Nikolai Blahuczyn, who'd learned shoemaking from his parents in Eastern Europe before surviving forced labor in Hamburg during WWII, immigrated to Spokane, Washington and started Nick's Handmade Boots in 1964. He'd picked up his interest in hand-built footwear after learning about White's Shoe Co. through his local church, and set out to build boots entirely by hand for loggers, firefighters and tradespeople using the best available leather. The company is still headquartered in Spokane Valley, continuing the same handcrafted process Blahuczyn started it with.