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The basics:

• Boot Barn will open three new NJ locations by early 2026, NJBIZ exclusively learned
• Chain has grown from 86 stores in 2014 to over 460 locations across 45 states
• Company targets 900 total stores by 2030 as part of aggressive expansion strategy

National western apparel chain Boot Barn is kicking its growth into high gear in New Jersey.

Along with a new store at Somerset Shopping Center in Bridgewater, the retailer expects to launch locations at Totowa Commons in Totowa and Hudson Commons in Jersey City by early 2026, Elmwood Park-based RIPCO Real Estate told NJBIZ exclusively.

Mike Horne and Steve Winters, the commercial real estate firm’s executive vice presidents, serve as the exclusive broker for the chain in North and Central Jersey through a partnership with Boot Barn’s master broker, CBRE.

Just a few of the transactions RIPCO has completed for Boot Barn include:

• Flanders: 13,800-square-foot location, opened November 2023
• West Long Branch: A 10,800-square-foot location, opened September 2024
• Paramus: A 20,000-square-foot location, opened January 2025

According to RIPCO, RJ Brunelli represented the landlord in Flanders; Welco Realty represented the landlord in Paramus; and Levin Management represented the landlord in Bridgewater. The deal in West Long Branch was done directly with landlords, the firm said.

In Totowa, Boot Barn is opening an 18,221-square-foot store that was previously a Marshalls. It will join a lineup that includes Home Depot and a soon-to-open Lidl.

In Jersey City, Boot Barn’s 12,000-square-foot store will take over space currently occupied by apparel seller Kid City. Hudson Commons is also home to Jollibee, Lowe’s, P.C. Richard & Son and Mattress Firm.

Growing footprint

Founded 47 years ago in California, Boot Barn has become a leading retailer of western and work-related footwear, apparel and accessories for men, women and children.

For the first part of its existence, the chain targeted markets only in Texas and the western part of the U.S. However, after going public in 2014, Boot Barn embarked on a quest to build itself into a national brand, Modern Retail reported. Since then, its footprint has grown from 86 locations in eight states to more than 460 stores across 45 states.

As part of a larger push to reach 900 stores by 2030, Boot Barn is focused on shopping centers in smaller cities and towns located outside of big metropolitan areas. It’s also trying to position itself to serve a wide range of customers, from lifestyle shoppers to trade professionals.

The growth strategy also includes store redesigns and new marketing initiatives, like rodeo sponsorships and bringing on brand ambassadors, such as country artist Morgan Wallen.

Perfect fit

After making its New Jersey debut three years ago in Millville and Cherry Hill, Boot Barn has added locations in Hamilton Township, Flanders, Paramus and West Long Branch.

Horne believes New Jersey has several qualities that make it a great market for Boot Barn.

“Population density, disposable income and the breadth of retail that’s available here to attract people. So, if you’re a new brand coming in, you can get in quality shopping centers and you can use that to your advantage in order to build your brand recognition, which some companies don’t have coming through the door here. Boot Barn being a prime example – nobody knew what a Boot Barn was when they first opened up,” he said.

Blue-collar appeal

“The Boot Barn brand is really a very interesting lifestyle brand because of what they’ve morphed into – especially with some of their exclusive arrangements with a variety of different designers that they have on board,” Horne said.

“They’re certainly focused around that Western theme … whether it’s jeans, jackets, boots or outerwear,” he said. “… However, they have another side of their business where they appeal to the blue collar working person, and so they have work boots, steel toe shoes and heavy duty work wear. That’s another big segment of their business.”

“The first store that I opened for them was out in northwestern New Jersey, where there’s a lot of farms, a lot of horses and a lot of people running significant agricultural things out there. Those people all gravitate to Boot Barn because it’s just part of their lifestyle.

“When you get into the more urban environments, then they’re looking at that work customer – and that kind of appeals to Jersey City,” Horne said. “So, it’s a little bit of a crossover of who the customers can be and the stores will still be curated the same, to my knowledge, but they’re appealing to different segments to that population.”

Scoping out more sites

As Boot Barn continues its expansion efforts, RIPCO is actively seeking additional sites to continue growing the brand’s footprint across the state. According to Horne, the ideal space for a Boot Barn ranges from 11,000 square feet to 15,000 square feet.

“We’re in the middle of negotiating two deals that are advancing rather well right now,” he said. “So, hopefully we’ll be able to announce those soon.”

Horne went on to say, “All the stores that we’ve opened in central and northern Jersey are performing really well and we’re excited about the brand in the future. There’s probably room to do five or six more given what their typical draw is … So, we’re looking in more key markets. They like high visibility sites, they like the highway traffic. Being close to interstates is really something they tend to focus on, although we’re finding great success in shopping centers here.”

“It’s one of the most exciting lifestyle brands to come along in a long time. And the most interesting thing is that they really don’t have any direct competitors,” he said. “They have a really unique offering and is a public company with strong financials. But the diversity of what the offering brings to shopping centers is of interest to a lot of landlords because it doesn’t have a conflict with a lot of other tenants within the center. So, they’re always anxious to see something new that will bring in new faces and repeat customers over and over again.”