matter. The customer got what they were promised.
Wei never told that story to brag. He didn’t see it as proof of toughness. It was just another day, another job done right. Years later, when his family asked him what the secret to success was, Wei didn’t hesitate.
“There’s no secret,” he said. “You just gotta work hard.”
That’s the promise this store was built on. You’ll find it in every person behind the counter and in every customer who walks through the door.
From repairs to retail, from one man’s workbench to three generations of family, Wei’s Western Wear has always been about more than boots. It’s about the people who keep their promises, no matter what it costs.