List of Custom, made-to-order, Fur Felt Fedora hatmakers and hatters

[alanfgag]

There are many closed threads on the subject of this vendor... no need to add this one to the collection.

 

[RJR]

Agreed.

 

[T Jones]

Thanks, everyone, I'll add them to the list in a few moments.

Shame about Steve Delk's response time. Didn't I hear that he had some trouble or something which slowed up his supply line?

And Lt.hats, I'm glad this thread has helped someone already. By all accounts, David Garrison is a superlative hatter and (at the moment) very affordable for the work he does. At least that's what I've heard. I have yet to order one from him (but plan on doing so as a "reward" soon).

I've had the pleasure of speaking with Dave Garrison several times by telephone. He's a real good guy. His Indys are screen accurate. Several Loungers have his Raider's hats and they all speak highly of them.

 

[1mach1]

There are many closed threads on the subject of this vendor... no need to add this one to the collection.

:eusa_clap

 

[bendingoak]

I just suggested adding his name to the list.

 

[NewJack]

Hopefully this isn't redundant, but I've done some looking around on the site and for some reason failed to find a 'definitive' list of custom, bespoke fur felt Fedora hatmakers.

There is some crossover with "Western" hatters, but for this list, I'll try and stick to the ones that make fedoras specifically (and have them listed on their site specifically). Also, I'm avoiding the resellers for now, since this is specifically for those shops that make custom hats. If I've included one by accident, please let me know.

So I've compiled a quick list, as of June 2014, in no particular order:

Art Fawcett Vintage Silhouettes (Medford, OR)
http://www.vintagesilhouettes.com/

Gary White (Buffalo, NY)
http://www.custom-hatter.com/

Leon Drexler (Toronto, Canada)
http://www.leondrexler.com/New_Leon_Drexler_Website/Home.html

Garrison Hatters (Maysville, GA)
http://garrisonhatters.com/

Penman Hats (Hillsboro, OR)
http://www.penmanhats.com/

Black Sheep Hatworks (Bremerton, WA)
http://www.blacksheephatworks.com/

Tumwater Hats (Olympia, WA)
http://www.tumwaterhat.com/

The Brass Rooster (Milwaukee, WI)
http://www.brassrooster.com/

Buckaroo Hatters (Covington, TN)
http://www.buckaroohatters.com/

Falcon Park Hattery (Chicago, IL)
http://www.falconparkhattery.com/Home.html

Paul’s Hat Works (San Francisco, CA)
http://www.hatworksbypaul.com/

Rocky Mountain Hat Co. (Bozeman, MT)
http://www.rockymountainhatcompany.com/

Watson’s Hat Shop (Cave Creek, AZ)
http://www.watsonshatshop.com/

Baron Hats (Burbank, CA)
http://baronhats.com/

Peter Bros. (Fort Worth, TX)
http://www.pbhats.com/

Dave Brown Hats (Rochester, NY)
http://www.davebrownhats.com/

Optimo (Chicago, IL)
http://optimo.com/

Optimo Hatworks (Bisbee, AZ)
http://www.optimohatworks.com/

Adventurebilt (Marc Kitter - Reesum, Germany; Steve Delk - Columbus, MS)
http://www.adventurebilt.com/

Mike Miller's Northwest Hats (Eugene, OR)
http://www.northwesthats.com/Home.html

JW Hats (West Valley City, UT)
http://www.jwhats.com/

DbarJ Hats (Las Vegas, NV)
http://www.dbarjhat.com/

Manny Gammage's Texas Hatters (Lockhart, TX)
http://www.texashatters.com

If I've missed any others, please add it to the thread!

An interesting to note for me is that most of the hat makers/designers are either in the Midwest and West! I note three in the East (closer to me) i.e., Upstate New York and Georgia...Just an observation. Not certain as to why but probably would make for interesting thread conversation! [huh]

 

[besdor]

Its a very interesting list of custom hat makers. Im glad that there are more out there than I originally thought. I never heard of Watson Hats in Arizona. The website seems very nice as does the work that he does.

 

[tonyb]

I suspect there are many, many more custom hat makers out there, and we'll rarely if ever hear of or from any of them here. (There's even a FL member who has a growing hat-making business of several years standing that isn't on this list.)

This is not to so much as suggest any fault whatsoever with this effort, though. Indeed, it's great to have a ready reference. But we who hang out here are but a small segment of the hat-buying, hat-wearing, hat-making public. A significant segment? Sure. The FL has, over the years, become a go-to source. Check out the posts from, say, 8 1/2 years ago, when I signed on, and compare them to the more recent posts, and the increased knowledge becomes apparent. We've all learned a whole lot here.

I'll likely relocate in a few months. I looked into what hat makers might be found in the general vicinity and I turned up a handful -- Western hatters, mostly. And I've never heard mention of a one of them here.

Oh, whoever is editing the roster, you might add Conley Hat Manufacturing in Seattle, Wash., and Gomez Hat Co. in Moreno Valley, Calif.

 

[RJR]

Don't overlook Tim(Cane Rod Maker).

 

[tonyb]

Greeley Hatworks as well.

 

[1mach1]

Best customer service I have had is from Bob at Black Sheep Hat Works. Responds in less than 24 hours! Not to knock anyone else, but response is nice.

 

[Leacock]

So how long can one expect a hat from someone like Black Sheep to take to manufacture and ship to you, assuming you are basically just ordering one of the standard hats?

 

[JonSolo]

I suspect there are many, many more custom hat makers out there, and we'll rarely if ever hear of or from any of them here. (There's even a FL member who has a growing hat-making business of several years standing that isn't on this list.)



I'll likely relocate in a few months. I looked into what hat makers might be found in the general vicinity and I turned up a handful -- Western hatters, mostly. And I've never heard mention of a one of them here.

Oh, whoever is editing the roster, you might add Conley Hat Manufacturing in Seattle, Wash., and Gomez Hat Co. in Moreno Valley, Calif.

I can't seem to edit the original post any longer, so please if there are others that should be on the list, add them to the thread.

I don't think I've intentionally left anyone off the list, just may not know of the others you mentioned. I have also been focusing on custom Fur Felt Fedora makers, so Panamas or Western only hatters, or non-custom (ie. factory made on a big scale such as Christy's in London) have been left off.

 

[JonSolo]

Don't overlook Tim(Cane Rod Maker).

I suspect my Google Fu or forum search skills are suffering, but I can't seem to find a website for Tim, or does he not have one?

 

[Tedquinton]

There is also Advintage hats in Germany. Thomas specialises in 'Indy' hats. He has some new beaver felt that is amazing, I believe it comes from Portugal.

http://www.advintagefedora.de/

Greg

 

[RJR]

I don't believe Tim has a website.I have his email if you need it.

 

[tonyb]

An interesting to note for me is that most of the hat makers/designers are either in the Midwest and West! I note three in the East (closer to me) i.e., Upstate New York and Georgia...Just an observation. Not certain as to why but probably would make for interesting thread conversation! [huh]

That is indeed noteworthy. I'm at a loss for an explanation.

 

[bowlerman]

Reading Tonyb's post from 6/17, he referenced Tom Gomez in Moreno Valley, CA, which reminded me of Moreno Hats. I've only ever seen their website, but have been curious as to whether anyone here has had experience with them? I'm fascinated by all of the variations on derby crowns and brims, but they're only shown in sketches!

 

[Leacock]

Has anyone purchased a Leon Drexler hat? I am curious as to what their hatboxes look like (as well as general opinions about him).

 

[Asmo]

So how long can one expect a hat from someone like Black Sheep to take to manufacture and ship to you, assuming you are basically just ordering one of the standard hats?

I think it's safe to say most custom hatters' turn around time is 3-9 months. It's been a couple years, but my Black Sheep hat took about 3 months, if I remember right. I believe Bob is busier these days so wait times could be longer. Call or email him and I'm sure he can give an estimate. He's a good guy.
Penman has had long wait times for awhile now. I think it took 6-7 months for each of my Penman hats. Again, call or email him. He too is a good guy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk