Day Trips: Moore Maker Tool Company, Matador
Largest tool and knife maker in Texas started small in Matador
By Gerald E. McLeod, Fri., Aug. 5, 2016
The Moore Maker Tool Company's showroom is a modest affair, but the hospitality is warm. The retail sales room is actually the stockroom of the company's office in the Panhandle town of Matador. Most of the company's sales are done by mail-order from a 48-page catalog. Occasionally someone will make the trip to Matador to see the country and shop the room piled high with small green gift boxes holding fancy knives.
Moore Maker puts its brand on hand tools with a distinctive yellow handle and cattle dehorners that are made on-site. The company is also known for its quality knives – everything from pocket knives to big butcher knives. For many, the Texas-based company's oval shield on a knife handle is a sign of good taste in steelware.
Wayland Moore started the business in his garage in 1985. At first the retired superintendent of the Guthrie school system made spurs, bits, and buckles for area cowboys. The company evolved to handle hard-to-find tools for working cattle and stringing barbedwire fences. Moore Maker contracts with American factories to produce tools and knives, and is considered the largest manufacturer of knives and ranching tools in Texas.
Named for the famous ranch that surrounds the town, Matador is about 82 miles northeast of Lubbock in the colorful foothills of the Caprock. The Hotel Matador and Main Street Cafe are about a mile from Moore Maker's headquarters. For directions, call 800/658-9374 or go to www.mooremaker.com.
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