Apparel, resale & collectibles

Books and taxes for western wear stores.

Boots special ordered by size, hats steamed and shaped to the customer, buckle engraving, and a rodeo weekend that doubles the register. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
AugustExample month
$10,000
what you made

August came in at $10,000. The county rodeo weekend alone brought in nearly a third of the month, so I kept it apart from a normal week to see how much the event actually added.

  • Register sales, boots and hatsRetail sales
  • Special order boot balanceCustom orders
  • Hat shaping and steaming feesHat services
  • Boot manufacturer invoiceWholesale inventory
  • Buckle engraving suppliesCustomization supplies
Money in$37,000
Money out$27,000
Set aside for taxes$2,400
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Western wear books go wrong in the same few places.

A generalist sees boots and hats on a shelf. Your business special orders boots that take weeks to arrive, steams and shapes a hat to fit one customer, engraves buckles as a service, and doubles its sales on a rodeo weekend that only happens a few times a year. When the books do not know that, a special order deposit looks like a windfall and a rodeo bump looks like it came from nowhere.

  1. 1

    Special order boot deposits count as a sale too early

    A customer puts down $80 on a pair of boots special ordered in their size, and the boots do not arrive for six weeks. Booked as income at the deposit, the store still owes a finished pair.

    What we doKeeps special order deposits as money owed until the boots arrive and are delivered, so the sale only counts once it is real.
  2. 2

    Hat shaping and buckle engraving get buried in the sale price

    A hat shaped and steamed to a customer's head, or a buckle engraved with initials, rings through as part of the item's price, and the store cannot tell how much of its margin is actually the service versus the merchandise.

    What we doKeeps shaping, steaming, and engraving fees in their own category, separate from merchandise sales.
  3. 3

    A rodeo or fair weekend looks like a random spike

    A county rodeo or a stock show can double a week's sales, but without tracking event weekends separately, an owner cannot tell whether the bump was the event or something worth repeating on its own.

    What we doTracks event weekend sales apart from everyday sales, so the real value of showing up to a rodeo or fair is visible.
  4. 4

    A seasonal boot and hat buy wrecks the monthly number

    A large wholesale order of boots and hats ahead of rodeo or fall show season lands as one invoice, even though the stock will sell over the following months.

    What we doKeeps seasonal wholesale buys visible against what has actually sold from them, so a big order does not read as a bad month.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a western wear store.

Set up once for what you sell and what you customize. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Retail salesEveryday boot, hat, and apparel sales rung through the register.
  • Custom ordersSpecial order boots and hats, tracked as deposit plus balance.
  • Hat servicesSteaming, shaping, and sizing fees, billed apart from the hat.
  • Customization servicesBuckle engraving and belt customization fees.

Money out

  • Wholesale inventoryBoots, hats, and apparel bought from western brands and reps.
  • Customization suppliesEngraving blanks, hat bands, and shaping equipment.
  • Rent and utilitiesThe storefront lease and its utilities.
  • PayrollSales staff and fitters, kept apart from owner draw.
  • Event booth feesRodeo, fair, and stock show vendor booth costs.
  • MarketingLocal ads and event sponsorships.
  • Card processing feesWhat the card processor keeps before payout.

What we watch for you

  • Special order backlog

    What is owed on boots and hats not yet delivered, so it is never mistaken for spendable cash.

  • Event weekend sales

    Sales tied to a rodeo, fair, or show, so the real value of attending is visible.

  • Service revenue share

    Hat and buckle service fees against total sales, so it is clear if customization is worth the counter time.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.

Ask Gus

Things western wear owners ask Gus.

Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.

I took deposits on a dozen special order boots at the county fair. Does that count as this month's sales?

Not until the boots arrive and are paid off. I am holding the deposits as money owed so the sale only counts once it is real.

Does the fee I charge to steam and shape a hat count the same as selling the hat?

I keep them separate so you can see how much of your margin is actually coming from the shaping service versus the hat itself.

I hire an extra hand just for rodeo weekend and pay her cash. Do I need paperwork?

If you pay her $2,000 or more this year and she is not on payroll, she gets a 1099 by January 31. I am keeping that total as we go.

The tax side

The tax side of a western wear store.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing between a special order deposit and a finished sale.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Inventory and cost of goodsWhat was paid for boots and hats actually sold during the year, not just what was spent buying, is what counts against sales. Unsold seasonal stock at year end changes what the return shows as profit.
  • Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll paid $2,000 or more in 2026 for event weekend help or hat and boot fitting gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all year.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when special order deposits are counted in the right month.
  • Self-employment taxAn owner running the store as a sole proprietor or single-member LLC pays 15.3 percent self-employment tax on top of income tax, up to the $184,500 Social Security wage base.

Deductions western wear stores miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Hat steamers and shaping equipment
  • Engraving tools and blanks
  • Boot fitting stools and equipment
  • Rodeo and fair booth fees
  • Local radio and print ads
  • Storefront rent and utilities
  • Racks and boot wall fixtures
  • Card processing fees
  • Business liability insurance
  • Signage and window displays
  • Shipping for special orders
  • Trade show travel

General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.

All year, not just April

A western wear year, kept every month.

Rodeo season, stock shows, and the holidays each bring their own rush. Your taxes come on a schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list for event help is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether spring rodeo season sold through the way it should.

  4. October

    Before the holiday rush

    Fall stock show season and holiday gift buying are starting. Gus looks at what to buy before December and what the season will owe.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.

Book a call
  • Monthly bookkeeping

    Every transaction sorted into categories set up for western wear stores. You never categorize a thing.

  • An accountant checks every transaction

    Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.

  • Your business tax return, filed

    Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.

  • The monthly number

    What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.

  • Your own bookkeeper

    A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.

  • On your books all year

    Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.

  • Cancel any time

    No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.

Straight answers

Questions western wear owners ask first.

How does Gus handle deposits on special order boots?

He keeps them as money owed against the order until the boots arrive and are paid off, so a busy special order week does not read as a sales spike that is not real yet.

Does a rodeo weekend need to be tracked differently than a normal week?

Gus can keep event weekend sales visible apart from everyday sales, so you can see how much a rodeo or fair actually added instead of guessing.

I charge separately for hat shaping and buckle engraving. Does that complicate the books?

No. Gus keeps those service fees in their own category, separate from merchandise sales, so you can see what the customization side is actually earning.

I pay extra help in cash for busy fair weekends. Is that a problem?

Cash help still needs to be tracked. If you pay someone $2,000 or more in a year and they are not on payroll, they need a 1099. Gus keeps that running so nothing is missed.

My books have not been touched since last rodeo season. Can Gus catch up?

Yes. Send whatever statements have piled up since then. Gus works through special orders and event weekends in the backlog, the accountant checks it, and most owners are caught up within a week.

Is a real accountant checking my books?

Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.

What does it cost, and can I cancel?

It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.

More in apparel, resale & collectibles

We keep books for the business next door too.

What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for

Book a call

Pick a time. That's the whole signup.

Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.

  • $197 a month to start
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever