The hat store-Houston Texas

[g.durand]

I stopped in at The Hat Store in Houston today to see if they could put a long oval in my Stetson 100. I had the pleasure of having the hat worked on by the owner, Gary Cohen, a third generation hatter. First, let me say that Gary is one of the nicest people you will ever meet, and he gave the 100 the treatment one would expect from someone with his experience. His grandfather, a Russian immigrant, started the American Hat Company in Houston in 1915, and The Hat Store is the continuation of the business. Gary knew a good hat when he saw it, and we had a nice discussion about the hat business and quality hats. He was amazed that I paid so little for the 100 on eBay. He showed me two of his personal 7X beaver American Hat Company hats that were made during the 1960s and 1970s. Both were high quality, soft and flexible felt, and one had been worn and cleaned so many times that it had holes in the crown and at the front pinch. But what a great old hat.

The 100 is now a nicely fitting long oval. In the reshaping, the brim took on a bit of western curl, and I walked out with it fitting well but not quite in the shape I like. I took it back to my hotel and using just the steam from the iron I had in the room, I reshaped the brim. The crown is so malleable that it went back to the "Harry Truman" crease that I like.

When I walked out:

After some work with the steam iron. The long oval shape remained even after I reshaped the brim and crown.

 

[frussell]

If that store is still right where it used to be, I grew up about two blocks from there. Got my first fedora from Gary, and several cowboy hats over the years. Took an old American Hat Co. Western in there in the late 80s, and Gary got excited, said he thought it was from when he worked the "assembly line" as a kid. Offered me cash on the spot, but it was a present from my grandfather, so I just had him block it to my size and kept it. He's a hell of a guy, and can really help picking a crease and brim that suits the customer. Glad he's still doing well. I still remember going in there during the "Urban Cowboy" hat boom. We all had to have a big brown cowboy hat, just like that real cowboy, Barbarino.

 

[g.durand]

Frank, not sure where it was then but it's at the corner of Richmond and Chimney Rock now.

 

[frussell]

Yep. When you Google it, you can see my old street Judalon, even in the small map window. Used to ride my bike or skateboard there, and went to elementary right up the street. Glad some things haven't changed. Last time I was around there, I could hardly find my old house. Before Gary opened, we used to get our hats at Stelzigs, which sold lots of American Hat Co. headwear. I'm a good hour or two from even the crummiest hat store now, definitely miss Gary's services.

 

[g.durand]

I went to high school at Lee, about a mile an a half from there. I remember Stelzig's, too.

 

[parispal]

One of Lyle Lovett's favorite stores

 

[parispal]

www.thehatstore.com and on FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Hat-Store/122417251147976

 

[rclark]

www.thehatstore.com and on FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Hat-Store/122417251147976

You appear to be a big REK fan by your choice of avatars!

 

[frussell]

I went to high school at Lee, about a mile an a half from there. I remember Stelzig's, too.

Spooky. If you mean Robert E Lee, that's where I went to high school as well. Graduated in '82.
Frank

 

[parispal]

You appear to be a big REK fan by your choice of avatars!

I'm a bigger fan of Lyle's actually! I had the immense pleasure and honor to interview him in Paris in 2010, and the man is a true gentleman

 

[rclark]

I'm a bigger fan of Lyle's actually! I had the immense plesaure and honor to interview him in Paris in 2010, and the man is a true gentleman

I don't know Lyle personally but a friend of mine served as his personal assistant years ago and said he could not have been a better guy.

 

[parispal]

I am friends with people he considers his musical heroes like Eric Taylor or Vince Bell, so that helped What's funny is that most country, folk, songwriters, whatever you call them, wear a hat on stage. For Lyle, a hat belongs withg his work on a farm with horses and cattle, not with a guitar.

Here is what he wrote to me via FB a year ago when I asked about this hat :

"Howdy, Herve. Thank you for your question. That's a 20X Stetson I've had since the early 90s. I bought it at The Hat Store in Houston from Gary Cohen, who hand-shaped it and cut the 4-inch brim down to 3 1/2 inches for me. The shape of the crown Gary calls the "Alpine" or "Cattleman's" crease. It's a very traditional dress shape for a western-style hat in Texas. The color is called Silver Belly. I hope this helps. The shape of a person's hat often indicates where he comes from and which kind of western activity he's involved in, for example, whether he's a bull rider or a calf roper or someone who's involved in reining, as I am--or the difference between the person who works on a ranch and the person who owns the ranch."

 

[Frunobulax]

Has he ever made you pancakes?

I hear he makes awesome pancakes.

 

[g.durand]

Spooky. If you mean Robert E Lee, that's where I went to high school as well. Graduated in '82.
Frank

Same place, Frank, thirteen years earlier. We lived out off of Dairy-Ashford and I bussed in.

 

[alanfgag]

I am friends with people he considers his musical heroes like Eric Taylor or Vince Bell, so that helped What's funny is that most country, folk, songwriters, whatever you call them, wear a hat on stage. For Lyle, a hat belongs withg his work on a farm with horses and cattle, not with a guitar.

Here is what he wrote to me via FB a year ago when I asked about this hat :

"Howdy, Herve. Thank you for your question. That's a 20X Stetson I've had since the early 90s. I bought it at The Hat Store in Houston from Gary Cohen, who hand-shaped it and cut the 4-inch brim down to 3 1/2 inches for me. The shape of the crown Gary calls the "Alpine" or "Cattleman's" crease. It's a very traditional dress shape for a western-style hat in Texas. The color is called Silver Belly. I hope this helps. The shape of a person's hat often indicates where he comes from and which kind of western activity he's involved in, for example, whether he's a bull rider or a calf roper or someone who's involved in reining, as I am--or the difference between the person who works on a ranch and the person who owns the ranch."

great photo, great post... thanks!

 

[parispal]

thanks Alan

 

[EstherWeis]

I am friends with people he considers his musical heroes like Eric Taylor or Vince Bell, so that helped What's funny is that most country, folk, songwriters, whatever you call them, wear a hat on stage. For Lyle, a hat belongs withg his work on a farm with horses and cattle, not with a guitar.

Here is what he wrote to me via FB a year ago when I asked about this hat :

"Howdy, Herve. Thank you for your question. That's a 20X Stetson I've had since the early 90s. I bought it at The Hat Store in Houston from Gary Cohen, who hand-shaped it and cut the 4-inch brim down to 3 1/2 inches for me. The shape of the crown Gary calls the "Alpine" or "Cattleman's" crease. It's a very traditional dress shape for a western-style hat in Texas. The color is called Silver Belly. I hope this helps. The shape of a person's hat often indicates where he comes from and which kind of western activity he's involved in, for example, whether he's a bull rider or a calf roper or someone who's involved in reining, as I am--or the difference between the person who works on a ranch and the person who owns the ranch."

I'm usually not a big fan of that style of brim, but this is absolutely gorgeous!

 

[Joao Encarnado]

I'm usually not a big fan of that style of brim, but this is absolutely gorgeous!

The same. But it's a nice picture.

 

[RJR]

I'm usually not a big fan of that style of brim, but this is absolutely gorgeous!

I agree.