I’m sure there are magazines laying about from then but I’m interested in tack catalogs. I just want to reminisce 
I remember the Millers catalog arriving, and reading it for hours-dreaming of owning everything beautiful in there. That was THE catalog/tack seller in the 70’s-80’s. I did a tack sale last weekend, I had for sale my Millers denim breeches-got them in the early 80’s for Christmas-probably the first pair of breeches ever made in stretch denim. Still in good shape, unfortunately I’m no longer a 27 waist-holding at a 29 in my 50’s, so not too bad!! Sold them for $10.00…
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Yup, had the Miller’s catalog. Don’t forget the Sear’s Catalog. My first bridle was a cheapie, and came in a bundle in pieces. Since I didn’t have a trainer or anything, I looked at the pictures in the Sear’s catalog to figure out how to put it together. Ahh, the old days, when kids were allowed to actually have fun with their horses…
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I had the Millers catalogs and an old Libertyville Saddle Shop one from way before that. Wish I kept that one. And many years ago, Dover sold wood tack trunks in kit form to assemble and finish yourself. Haven’t seen that in their catalog in ages.
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Libertyville Saddle Shop just closed a few years back. I may have cried a little bit 
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I still have a couple of the old Tack In The Box catalogs. Saved them for the pictures
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I’ve really been on a tear throwing stuff out and trying to have less crap around, but I swear the Miller catalogs are breeding in dark corners and more keep turning up. If I come across another stash I’ll PM you.
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Oh yes! Millers. I dreamed of owning everything in there too. Good thing I wasn’t an adult with a bank account or I would have gone broke!
My parents did buy me a few special things from the catalogue at Xmas time – one year a pair of those tall Newmarket boots – brown rubber sole & vamp with a natural colored canvas shaft. I still have them – they don’t fit anymore and are too fragile to wear – would probably fall apart – but I love looking at them.
Would be fun to reminisce through the catalogue now – for old time sake.
I had forgotten about Tack in the Box. They always had pictures of their cats and horses; very nice to buy from also. I loved getting a Millers catalog, still have a jumping hackamore I bought from them 20+ years ago. Sadly I didn’t keep any of them.
This made me smile. There will never be another Miller’s Harness Company. It wasn’t just tack shopping, it was The Experience. Kind of like when I went to Vogel to get measured for my first custom tall boots. Little did I know that while they made the best boots, there were other shops with superior measuring skills…
The best Euroseat breeches I have were from Libertyville!!
My store is in the Miller’s space on 24th St - still have lots of the original fixtures including the wooden Miller’s sign and the beautiful custom bell boot chandeliers! If anyone has old catalogs they’re willing to part with, shoot me a PM. I’d happily pay you for them.
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173north…what kind of shop do you have?
Funny… I just bought some old catalogs (Kauffman’s, anyone?) off eBay a couple days ago and am quite giddy waiting for them to arrive!
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:yes: I have one of the Dover trunks from a kit.
Somewhere around 20+yrs ago, IIRC, it ran around $300 for the medium-sized trunk.
DH customized it with a better (piano-type)hinge for the lid, fold-down brass handles & dowels in the lid to hold wraps & bandages. He also made a treated-wood base so it does not sit directly on the ground.
It came with a kit to make a simple grooming box as well - that I sold just last year at a used tack sale for $10.
spaceage: I hated Libertyville! They would try to sell you whatever they had if you were not knowledgeable & they had some craptastic tack! Staff did not really know much either for the most part.
danacat: Oh-Em-Gee! I coveted those Newmarket boots - all the kewl kids had them for Summer. I was “stuck” with my Dehner pull-on tall boots (no zips in the Dark Ages) off-the-rack from a shoe store in Evanston,IL < nowhere near a stable.
Anyone here remember when the Marshall Field’s in downtown Chgo had a tack section?
No trip to the City was complete w/o my Drooltime in there.
We’re a full service tack shop, the last one left in NYC! Come say hi if you’re ever in town.
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Let’s see-I have some DeLuxe Saddlery catalogs. They appear to be from the 60’s, when boots were$9.95, a Fine English boot was $22.50, and an Officer’s dress boot, cut extra high was an extravagant $35. Breeches, and jods were of cavalry twill, and British made custom pinks hunting coats were $99.50.
I also have a Kaufman’s catalog -1939. A Pariani saddle, the real thing was $85. An English knock off was $60.
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Wow, just perused your website. I love the “About Us” page and history of the space.
I grew up within a (long) bike ride’s distance from the original Dover Saddlery. I’d go there just to smell that leather smell, and dreamed about having one of everything in their catalogue. ((And today, I have plenty of spare/extra/duplicate tack, but not a catalogue’s worth!)
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Dover now occupies the Libertyville Saddle Shop space. Libertyville was a “destination” for me in the 1980s. They had everything! I had a pair of the Newmarket boots and have no idea what I did with them. Probably threw them away. A former fellow boarder bought his saddle from Marshall Field back in the day…
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