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- 19,001
- Location
- Central California
She may indeed Andrew, and I truly hope she does. I believe the world needs more hatters and I'm delighted to see this trend amongst the younger generations to recapture old skills and fine craftsmanship. I started making hats with fewer tools than she has and made some pretty decent hats right out of the gate, however, not being a master hatter, I didn't bring them to market at master hatter prices. That's just me, though. I think she should charge whatever she feels is appropriate for her product. The market will respond, one way or the other. Success is not just an American dream, but a dream shared by passionate entrepreneurs the world over.
I’ve given her some refurbishment work just to see what she can do. Her prices for new sweatbands, ribbons, etc. is a bit over market, but not terrible. I really like supporting new hatters, but I’m a believer in the free market and getting paid what your work is worth. I’m not giving her any reblocking work since she doesn’t have a block my size (she claims she can do it without a block in my size, but I’m not buying it).
I spoke with her again while dropping off a hat for work. She is enthusiastic, but she doesn’t seem to know much about hats. She wasn’t familiar with VS, BSHW, Gannon, NW, etc. she also had never heard of Tonak or FEPSA and thought that Winchester was the only source for fur felt. She didn’t know what a roan sweatband was and she had never heard of petersham (I wanted to make sure the new ribbon wasn’t petersham). I handed her a modern rabbit Borsalino and after handling it she asked if it was wool. Her market is obviously not hat enthusiasts.
As to her prices, part of the new hatter’s conundrum is the lack of specialized tools. This necessitates doing more by hand and spending more time getting it done. The result is a greater cost in time/money and a lower quality hat since hat tools and equipment not only decrease the time they also produce better results. It’s a good reason why starting part time while having a steady “other” income while learning the craft and accumulating tools is a winning strategy.
I wish her luck, but I’m not even considering commissioning a hat from her.
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