You Never Know Who You'll Meet in Round Top: The Three Sons Story
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Time to read 8 min
There's a very unique magic in the air in Round Top, Texas. You might come to town with a list of things you're hoping to find, but you never quite know what you might discover or whose path you might cross.
Just ask Shelby West.
The founder of Western clothing brand Three Sons has been coming to Round Top with her college best friends for years, never imagining that the people she'd meet while shopping with her girlfriends would one day help turn some of her biggest dreams into reality.
But that's exactly what happened. Twice, in fact, exactly one year apart.
The first began with a Friday night out and an unexpected friendship with the owner of Kemo Sabe. The second involved a little courage, a well-timed introduction to Kendra Scott, and a cinnamon suede skirt of her own design.
Talk about that unique Round Top kind of magic.
A Chance Meeting at Kemo Sabe
It all started on a Friday night in Round Top, when Shelby and her girlfriends struck up a conversation with Wendy Kunkle, the owner of Kemo Sabe, and several members of her team.
The group hit it off, and what began as a chance introduction turned into a weekend of shopping, dinner, and getting to know one another.
At the time, Shelby had recently started Three Sons, a Western clothing brand named after her three boys. Her first designs were denim jackets featuring colorful Pendleton fabrics, and she'd been dreaming of seeing them in stores like Kemo Sabe.
In fact, she'd had the thought before. During an earlier trip to Vail, she'd purchased a Kemo Sabe hat and found herself looking around the store, imagining what it might be like to see her own jackets hanging on the racks. She'd even reached out through the company's website to inquire about trunk shows.
Now, here she was spending the weekend with the very people she'd hoped to work with. But as much as she wanted to introduce Wendy to Three Sons, she didn't want to turn a new friendship into a business pitch.
So on Saturday night, Shelby went to bed and said a little prayer, hoping the conversation might come up naturally.
Sure enough, the next morning, while the group was shopping, Wendy noticed the Three Sons branding on Shelby's Kemo Sabe hat.
"Tell me about your brand on your hat," she said.
Shelby pulled up her website and began sharing the story behind Three Sons, her boys, and the jackets she'd been creating. After looking through the collection, Wendy had a suggestion.
"You should come do some trunk shows with us," she told Shelby.
Shelby was so excited on the drive home that she barely remembers the drive at all. All she could think about was getting that first trunk show on the calendar, and before long, she was standing inside Kemo Sabe, watching customers browse the very jackets she'd once dreamed of seeing on its racks.
That first opportunity led to trunk shows at Kemo Sabe stores in Aspen, Jackson Hole, and Park City, where Shelby found inspiration to expand beyond denim jackets. She began designing suede skirts, leather jackets, vests, and other elevated Western pieces, often creating things she wanted to wear to her own shows.
By the time she returned to Round Top the following year, Shelby had a whole new collection to show for it.
As it turned out, she was about to have another story to tell, too.
One Year Later, Another Introduction
Shelby was back in Round Top with those same college girlfriends, spending an afternoon browsing the shops. She happened to be wearing a cinnamon suede skirt and matching vest from her own collection when she spotted Kendra Scott across the room.
"I thought, if anyone could understand the passion and hard work behind building a brand from the ground up, it would be her," Shelby said.
So while her girlfriends continued shopping, she stayed back for a moment. "I remember standing there rehearsing in my head exactly what I wanted to say. I said a little prayer asking God for the courage, confidence, and right words to introduce myself," she said.
Shelby walked over and introduced herself, sharing the story behind Three Sons and the Western clothing she'd been designing. Before they parted ways, she exchanged information with Kendra's assistant, who purchased the cinnamon suede skirt and vest for Kendra, leaving Shelby plenty to dream about on the way home.
She'd once told her youngest son how incredible it would be to see someone famous wearing Three Sons, and now, of all people, Kendra Scott might be wearing one of her designs.
Not long after, Shelby received a message from Kendra's assistant with an even bigger surprise.
"Kendra is loving your Three Sons skirt and vest and would love to collaborate with you in the future in her Yellow Rose stores," it read.
Shelby was familiar with Kendra's Yellow Rose jewelry collection, but had no idea there were plans for an entire retail concept featuring Western apparel. And when the new stores were announced, there was Kendra Scott in the announcement photograph, wearing the very cinnamon suede skirt Shelby had been wearing that afternoon in Round Top.
There was that Round Top magic again.
Today, Three Sons is carried in Yellow Rose stores across Texas and Nashville, along with other boutiques. Not bad for an afternoon spent shopping with your college girlfriends.
The Conversations That Show Up in Her Designs
Of course, not every memorable encounter in Round Top leads to a major retail partnership. Shelby has found just as much inspiration in the conversations she's struck up with fellow vendors and vintage dealers, especially those who know a thing or two about the history of Western wear.
During a recent show, while waiting for her inventory to be checked in at Kemo Sabe, she wandered over to visit Cowboy Phil, a longtime figure in the vintage Western wear world, at the 550.
What started as a quick stop turned into an hour spent talking about the history and details of Western clothing. Phil walked Shelby through vintage pearl snap shirts and Western suits, pointing out the stitching, piping, and construction details that helped identify when different pieces were made.
He showed her how the smallest details could tell a story about a garment, from the particular style of a shirt to the color combinations that were popular decades ago.
One combination that especially caught her attention was a maroon pearl snap shirt with muted green details. It wasn't a pairing she would have thought to use herself, but seeing it on a vintage piece gave her an entirely new perspective.
What struck her was how generously he shared his knowledge. Here was someone with decades of experience and connections throughout the Western wear industry, taking the time to explain the details to a designer who was eager to learn.
"He was not in a hurry. He was just there," Shelby remembers.
By the time Shelby left, she was already thinking about future collections, wondering whether she might incorporate certain piping details into a blouse or bring her thread book back to study some of those vintage colors more closely.
For Shelby, it was one of those conversations that could only happen in a place like Round Top, where people who share a passion for beautiful, well-made things have the time and opportunity to learn from one another.
A Familiar Face in the Crowd
Beyond the friendships she's built with fellow vendors, Shelby has found something equally special in the women who return to shop Three Sons year after year.
At a recent show, one of the first women to walk into Kemo Sabe was already wearing a Three Sons jacket. She'd made it her first stop, eager to see what Shelby had designed since her last visit.
Many of these women have followed Three Sons from its earliest days, when the collection consisted of just a few denim jackets. And through Instagram, they've gotten to know the family behind the brand, too.
Named after her three boys, Three Sons has always been an extension of the West family's life. They're a rodeo family through and through, with weekends spent watching the boys team rope and traveling to competitions. Shelby shares plenty of those moments online, so when customers return to Round Top, they're often telling her things like, "I love watching your boys rope," and catching up on everything that's happened since the last show.
For Shelby, who hopes her boys will grow up seeing what it looks like to work hard, take chances, and pursue something you love, knowing that people are cheering on her boys as well as her business makes those relationships all the more special.
And the excitement extends to the rest of the family, too. Not long ago, Shelby's parents were sitting outside Ellis Motel when they spotted two women walking by in Three Sons jackets. They were so excited they couldn't wait to tell her.
"It's the coolest thing," Shelby said.
Still Coming Back for More
Seven shows in, Shelby has learned that no two trips to Round Top are quite the same. But no matter how much has changed, one tradition remains: making time to shop, laugh, and catch up with the college girlfriends who brought her here in the first place.
They try to carve out an afternoon to walk Marburger, visit their favorite shops, and dig through the fields in Warrenton looking for treasures. With Shelby living near Tyler and her friends in Houston, those few days together remain a tradition they look forward to.
There was a time when Shelby wondered how she'd manage being both a vendor and the college friend who'd come to shop. These days, her girlfriends know she'll probably disappear for a while to talk to customers, catch up with fellow vendors, or get caught in a conversation about something she's discovered.
And really, that's how this whole thing started.
There's the shopping, of course, and the time with friends, but also the community, the inspiration, and the future stories waiting around every corner. And while she has a pretty good idea of where she'll be setting up her collection each show, the rest is anyone's guess.
After all, you never know who you'll meet in Round Top.
It's that magic, remember?
Round Top Finds Quick Hits with Shelby West
- Your advice for a first-time Round Top shopper? Grab a margarita at Lady Elaine, catch the sunset at Bader Ranch, and be sure to stop by Kemo Sabe.
- Where do you always make time to shop? Oh, there's so much! I love Walker & Western for vintage Western treasures, but honestly, everywhere.
- If you could dress one woman, past or present, in Three Sons, who would it be? Lainey Wilson. I've sent her a few pieces, and I would die if I got to see her wearing my new green fringe jacket!
