The evening\u2019s highlight came when CITY Boots founder Lizzy Bentley blew out a heart-shaped birthday cake as friends and fans sang \u201cHappy Birthday.\u201d The most memorable part of the evening, Bentley tells PaperCity Fort Worth, was the art gallery theme and the flow of the celebration.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you walked in, you saw a gallery,\u201d Bentley notes. \u201cWe had images from our past campaigns hung like art. The evening centered on the things that represent who we are. Having my family there was also a big highlight.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the 10-year mark, Bentley says she took a moment to look back at what her team has built. What struck her was how consistently CITY Boots has stuck to its core mission and approach to bootmaking.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I started City Boots, my mission was to make a high-end cowboy boot that was approachable to people who were curious about wearing them but maybe didn\u2019t feel that they could pull it off,\u201d she says. \u201cThere was an intimidation factor before brands like City Boots were around.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we\u2019ve really done in the last 10 years is show that you can wear a cowboy boot even if you have never been on a horse.\u201d<\/p>\n The early days of the company focused on trunk shows and market events. There was a lot of physical labor, lifting boxes in and out of the trunk of Bentley\u2019s car with the help of her mother. She still recalls the excitement of receiving her first online order.<\/p>\n \u201cIt just meant so much that people wanted something that I was making,\u201d Bentley tells PaperCity Fort Worth. \u201cThey wanted the product, and that gave me the confidence to reinvest in the business and keep it growing. I love going to a concert and seeing a complete stranger walking down the aisle with my product. It reminds me that we\u2019re doing something special.\u201d<\/p>\n What has driven CITY boots\u2019 success?<\/p>\n \u201cI think resilience is important anytime you\u2019re starting something, and it\u2019s something you build over time,\u201d Bentley says. \u201cWhen I started the business, I was lucky enough to be young and not really know what lay ahead of me. It probably helped that I\u2019m both left and right-brained. I\u2019ve been able to balance the business and creative sides of running a company.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom the beginning, I wanted my work to feel like a natural extension of who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"2K9A4238](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2K9A4238-1-scaled.jpg\")
<\/a>Guests were greeted at William Campbell Gallery by a staged installation. (Photo by Photographs by Kaitlin Saragusa)
\nFrom Trunk Shows to Selling Worldwide<\/p>\n
![\"Lizzy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2K9A4427-Evoto-scaled.jpg\")
<\/a>Lizzy Bentley: \u201cI think resilience is important anytime you\u2019re starting something, and it\u2019s something you build over time.\u201d (Photo by Photographs by Kaitlin Saragusa)