Hat Store Images

[jimmy the lid]

Batsakes Hat Shop in Cincinnati

Originally posted by Tango Yankee in this thread...

Well, I said in Sharpetoys' thread I would try to visit this shop yesterday and I was indeed able to get there.

As with any downtown parking was hard to come by. As I went by the shop I took a quick photo of Gus working in front of the window. I drove around a bit before finding an open space that turned out to have a broken meter. I took a chance and parked there anyway. It was around the block from the shop. As I walked I noticed a lot of men of various ages wearing overcoats with nice shoes and trousers showing, perhaps the top of a tie... but nary a hat despite the cold. I was wearing a grey Stetson Weekender I picked up on eBay.

A woman greeted me when I entered. I'm sorry to say I did not find out who she was. I told her I'd read about the shop and came by to look around. He had lots of hats and caps by various makers, including some top hats on display. Along one wall was a old fashioned shoe-shine stand!

I tried on a Borsolino but it paled in comparison to my vintage one. After finding out my approximate size the woman had me try on a medium-brown hat with a dark brown ribbon, one that had been made by Gus. It was a hair too large, but very sweet. She said it was $200. I tried it on and looked in the mirror a couple of times, and she asked me if I liked it. I did. She went and talked to Gus, and came back and offered it to me for $170. That did it. My wife, Rhonda, had told me that if I found a hat I liked to get it as her anniversary present to me.

Gus took the hat, stamped my initials in it, and signed and dated it on the inside of the sweat band. I went over and got a shoe shine from Charlie ($3.00, plus tip) and then talked to Gus some more along with another customer.

Gus showed us letters he's received recently from President Bush and a former mayor of Portsmouth, OH, congratulating him on his shop's 100th year in business. He was a bit unhappy with the mayor of Cincinatti who had yet to acknowledge his existence. I don't blame him. How many businesses in Cincinatti can make the claim of having been there for 100 years, with a proprietor who has been working at his craft for 56 years?

As we talked a doorman from a nearby hotel came in to have his hat brushed off. It appeared to me to be a cross between a homburg and a top hat.

When I got home I modeled my new hat for Rhonda, whose big smile told me all I needed to know as to how she liked it one me.

Here are a few photos. I'll post photos of the hat in a different thread.

Enjoy!
Tom

The view from the street

The front of the store

The letter from President Bush

Charlie at his shoe shine stand

 

[Lefty]

***

I just made a visit to Del Monico Hatters in New Haven, Connecticut, also mentioned in a thread by French, here.

I thought it worthy to start a new thread, rather than hijack French's thread, to draw attention to a real quality New England hatter. The staff is really excellent, and more than willing to put up with even as picky a shopper as myself. Here's the staff, along with myself and my newly purchased Stetson Blakely. The owner, Ernie DelMonico, is to the right. The store has been run by the DelMonico family since it's opening in 1908.

Del Monico has been in New Haven for 100 years this year, though in this location only since 1966. Not only was Marcus, on the far left, extremely patient and knowledgeable about hats, he also gave us an interesting history of Del Monico and downtown New Haven, to boot.

The plaque Mandy is holding is the Hat Retailer of the Year Award for 2007, awarded by the Headwear Association.

Here's the storefront, located at 47 Elm Street, New Haven, just off the Green.

There is just no way to compare buying a hat from a knowledgeable and friendly staff, and as French mentioned in his thread, they do not steer you towards the most expensive hats, but ones that fit your features and your style. They listen to what you tell them, and make recommendations along those lines. Marcus didn't break out the $300 Borsolinos until I had already pretty much made my selection, and then only to show my wife the quality of the felt.

Since I bought two hats, and am currently traveling, they were more than willing to box up and ship my hats to California.

Overall a great experience at Del Monico's, and a highly recommended hatter!

 

[panama jack]

Lefty,
Del Monico's is a great place. I live in Ct. and have been there many times. I plan on going there tomorrow if my new hat comes from my e-bay win. Everyone in the place is very friendly and your comment about not trying to sell you the most expensive hat is true.
This summer I was in there and was looking for a straw hat. I ended up buying a stetson retro for 50 bucks. Only after I decided on the hat did the show me the good Borsalona's.
I'm glad you enjoyed your visit there.

pj

 

[RBH]

Buckaroo Hatters in Covington TN

the front of the shop...

<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/3228/shopqe5.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/></a>


Here is a shot of the western side, the fedora side is not complete yet.


<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/222/004mx0.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/></a>


some shots of the shop.

<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/9151/032vs8.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/></a>

<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/2970/033xw7.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/></a>

<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/517/035ul3.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/></a>



<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/2384/034zn2.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/></a>[/QUOTE]

 

[Lefty]

PJ, the Optimo photos are mine, but the rest, as well as their text, belong to the original poster, as shown in the quote.

Here's an imagined hat shop/design studio from an ad in a recent NY Times Magaine. Sorry for the contrasty scan.

 

[panama jack]

PJ, the Optimo photos are mine, but the rest, as well as their text, belong to the original poster, as shown in the quote.

Here's an imagined hat shop/design studio from an ad in a recent NY Times Magaine. Sorry for the contrasty scan.

Lefty,
Sorry about that. I missed the comment at the top.

pj

 

[Colby Jack]

It was mentioned earlier that their were other threads with pics of various hat stores...but it looks like this thread is filling out nicely. It's certainly easier to do a search on "hat stores", and have this thread come up with all the hat stores shown. Otherwise it's kind of hit and miss.

Aren't there pics of Arts place that can be posted here also?

 

[Lefty]

***

Here are a bunch of pictures of Art's shop, including his Vault, where lots of hats and stuff are stored. I believe that Andykev took these today.

 

[bolthead]

Aren't there pics of Arts place that can be posted here also?

I was wondering the sane thing?

 

[Lefty]

***

 

[Lefty]

***

I made the trip down to Art's country hideway yesterday. You know you are out in the wild country when you see signs with pictures of cows that say "Open Range". I spent the day enjoying the quiet solitude of his 175 acres and watching him work on hats. I took numerous pics, too many to post, but I'll show a few to show how Art transforms what looks like a hobo hat into a beautiful fedora. Below is what all hats start as

And then after a good days work it ends up like this.

fedoralover

You mean like this? I believe Art now offers hats in 2 different weights and I think he said over 20 colors. Correct me Art if that's incorrect.

fedoralover

This may be it, I got to watch Art work on it for several hours.

sewing in the sweatband

fedoralover

Here's Art just starting on another one.

Here's a pic of where he does all the work.

fedoralover

 

[bolthead]

Thanks Lefty......

I nominate Lefty for our next Bartender in this Room. :cheers1:

 

[thunderw21]

River Junction Trade Co., McGregor, Iowa.

 

[BobC]

Thanks for these posts, everybody. These are really great. I've seen some of these around here and there, but I haven't seen most of them. This is a cool thread. Thanks for starting it , CJ.

 

[Lefty]

I nominate Lefty for our next Bartender in this Room. :cheers1:

Thanks for the vote, but I so don't have the temperament for it. "Use the search function, dumb ass" would be my signature, and that just doesn't attract new members.

 

[Colby Jack]

Just ask...and we receive!....:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[carter]

Jimmy Pierce's shop in Granberry, TX. (2007)*

* Jimmy's shop is now located at his home near Glenrose, TX.

 

[carter]

HATCO Outlet in Garland, TX

Here are a few images from the HATCO Outlet Store in Garland, TX

 

[Colby Jack]

Man...I need such a cold shower now....

 

[indycop]

Man...I need such a cold shower now....

I'm gonna have nightmares... lol