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Shout-out from 'Parks and Rec' star boosts sales at Spokane boot company

A Hollywood star gave White's Boots a social media shout-out, and now the sales are taking off for the coampany.

The company's history dates back more than 150 years, but a Spokane staple is getting some modern-day attention, and a lot of it.

A Hollywood star gave White's Boots a social media shout-out, and now the sales are taking off for the company.

White's is known for its famous "smokejumper" boot, a staple at wildfire scenes.

“There's a lot of people that think that we're just that company that only makes the big, black, clunky boots,” said White’s Boots Assistant Marketing Director Brandon Upchurch.

But, these days, the boots are also gracing the feet of the Hollywood elite.

“He says that he's been wearing them for 15 years now, and he absolutely loves them,” Upchurch explained of Nick Offerman.

On Wednesday, Offerman -- best known for his role as Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation -- posted about his love for White's Boots on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. He showed off his favorite pair of -- now rebuilt -- "semi-dress" White's Boots.

“Everybody was sort of in a frenzy here trying to keep up with the traffic and keep up with the orders coming through,” Upchurch said.

The shout-out drove up White's Boots Instagram followers by 2,000 to 3,000, and the store website actually crashed.

“Hopefully it results in a sustained uptick in sales," Upchurch said. "If not, even in just the short term, but like I said, we are seeing a lot of interest and a lot of orders come through just because of that post."

This recent attention is something new for a company with roots that run deep. White's Boots started on the east coast way back in 1853, eventually moving to St. Maries, Idaho, and then spending several decades on a corner block in downtown Spokane. Now, the work happens in a building near the Spokane County fairgrounds, just beyond the showroom floor.

From start to finish, each pair of boots takes about five to six weeks to construct. That is because all of it is happening by hand, from the first cut to the last stitch.

“We're 100 percent committed to not changing a thing about the way that we make our boots, and that's not going to change anywhere in the future,” Upchurch said.

What might change is the number of boots the workers will have to make. The folks there hope that the tinseltown tribute will trickle right back to the soles of Spokane.

"If they weren't wearing White's before, they should certainly do so now," Upchurch said.

Because the website crashed, White's Boots is offering an online discount for customers through the weekend. Just enter the code "ThanksNick18."

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