Stompers Archives 1978 - 2011

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This archival blog, covering the years before, during, and after my owning Stompers Boots is a big salute and...

THANK YOU

to all the inside boot crew staff and the outside family of friends who made this journey some of the best years of my life!

There's nothing here that's for-profit, commercial, or that benefits anyone financially. By continuing, you understand that the contents of these pages are completely memorabilia, personal and are intended for friends and family only. This site, like many others, uses cookies so you can enjoy all of its features. It has content that is NSFW (Not Safe For Work). Clicking the AGREE button below means that you're over 18 and that you understand the nature of this site.

Mike McNamee, the web team and this website have absolutely no connection to the current ownership of Stompers Boots.

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Stompers Archive

Covering 1978-2011

by Mike McNamee & Friends

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First, an announcement from the webmaster

Click the image to enlarge it.

Market Street 1906 showing the slot for the Cable Cars

The former location of Stompers Boots and its late owner, Mike McNamee, have been officially honored with the plaque shown here. This plaque, created by San Francisco's LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District, will be permanently placed on the building. It's now South of Market Historic Site #27. For more information about this plaque and the plaque program, visit https://sfleatherdistrict.org/plaques-2/.

The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District is both a neighborhood (located in the South of Market Area of San Francisco), and a non-profit organization created to celebrate, commemorate, and continue the contributions of the leather community and culture that grew up here. It works to preserve and promote the Cultural District as a local, national, and international resource, and as a culturally and commercially enriched neighborhood, supporting the businesses, the artists and artisans, and the patrons of queer and kinky life here. The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District is recognized and supported by the City of San Francisco, as one of a growing collection of Cultural Districts here, each supporting a specific cultural community or ethnic group, reflecting the city's legacy as a homeplace for sanctuary, cultural pride, and movements for justice and innovation. Learn more at https://www.sflcd.org/.

Mike would be humble yet proud of all of this. We still miss him. — Larry

And now, on with the site...

Back in 1978 – in New York's Greenwich Village – a small homoerotic art gallery, bookstore and used leather shop opened its doors. It was called STOMPERS. Four years later, the raging HIV scourge decimated the ownership of the store and Stompers NYC closed. In 1996 I launched a San Francisco rebirth of that legendary New York Stompers. It's purpose was to be:

“The Best Fucking Boot Store In The World!”

We may have pulled it off.

In 2011, after fifteen incredible years, I sold Stompers and retired. This scrapbook contains highlights from my founding years as owner, web manager, photographer and host to the thousands of people who passed through the store. It's a journey through many of my favorite leather and boot passions. Additionally, there are photo memories from my lifetime love of riding motorcycles. In this scrapbook you'll find galleries of pictures, slide shows, video clips and a few stories—obviously, there are lots of boots and leather!

By the way, during the early 1900s, the locals called this area "South of the Slot" -- the "slot" being the cable slot between the rails for the cable cars on Market Street. We were proudly rooted in the South of Market landscape.

These archives relate only to my years at the helm of the San Francisco store, from 1996-2011.

Enjoy!!!

Mike McNamee, the web team and this website have absolutely no connection to the current ownership of Stompers Boots.

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