The Hatco Outlet Store in Garland, TX

[suitedcboy]

I have been going to the Resistol Outlet for 30 + years. The MO there changes a lot. They used to have marked specials that were random as they got excesses of certain hats. Then for several years they had scheduled sales. I think Labor Day used to be one of the scheduled selldown sales. Now it seems that they are back to the sales at will MO again. The management changes periodically and the way they deal with selling seems to change with the manager.

 

[Bob Roberts]

I have been going to the Resistol Outlet for 30 + years. The MO there changes a lot. They used to have marked specials that were random as they got excesses of certain hats. Then for several years they had scheduled sales. I think Labor Day used to be one of the scheduled selldown sales. Now it seems that they are back to the sales at will MO again. The management changes periodically and the way they deal with selling seems to change with the manager.

...and that's okay. Everything is always half price all the time and even better at "sales" times. Fine by me.

 

[suitedcboy]

I failed to get the quote feature selected. I was commenting on the question as why one person paid about twice what someone else did. Not really different from most any store where you buy something a week before a big sale.

 

[Bill Hughes]

I have three of the Outlet Store hats listed in the classifieds section.

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/3-hatco-outlet-store-stetsons.91911/

 

[Ken David]

Nice whippet by the way. Why is the pricing not consistent? My pinnacle was 125 as well but the other person's pinnacle above is 65$?

Now looking back I have the same concern. I bought a couple hats at the garland outlet for 1/2 of the advertised price which lines up to the $65 but for some reason the excellent PG whippet for the JP market was $125 (+20 shipping) which I bought a size too big and is really not wearable (reason why I am trying to sell), maybe the price for that hat was due to there was not really a retail price for the US market. Oh well.

 

[Bob Roberts]

Now looking back I have the same concern. I bought a couple hats at the garland outlet for 1/2 of the advertised price which lines up to the $65 but for some reason the excellent PG whippet for the JP market was $125 (+20 shipping) which I bought a size too big and is really not wearable (reason why I am trying to sell), maybe the price for that hat was due to there was not really a retail price for the US market. Oh well.

All the Excellent Quality hats have a similar msrp. As do the other grades. I think it's just sometimes they have a sale on Stetsons and further discount the price from their standard 50% off retail.

 

[Bill Hughes]

All the Excellent Quality hats have a similar msrp. As do the other grades. I think it's just sometimes they have a sale on Stetsons and further discount the price from their standard 50% off retail.

I don’t understand the difference either. But every single time I’ve been there I was told 1/2 off. Maybe because I was actually at the store? On two occasions it was 25% off but three or more was 50% off.

 

[Bob Roberts]

What Candy said to me (over the phone for shipping to Ct) was all the hats I was buying were alwas 50% off retail. Sometimes they offer a further discount when the Outlet has sales.

 

[Bill Hughes]

Right. But every single time I’ve been there (in person) the manager (Aubrey) tells me 50% off the tag price. I don’t know why unless it’s just talking to him face to face. I’ve never asked for the sale price it had just always been given!

 

[Bob Roberts]

Right. But every single time I’ve been there (in person) the manager (Aubrey) tells me 50% off the tag price. I don’t know why unless it’s just talking to him face to face. I’ve never asked for the sale price it had just always been given!

Thats cuz you're "special."

 

[Bill Hughes]

Thats cuz your "special."

My mama always said I was special.

 

[Lefty W.]

I was on a road trip to Dallas yesterday for an appointment, and having arrived early, I took the time to visit the Hatco Outlet in Garland, about 25 minutes away from downtown Dallas. I was hoping to find something like a premier quality Whippet or Strat, but by the time I figured out where things were located, it was time to leave, and I came away empty-handed. Is there a secret to shopping at the outlet, aside from having adequate time to peruse the wares?

 

[RJR]

I was on a road trip to Dallas yesterday for an appointment, and having arrived early, I took the time to visit the Hatco Outlet in Garland, about 25 minutes away from downtown Dallas. I was hoping to find something like a premier quality Whippet or Strat, but by the time I figured out where things were located, it was time to leave, and I came away empty-handed. Is there a secret to shopping at the outlet, aside from having adequate time to peruse the wares?

I believe that several have had the best luck by asking Outlet employees if certain hats are available.

 

[Lefty W.]

I believe that several have had the best luck by asking Outlet employees if certain hats are available.

Thank you. I did ask an employee about open crown fedoras, and I was directed to the back wall. It seemed to be only open crown westerns there.

 

[Jerry Probst]

I just picked up a Stetson Ibarra at the Garland, Tx Outlet store. The sweat band is stamped “Genuine Panama” and it has a nice tight Cuenca weave. Various retailers list it as “hand woven in Ecuador and “genuine 20 grade Panama”.

My question is: is the Ibarra a true Toquilla Panama hat? And if so where does it fit on the “Fino” spectrum.

I’ve seen it listed online between $275-$325. I have been surfing the store for about a month hoping one of the better quality Panama’s would pop up in their inventory. I walked in the store this morning and was shocked to find one in my size.

It has a small blemish in the weave on the brim that can be seen only when holding it up to the light.

I had Aubrey reshape the crown from a center sent to a teardrop and paid $92 out the door.

I would like some advice about the blemish. I have used small amounts of fabric glue in the past to fortify and stabilize broken fibers and prevent them from further fraying. The repairs have been invisible on other hats.

Think it’s ok to do the same on this hat. I plan to make it my everyday summer hat.

 

[Mustang Mike's Hats]

I think any type of a clear, somewhat flexible, adhesive should work. I recall that Locktite makes a vinyl fabric product that might just work. On some projects, my wife has used E6000.

 

[Tukwila]

I just picked up a Stetson Ibarra at the Garland, Tx Outlet store. The sweat band is stamped “Genuine Panama” and it has a nice tight Cuenca weave. Various retailers list it as “hand woven in Ecuador and “genuine 20 grade Panama”.

My question is: is the Ibarra a true Toquilla Panama hat? And if so where does it fit on the “Fino” spectrum.

I’ve seen it listed online between $275-$325. I have been surfing the store for about a month hoping one of the better quality Panama’s would pop up in their inventory. I walked in the store this morning and was shocked to find one in my size.

It has a small blemish in the weave on the brim that can be seen only when holding it up to the light.

I had Aubrey reshape the crown from a center sent to a teardrop and paid $92 out the door.

I would like some advice about the blemish. I have used small amounts of fabric glue in the past to fortify and stabilize broken fibers and prevent them from further fraying. The repairs have been invisible on other hats.

Think it’s ok to do the same on this hat. I plan to make it my everyday summer hat.

You did very well. Ibarra is another city in Ecuador that is also known for making fine handmade hats. The hat certainly looks like a weave you'd find in Ecuador. Whether it was actually woven in Ibarra, Cuenca or some other town is impossible to know unless it is branded on the inside of the straw hat. Even then, fraud is rampant all over south America. You can't even buy bottled water from a street vendor and trust that it isn't just plain, unfiltered, bacteria infested tap water. I have been told, however, that Stetson Panama hats come from one factory in Cuenca. Borsalino Panama straw is also woven in Cuenca.

The terms sub fino, fino, extra fino, super fino, etc, are all pretty well bandied about without much adherence to any real set of standards. It's why you see top shelf purveyors like Brent Black list hats by weaves per square inch, or WPSI, WSI, or similar.

Grade 20 is loosely based on WPSI and other factors like consistency of weave, consistency of color, etc, etc,

This, for example, was sold to me as a Grade 12 Cuenca:

 

[Jerry Probst]

 

[Jerry Probst]

Thanks for your response.

I guess that’s why I asked the question. A large percentage of the lower price point Stetson Panama hats at the Garland outlet store are branded. This one wasn’t.

Because this is one of Stetson’s higher quality Panama hats and because of the tight Cuenca weave, I assume everything is authentic. I just wonder why the word Ecuador is nowhere to be seen on the hat.

 

[Jerry Probst]

While I’m at it I have another question.

Now that I have my summer Panama Hat, what hat should I wear for rain protection on warm to hot days?

I live in Texas and my felt fedora will soon get too hot to wear.

What’s the best way to go on rain days?