Adventurebilt order - slipped through the cracks?

[Stoney]

Ward,


I afraid you're being a little too rough on the Beaver....hat maker.

lol lol lol

 

[Fedora]

First of all, I am happy to be able to post here again. Thanks to the mods for letting me back on.

I understand the frustration of some and to those who have voiced their strong opinons of me, that is your right.

The biggest problem I have had, and it affects others, is the overnight growth that occurred when the AB was picked to be the new film hat for Harrison. I was not ready for it. But, suffice to say, I am working on the communication aspect of selling handmade hats.

Up until we got the gig, all of my customers were Indy fans, and knew of the wait, or lead times. I did not have to "stay in touch" as they knew when I got to their name, I would make and send them the hat. The film changed all of that.

Some have said I should not be in business. I disagree. And most of my customers would disagree as well.

As it stands now, the way my part of AB works is, you place your order, you get on the list, and when I reach your name, I make the hat and ship it out. If the wait becomes annoying, you just email me for a refund, and you get it. It would be really great if I could tell everyone exactly the day I would make their hat. But, that is impossible. Impossible because many times I am not happy with the end product, and I remake the hat. I don't know ahead of time, how many hats I will have to remake. And in the case of hats promised to be there by the time the film premiered, I did not know when I said this, that I would be pulled off of hatmaking as many times as I was, for interviews, for special orders going to Spielberg and others in the production. And yes, when Steven wanted gift hats, I dropped whatever I was doing, and made his, as well as others involved. I am guilty of that, but would do it again. For apparent and obvious reasons.


I have a new page going up on my site, when my site guy gets around to it, that will cover the lead times, etc. It will be on the Indy 4 page.

I am not here to hock hats. I don't need the business. I need less business. And I don't mean to sound arrogant in saying this. I am just stating a fact. I must admit, it is a rather nice position to be in, to not need the sales.

The Indy 4 gig put myself and Marc in the position of being a very small part of film history. I reckon making the most iconic hat in film history did that. The fact that this hat was a handmade hat has its shortcomings when you go to offer it for sale. It would have been so much easier to have had a factory hat on Indy's head this time around, at least from our perspective. But, that is history now and we can't change it.

I do feel that I will get a handle on this communication deal one day, but until that day arrives, I will do what I have been doing. Trying to get hundreds of hats made and out the door. That is my first priority right now. And the communication suffers when you do this. But with that said, Adventurebilt will never be a big business with others making my hats. I make each and every one of the hats that leave my shop. Just as I did with the film hats. And, I only cater to Indy fans, as I send other orders to Art and other custom hatters. For the Indy fans, it is very important that they get exactly what I sent to the film, which of course means that I personally make the hat. No two hatters make hats exactly alike. Each has his own touch, and my hats can be identified just by the bow work. If you have a good eye for detail, which the Indy guys indeed do.

My advice to anyone wanting what I made for the film is to place your order, and then hurry up and wait. If this does not suit your personality, for heaven's sake, go elsewhere. You will indeed get the hat you ordered, and it will be the same hat I sent to the film. I do think once the new page gets up on my site, there will be no confusion involved in this waiting game. And that should solve many of the problems involving communication.


I am back here, a member again, but only as a hat fan, and not a vendor. I don't want to sell you guys hats. Period. Nothing personal, but I just don't need more sales. A great position to be in and I am a lucky guy. But, I do want to talk about hats, especially vintage hats as that is a passion of mine. I only posted on this thread as a vendor to get my two cents in.


So, greetings to all who know me, and it is GOOD to be back on TFL. Regards, Fedora

 

[Art Fawcett]

Welcome back Sir!! Thanks for clearing the air on this thread Steve. You were the only one that could.
For the record, look at your post count, you were never removed from the roster to my knowledge.

 

[MattJH]

First of all, I am happy to be able to post here again.

I am happy to read it, and having read it, I already have no lack of confidence in ordering a hat from you. That is the power of communication.

Kudos to you for adding a webpage addition reflecting wait times, by the way.

 

[Fedora]

Welcome back Sir!! Thanks for clearing the air on this thread Steve. You were the only one that could.
For the record, look at your post count, you were never removed from the roster to my knowledge.

Hello old friend!! Long time sir since we spoke. By the way Art, those plain white liners you sent me were used in the film hats. They just colored them for the lighting.(Western Costume used a spray on hair dye!) When I went to Sheldon, thinking he made them, I found out these were European made liners, or at least Sheldon said as much. But, he would be happy to copy them for me, for a price!!! Ha, ha. Hope this finds you well my friend. Take care. Steve

 

[MrFusion]

Good to see Mr. Delk back at The Lounge!

I have a hat on order from him and back when I placed the order the wait would have put my hat arriving about on my Birthday. However, with the IJ film's release it became very apparent that Adventurebuilt was getting overwhelmed so I figured that I would get the hat when it was done - I'm ok with that. Communication from Steve has been spotty at best but he has sent me emails responding to questions and even a few after I made payments (I took the layaway option) when I didn't even ask for a response.
I'm an Indy fan but not one that desires the whole Indy attire. I just like well made hats and once I saw Steve's Indy hat and found out that I could get one made custom, I was in. I would love to get a second from Steve in gray but I think he doesn't need any more orders right now plus with the current price increase (which is absolutely understandable) I'll hold off.
I have one last payment to make and then it is the waiting game. Not a problem; anticipation just makes me look forward to getting it that much more!

Oh, wow! No more layaway. I dodged that bullet!

 

[swisslet]

Oh, it's nice to see Steve back on this forum. I've learnt heaps from him when he posts on COW, and it's good that he's now back and going to be posting on hats here too.

Incidentally, and for what it's worth, I've just joined Marc Kitter's waiting list for an AB deluxe. It's 14 months, but I'm more than prepared to wait that for something with that level of craftsmanship.... We live in a culture of instant gratification, but as the adverts say, good things sometimes come to those who wait.

 

[pdxvintagette]

And, I only cater to Indy fans, as I send other orders to Art and other custom hatters... I do think once the new page gets up on my site, there will be no confusion involved in this waiting game. And that should solve many of the problems involving communication.

Thank you very much, Steve. I appreciate that you updated all of us on this thread. I thank you for the information and courtesy - we will be cancelling our order, but only because what we were really looking for isn't your speciality and you've quite enough order that actually are. Rather, Dave wanted to get his dad a remake of a vintage fedora, and since you're busy as can be, it sounds like Art will be a better fit. Thank you again.

Sincerely,
Julie

 

[MAB1]

First of all, I am happy to be able to post here again. Thanks to the mods for letting me back on.

I understand the frustration of some and to those who have voiced their strong opinons of me, that is your right.

The biggest problem I have had, and it affects others, is the overnight growth that occurred when the AB was picked to be the new film hat for Harrison. I was not ready for it. But, suffice to say, I am working on the communication aspect of selling handmade hats.

Up until we got the gig, all of my customers were Indy fans, and knew of the wait, or lead times. I did not have to "stay in touch" as they knew when I got to their name, I would make and send them the hat. The film changed all of that.

Some have said I should not be in business. I disagree. And most of my customers would disagree as well.

As it stands now, the way my part of AB works is, you place your order, you get on the list, and when I reach your name, I make the hat and ship it out. If the wait becomes annoying, you just email me for a refund, and you get it. It would be really great if I could tell everyone exactly the day I would make their hat. But, that is impossible. Impossible because many times I am not happy with the end product, and I remake the hat. I don't know ahead of time, how many hats I will have to remake. And in the case of hats promised to be there by the time the film premiered, I did not know when I said this, that I would be pulled off of hatmaking as many times as I was, for interviews, for special orders going to Spielberg and others in the production. And yes, when Steven wanted gift hats, I dropped whatever I was doing, and made his, as well as others involved. I am guilty of that, but would do it again. For apparent and obvious reasons.


I have a new page going up on my site, when my site guy gets around to it, that will cover the lead times, etc. It will be on the Indy 4 page.

I am not here to hock hats. I don't need the business. I need less business. And I don't mean to sound arrogant in saying this. I am just stating a fact. I must admit, it is a rather nice position to be in, to not need the sales.

The Indy 4 gig put myself and Marc in the position of being a very small part of film history. I reckon making the most iconic hat in film history did that. The fact that this hat was a handmade hat has its shortcomings when you go to offer it for sale. It would have been so much easier to have had a factory hat on Indy's head this time around, at least from our perspective. But, that is history now and we can't change it.

I do feel that I will get a handle on this communication deal one day, but until that day arrives, I will do what I have been doing. Trying to get hundreds of hats made and out the door. That is my first priority right now. And the communication suffers when you do this. But with that said, Adventurebilt will never be a big business with others making my hats. I make each and every one of the hats that leave my shop. Just as I did with the film hats. And, I only cater to Indy fans, as I send other orders to Art and other custom hatters. For the Indy fans, it is very important that they get exactly what I sent to the film, which of course means that I personally make the hat. No two hatters make hats exactly alike. Each has his own touch, and my hats can be identified just by the bow work. If you have a good eye for detail, which the Indy guys indeed do.

My advice to anyone wanting what I made for the film is to place your order, and then hurry up and wait. If this does not suit your personality, for heaven's sake, go elsewhere. You will indeed get the hat you ordered, and it will be the same hat I sent to the film. I do think once the new page gets up on my site, there will be no confusion involved in this waiting game. And that should solve many of the problems involving communication.


I am back here, a member again, but only as a hat fan, and not a vendor. I don't want to sell you guys hats. Period. Nothing personal, but I just don't need more sales. A great position to be in and I am a lucky guy. But, I do want to talk about hats, especially vintage hats as that is a passion of mine. I only posted on this thread as a vendor to get my two cents in.


So, greetings to all who know me, and it is GOOD to be back on TFL. Regards, Fedora

You Sir, are not only a gentleman and scholar, but you are also one smart fellow. All here, myself included, appreciate your explanation and apology. You not only just saved face... you saved a big part of your fan base... which is a mighty army, indeed.

Thanks for taking the time to stop in and explain things. It was quite informative.

Now... get back to work!

 

[Fedora]

We live in a culture of instant gratification,

Yes I agree. And I am an instant gratification guy like many. But with so many great custom hatmakers out there, you can find one that has short lead times. Most of these guys are just starting out though, like John Penman and Brad. As long a they handmake their hats, eventually they too will have much longer lead times. Plus, I think both have hobby pricing now. Part of my work load is attributed to me selling the Indy 4 fedora for my hobby price of 225.00. I sold a ton of them, as some bought 4 and 5 at a whack. I should have adjusted my pricing up back then, but I really did not want to make my fellow fans ill with me by doing so. I did jog up my prices quite a bit just to cut down on demand recently, but I also felt that the exact same hat as I made for the last Indy film warranted a higher price. With that said, most established hatters still ask for more than me on their 100 per cent beaver hats. My price increase worked as it really cut down on the volume of orders. But has not killed the business-yet. This time next year, I think I will be on top of this little business. It really was overwhelming once the word got out by Bernie mentioning my name on that hat and jacket video on the official Indy website.

The perks to all of this is I have been able to talk to some of the folks that made the film, and for an Indy fan, it just doesn't get any better than that.

To be honest, I am still in shock that a hat I sent was chosen by Mr. Spielberg to dorn Harrison's head in the new film. And I must admit that when Bernie told me that Marc and I were hand downs the winner of the contest, it really made my year! That a fan hatter was chosen still amazes me. And we had stiff competition. The obsession that I still have with the Indy fedora paid off in spades for me and Marc. Who would have thought it? Certainly not me, or Marc.

The thing is, the hat they picked is not the one we would have put on Harrison's head. But, they were satified, so who am I to say anything bad about the choice? Marc and I would have had our rendition of the Raiders fedora. Regardless, the CS fedora is its own hat, but Indy enough to work. If you like it, give Bernie Pollack the credit. We just gave him what he specified, sometimes much to our chagrin. Fedora

 

[Fedora]

You Sir, are not only a gentleman and scholar, but you are also one smart fellow. All here, myself included, appreciate your explanation and apology. You not only just saved face... you saved a big part of your fan base... which is a mighty army, indeed.

Thanks. I was given a heads up on the discussion and finally got back on TFL to at least explain the situation. I was aware of the communication problem, but when you get 983 emails over a weekend and your pc time is limited due to trying to keep your head above water, it can be quite disconcerting not only for my customers, but for myself as well. It can be really stressful too. I think if I were not so darn old and well grounded, I may have had a mental breakdown! But the old adage of, When you are up to the arse in gators, you must not forget the plan was to drain the swamp" has kept me sane and hats steadily being shipped. I knew I was making some folks nervous, ill, etc. But honestly, I tried very hard to keep the chaos pointed in one direction, to take care of hatmaking. It really was and is, the best that I can do. The good news is once the surge is completed, I will breath easier, and the chaos will be a thing of the past. Then I will have the time to shoot the breeze with my many customers and friends when they call to converse. That is what I miss most.

Now... get back to work!

Yes sir!!!! I just came in to get an address change for a hat that is to be shipped today and checked in here. So, back to the shop, til tomorrow morning when I do my pc work. Although I would really like to make a post on the Indy thread that seems to be hot. Maybe tomorrow! Fedora

 

[Not-Bogart13]

See. Told ya!

Welcome back Steve. Now, where are my hats!?! (just kiddin').

 

[RBH]

First of all, I am happy to be able to post here again. . .
So, greetings to all who know me, and it is GOOD to be back on TFL. Regards, Fedora

:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap


'nuff said!
Glad to see ya again my friend !!!!

 

[indycop]

So Steve, maybe you can work in a little break from hatmaking on the 1st of August and come to the Peabody and get some Barbeque at the Memphis meet!?

 

[handlebar bart]

Seems this thread got put to bed:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap Nice to see some more hat building wisdom back on the site. Ya know guys, when my Dad retired he took his leathersmith and knifemaking hobby to a professional level and despite his love of making knives and leather goods he didn't like the 'business' side of it. Alot of people these days tend to be whiny and want instant gratification, which is fine; but the guy making the product isn't just dealing with one needy customer. He's dealing with a BUNCH of em. I'm sure Steve is not too much different than my Dad, in that he has a love for the building and crafting of a perfect object and wishes that people would be patient and understanding that he has alot of people in line for one. Now I have to go beg and beg to get my Pop to make me a new Bowie knife :rage:

 

[Lefty]

Don't make me get my spray bottle of Distilled water out and use it on you.

lol lol lol
That's one of the best, and possibly only, inside-joke-threats I've ever heard.

 

[indycop]

Turn that hat. Into whatever it really wants to be.

It really wants to be an Indy hat or else it wouldn't be called an Indy hat!lol

[/QUOTE]We have no right to criticise anyone but ourselves.[/QUOTE]
You have to remember that when you are pickin at the stingy guys!

 

[MAB1]

Ya know what ???

You guys are just too smart for me.

Why don't y'all go ...

Educate yourselves.

 

[Not-Bogart13]

lol lol lol
That's one of the best, and possibly only, inside-joke-threats I've ever heard.

I particularly liked that one, myself. lol