Cowboy Christmas gift show returns with hats, boots, jewelry and luxurious trailers

Are you a cowgirl looking to show your style with a custom-decorated hat? Do you need a fresh pair of boots to up your game while attending the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo?

Maybe you need a little trailer to tow your workhorse around, perhaps a $5,000 hauler. Or maybe you have half-a-mill floating around, to buy a luxury horse trailer that pretty much doubles as a house on wheels.

There’s only one place on the planet that will meet all those needs — and many more: Cowboy Christmas.

Anything you can think of that’s strongly or even remotely tied to rodeo, you can find it in the Las Vegas Convention Center’s South Hall this week. For vendors, it’s the can’t-afford-to-miss-it event of the year.

“It’s the same for everybody on the floor. It’s key for everyone,” said Charlee Read, executive assistant for Gigi Pip, which sells and customizes cowboy hats for women. “If you’re serious in the Western industry, you are here. If you want a future in the Western industry, you are here.”

Cowboy Christmas is a decades-long and ever-expanding staple of the NFR in Vegas. This year, the expo has a new presenting sponsor in Pro Fantasy Rodeo. (Yes, fantasy rodeo exists. And it’s pretty popular.)

Gigi Pip is in its fifth year on the floor of this massive cowboy/cowgirl/Western lifestyle expo that sprawls over two floors. The event provides a Christmas boost for Gigi Pip and its partner business Two Roads Hat Co., which customizes baseball caps.

“Sales are great. This is one of our largest events of the year, and it’s one we don’t miss,” Read said, while noting Gigi Pip’s clever motto, inscribed in each hat it sells. “For the woman who wears many hats.”

Gigi Pip is based in Kaysville, Utah, just north of Salt Lake City. It’s a small business, but its presence on the convention center floor is growing, as more customers get familiar with the brand.

“We have people from across the country who come here specifically to make a hat. They’ll set it up with us beforehand,” Read said. “It’s humbling and cool. And it’s fun to see people spot us and seek us out, among all these other vendors.”

By contrast, Ariat is one of the larger vendors on the floor, with its extensive line of cowboy boots and Western wear. Jeff Winstead is among the customers this year, the third straight that he’s trekked with family from Bend, Ore., during NFR Week.

Cowboy Christmas is a must-do on the trip.

“The first year, I was shocked beyond belief at how big this was. I was just in awe. The availability of product is incredible,” Winstead said.

This time around, Winstead is helping son Jake — celebrating his 18th birthday — get into a new pair of boots. It’s Jake’s first trip to Vegas for the NFR and Cowboy Christmas.

“We went on the second floor first, and it was crazy to see all the vehicles and all the trailers,” Jake said. “Then we came down here to the first floor, and it’s just huge.

“It’s crazy how much stuff is here and how many people are shopping.”

Anne Bennett, a San Franciso-based buyer for Ariat who’s helping run its Cowboy Christmas operation, said on-site sales are certainly nice. But for Ariat, it’s more about directly interacting with customers, aiming to build long-term retention.

“We have what we call pillar events, and this is a pillar event. It’s incredibly key,” Bennett said. “To be face-to-face with the customer, the value to the brand cannot be overstated.”

Bennett is in her fifth year with Ariat at Cowboy Christmas. With 12 months between trips, it’s like opening a present all over again.

“You kind of forget how big this is. And you get your mind blown all over again,” Bennett said.

Speaking of big: Courtney Higgins owns Rodeo Rigs, which specializes in horse trailers of all sizes, from basic to huge high-class luxury.

“You could spend 5,000 bucks or 500,000. The sky’s the limit,” said Higgins, whose company is based in the boonies of Hammond, Mont. “I’m 90 miles from the nearest Wal-Mart.”

That makes Cowboy Christmas vitally important, giving Rodeo Rigs a once-a-year chance to literally get in front of consumers.

“It’s very important to us, very valuable: Reconnecting with past customers, meeting with new customers and networking with people in the industry,” Higgins said. “We need to be here in front of these people, to let them know we’re real.”

Rodeo Rigs is real, all right. Do you need a trailer with a queen-size bed, kitchen/dining area, flat-screen TV, bathroom/shower, and a few stalls to haul horses? If so, then Higgins is your guy. And Cowboy Christmas is your place.