Rod Ford
The state attorney general’s office on Tuesday said it has sued Bourbon & Boots Acquisition Co. LLC and its owner, Rod Ford, for violations of the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
“Bourbon & Boots advertised itself as a southern lifestyle brand which offered artisan inspired and quality craftsmanship,” Attorney General Leslie Rutledge said in a news release. “Instead, consumers unwittingly wasted their hard-earned money on these products, only to never receive them or receive the wrong item.”
The attorney general’s office cited 55 complaints that said Bourbon & Boots failed to deliver items ordered by consumers, failed to fulfill orders of advertised products and failed to refund money for unfulfilled orders or substandard products. It said it reviewed an additional 293 complaints made to the Better Business Bureau.
The lawsuit said the company’s website, BourbonandBoots.com, has been down since at least January. Its Twitter account, with more than 33,000 followers, remains active. (Arkansas Business has been unable to reach Ford or any company representative.)
The lawsuit, filed in Pulaski County Circuit Court, seeks restitution for affected consumers totaling nearly $20,000 and to impose civil penalties and other relief against the company.
More: Read the lawsuit.
Ford’s early-stage venture fund, XCelerate Capital, purchased Bourbon & Boots in 2015 for an undisclosed price. The Southern-themed online marketplace was founded by Matt Price, a Little Rock entrepreneur.
In 2015, Arkansas Business reported complaints after the sale by several company vendors who said they were still owed payment from past invoices — a liability Ford said he never assumed. Later, some vendors said their designs were dropped from the company’s website and replaced with eerily similar ones.
That same year, the company moved into a new headquarters in the Argenta District of downtown North Little Rock, renovating office space on the second floor at 314 Main St. In 2016, the company acquired the public radio show “Tales from the South.”
In January, Little Rock ABC affiliate KATV-TV, Channel 7, reported that a Facebook page, “Shame on Bourbon and Boots,” had been set up by unhappy customers.
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