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  1. besdor

    Top Quality Biltmore

    Its easy to tell the difference between the Canadian and the US made hats ....the Canadian ones say made in Canada! All of our Biltmore hats are Canadian made. We bought a ton of them before the factory closed, like a lot of vendors did. Now most of them are gone..And I've heard there there is...
  2. besdor

    German & Austrian Hutmachers

    We did sell Habig collapsable top hats by special order only.I wish I kept one!!
  3. besdor

    German & Austrian Hutmachers

    Steve, I have to say that this is one of the best threads on the lounge. We carried Habig for many years until the factory shut down in 1990. I had no idea that they were sold in the USA that early on. Their velours were better than Borsalino any day. I still have some in stock but just odds and...
  4. besdor

    Brick and Mortar Hat Store in the Philly - South NJ Area

    Owning a full stocked hat store today is a tough job. Even in a city like Philly that has a good population of customers, its hard to explain why a decent hat costs at least 150$ with 250 to 300 being more the norm.
  5. besdor

    Brick and Mortar Hat Store in the Philly - South NJ Area

    If you dont want to make the trip to NY(i'd suggest you do) then its slim pickings in your area. NJ has a few stores such as Dans Hats in Newark but NY is the place to go for a nice selction of fur felt hats .
  6. besdor

    whats everyones opinion on 100%wool fedora's?

    Due to the rising costs of fur felt, wool is here to stay ..Unfortunately todays buyer has no idea as to what a hat is made from. They see price $$$.. I am hearing that some of the manufacturers are working on a combination of the two -fur and wool. It should bring th cost down and make the hat...
  7. besdor

    My Winter Collection: Borsalino - Panizza - Guerra 1855

    Italy is certainly a good place to be for hats . I wonder if there are a lot of vintage clothing stores there for hats . I have found a few in Florence and brought back some to the states. The problem is that a lot of the older hat stores are fading away.
  8. besdor

    What Hatco COULD produce with modern materials and different blocks

    Unfortunately, I dont see the trend going towards tall full crowns but just the opposite. We are getting more and more calls for shorter tapered crowns with a 2 to 2 1/4 inch brim for the dress market. Probably the only company today that could produce a tall full corwn would be Borsalino . We...
  9. besdor

    Top Quality Biltmore

    The manufacturers that are still in business will survive. All that is left now is basicaly two : Bollman and Hatco for dress hats in the US. Bollman makes mostly wool, and Hatco fur felt. Thats all that is needed. Then there are the imports that are starting to pick up steam. I think Dorfman...
  10. besdor

    Top Quality Biltmore

    Unfortunately we are one of those vendors. We bought a lot of hats before Biltmore closed up shop and moved to TX. What I have seen and heard since then isnt good. The new factory is a Western factory and is not used to making dress hats .Now we dont know what to do as we are out of many items...
  11. besdor

    Italian hat Retailers in US?

    The Alessandria is a full open crown hat. Totaly the opposite of the Como.
  12. besdor

    Italian hat Retailers in US?

    Barbisio / Cervo didnt work out for the US market. Panizza makes medium quality at best. If you want Italian, theres only Borsalino ..
  13. besdor

    Men's Dress Hat Stores, in New York City.

    The Hat Corner is out of business. As is Dae Sung....Ya gotta come to Williamsburg for the good stuff!
  14. besdor

    Top Quality Biltmore

    Biltmore is in a sort of in an unstable position right now. I've been told by other stores to be careful of what one orders from the new TX factory. They are not used to be making dress hats . It is a western factory . It will take time until they have the work done properly.
  15. besdor

    Where to get a custom fedora?

    There is only one place to go for custom....and that would be Art Fawcett..Give him a call. You will be very happy.
  16. besdor

    Lamentations of the Large-headed!

    We carry a Biltmore in size 8 1/4. We had them make us a few last year .The style is a basic 2 1/4" brim similar to the Stetson Temple. There is no regular production company in the world that carries over an 8. We have had requests over the years for them but no one has the block . I wish...
  17. besdor

    Cashmere hats

    The only company today that makesa cashmere blend hat is Guerra. Borsalino tried it but its too soft of a material to make into a dress hat. If you are talking about a fabric hat, thats another story.
  18. besdor

    Looking for information on this Pannizza fedora I just acquired

    It is a Falcus made hat .. A recently made hat from Italy.
  19. besdor

    Beaver Brand Hats, gone?

    Beaver Brands could not compete in todays market. The owner was a very nice person who was passionate about the business similar to the last owner of Biltmore.
  20. besdor

    Beaver Brand Hats, gone?

    I 've found out that they are indeed closed. The factory was down to a three day a week shift during the summer. Apparently there were financial problems that caused them to split from another hat factory and they never were the same. Its a shame. The owner Doug was a nice person.

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