A Part of Central Texas Since 1867

Padgitt's was founded in 1867 by a young leatherworker barely out of his teens, to serve the expanding railroads moving north and west out of Houston. In 1870, Tom Padgitt moved his leather craft shop from Bryan, Texas to Waco and established what soon became one of the world's leading saddle and harness manufacturing firms.

Waco had been founded only fourteen years earlier. It had been only thirty years since the Texas Rangers had abandoned the first Fort Fisher. Photography had been invented just twenty-eight years previously. It would be twenty-eight years more before Guglielmo Marconie would successfully send the first radio waves through the air, and another eight years before the Wright brothers would fly at Kitty Hawk, N.C.

Through the years as Waco grew, so did the Tom Padgitt Company. First established as a one man and wife harness and saddle manufacturer to serve the ever expanding railroads as they spread across Texas, Padgitt's became the world's leading producer of harness and fine saddles. With the advent of the automobile and man's changing needs, Padgitt's changed too. Through the years, Central Texans have purchased guns and ammunition, fishing tackle, camping supplies, luggage, clothing, toys, radios, photographic and hi-fi equipment and supplies as well as instructional media material.

A Leader in Photographic, Stereo, Video, Audio Visual and Home Theater Systems

Throughout our history, Padgitt's has evolved into a highly specialized company, offering a wide range of communications equipment and expertise. While the product has changed, the philosophy has remained consistent...doing quality work and delivering the best possible product.

Today, Padgitt's Communication Specialists is Central Texas' leading supplier of photographic, stereo, video, audio visual and home theater systems. It has grown to be Waco's oldest business establishment following the policies of its founder - giving customers the finest products and services at a fair price.