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********mayserwegener said:They tend to have new old stock hats from the 50s and 60s which is something you rarely see here.
That's neat!
********mayserwegener said:They tend to have new old stock hats from the 50s and 60s which is something you rarely see here.
kabuto said:I've never done this with hat shops (since there are so few), but with other shopping, such as for high end consumer electronics, I patronize the brick and motor shops--in a somewhat nasty way.
I will ID a shop that I don't think I will be buying from, and then do all my research there, taking up the time of the clerks. When I've decided what I want and gathered other information that I need, I leave without buying anything.
Then I hit my main target. I act clueless and wander around and eventually convince a staff person that I'm maybe interested in something one level below what I really want. I'll ask a million questions and pretend I don't understand anything and burn up as much of the guy's time as possible. Then at some point I'll ask him about the item I'm really interested in. He'll think maybe he can sell me up, but of course I act dubious: I'm worried about the price. Can they discount it? From experience I know that 40 percent off list is the most anyone will ever go (if it's electronics), unless it's a display model, so that's what I hold out for. The guy's looking at this flakey customer he's wasted time on who might be on the verge of walking out in a daze, so he or his manager will OK the price just to salvage things.
You are so right !Spats McGee said:I would happily patronize a brick and mortar hat store . . . if there were a decent one in my area. There's not. The best that I can do in my area is Dillard's or Burlington Coat Factory, unless I want to hit the thrift & consignment shops, which I do from time to time. And even those have pretty slim pickins most of the time.
I assume that you're referring to a Road Trip to Covington & I do intend to make that trip eventually!RBH said:But for you Spats.. in less than 3 hours.. is a fantastic hat maker.
The Interstate ..its quicker!
Alex, I'm glad to see you mention this store. I mention it on the previous page on this thread, and in a couple of other places. Just the kind of hat store we should support...like you I just discovered it recently. Didn't think to check out the Nostalgia, since I was looking for straws, but next time I'm up there, I'll do so!Alex Oviatt said:Just stumbled upon a hat store in Santa Barbara right on State Street. The shop is called the Green and Yellow Basket (Chick Webb plays Santa Barbara!) and while it is a general his-n-hers holiday/vacation shop, they have a surprisingly good selection of men's hats--Stetson being the highest end of the lot, but it is rare to find a store that stocks a full range of fedoras in all sizes and colors that you can actually try on and compare in real time. Great straw hats, too--classic Panamas and Milans. Tried on a Stetson Nostalgia that I am thinking of getting in gray, but will get it on my next trip up the coast--it was just too warm and summery to buy a fur hat.
just went back and saw the post==glad you found the Dobbs! Going to Santa barbara to buy hats is no hardship and yes, the owners are terrific. That can't be said for a local hat shop I go to in Pasadena--the Hat Mart on Colorado. The owners are nasty and even though I have bought a few things there, I do it grudgingly--they don't seem to care it I even come back.jazzncocktails said:Alex, I'm glad to see you mention this store. I mention it on the previous page on this thread, and in a couple of other places. Just the kind of hat store we should support...like you I just discovered it recently. Didn't think to check out the Nostalgia, since I was looking for straws, but next time I'm up there, I'll do so!
John in Covina said:That's wild, I have had a generally good experience with each visit to the Hats Mart in Pasadena.