The Hatco Outlet Store in Garland, TX

[RBH]

Here's a question, for those of you who have visited this mecca... how long should one set aside to peruse the store? For a first time visit, I mean... trying to gauge how much time to set aside...

I would suggest as much time as you can spare.
By the time you leave, you will wish you had just a little more time left!

 

[Bill Hughes]

Here's a question, for those of you who have visited this mecca... how long should one set aside to peruse the store? For a first time visit, I mean... trying to gauge how much time to set aside...

At least an hour.

 

[Cattus Petasatus]

It's not a big shop. After an hour you'll have seen everything twice. I swing by there every 6 weeks or so to see if there's anything new. Their inventory has been down due to the Covid slow down. Have a good trip.

 

[Pkyoakum]

Here's a question, for those of you who have visited this mecca... how long should one set aside to peruse the store? For a first time visit, I mean... trying to gauge how much time to set aside...

I visited twice in 2021 and wouldn't call it a mecca. I was greatly disappointed, didn't find anything of quality, especially at my 7 3/8 size. When you first walk into the store, you are excited. But then after closer inspection, you don't find anything of higher quality at a good price. I only looked at fedoras, not cowboy hats. My best experiences are all vintage lids from years ago. But I have read others here who found great deals. Maybe it depends which day you go.

 

[quikrick]

Here's a question, for those of you who have visited this mecca... how long should one set aside to peruse the store? For a first time visit, I mean... trying to gauge how much time to set aside...

The secret is this:
Ask one of the salespeople to show you what they have in the back room. The last couple of times I was there the nice lady brought out a parade of pure beaver fedoras and other nicer hats. They don't keep the good stuff on the sales floor.

 

[Timeras1]

Thanks guys... I'm headed to Irving (from Arkansas... Garland is on the way) this weekend... not sure I'll get the chance to stop... think I'll put together a list of what I might be looking for... I don't know if I'll have more than an hour...

 

[Timeras1]

Since I'm calender-challenged, I initially thought labor day was last weekend... my trip is actually this weekend... I appreciate all the comments thus far, but will ask for any last minute advice?

 

[Timeras1]

Has anyone gone on the factory tour?

 

[RBH]

Has anyone gone on the factory tour?

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/hatco-tour.55297/

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/fedorafest-iii-photos.55126/

 

[Timeras1]

Well I’ve joined the Stratoliner club, gentlemen (and ladies)… I made my pilgrimage to the Stetson Outlet in Garland, TX this past weekend. It was not the Candyland I had been hoping for (just a little, I’ve read all the other accounts here).

My impressions:

It is very much an actual “outlet” store… 70% cowboy/30% fedora type hats with most, if not all that I looked at being “seconds”, with some flaw somewhere. I spent most of 2 hours amongst the fedora racks, examining and trying on anything that appealed to me. The racks were marked by size, with most hats sorted correctly on them, however after my first go-thru just looking at the marked size, I decided to go thru them again, and did find a few marked differently than my normal 7 1/8” - 7 ¼” would've fit. I went thru them again and made sure to try on anything that I liked. I ended up taking home 2 Stratoliner SEs. I’ll post pics later.

I did see “returned” hats that had retailer names stamped on the sweatbands. As far as hot models I saw, there were a few Stratoliners in a gray color, 1 or 2 Open Roads in Silverbelly, with the odd other style too. Quite a few wool hats. I saw Stetsons and Dobbs mostly; couple of crushable fedoras, a couple of the “Seeker” collection, 1 Chatham, 1 Homburg, 1 or 2 Temples and Whippets. That’s about all I can recall. There were certainly others that didn’t leave an impression, however. There were quite a few straw-type hats, but none of them jumped out at me.

I was trying REALLY hard to not be a hat-snob, but after going thru it once, I felt that the pickin’s were slim. I had had the small hope of finding 1 or 2 gems in-the-rough, but didn’t see anything that shiny. The 2 Stratoliners that came home with me were the only 2 that were hermetically sealed to my hand as I went thru the stock another 1-2 times. They were really busy, it being the Saturday before Labor Day (which they were closed) and they had sales going on for everything but fedoras (that ticked me off a bit). I was 45 min in before anyone even asked if they could help me, (now I take that back, I wasn’t a minute in the door before a managerial type asked what I was looking for… at the moment it was the restroom, to which he directed me, lol.) but like I said, they were really busy. Later I asked the young lady if they might have anything in the back I could look at, specifically anything of Excellent Quality, Strats in particular. She went back and looked, but came back to say they didn’t have anything like that. (It wasn’t Candy, btw, I asked.) I did have a small chat with Aubrey, the manager, for a few minutes while Sonia steamed and cleaned my Strats, which he identified as Special Editions (something to do with the felt color vs. ribbon color, I think he said). She knocked herself out steaming and cleaning my olive Strat, apparently it was dirty… I did give her a big tip. There was a constant line for the two folk steaming hats, all the way up to 6 pm, when they closed, and I waited to the last minute, so I appreciated even more the effort she put in. She was very nice, allowed me to pick out a couple of feathers (which may or may not stay, I know that can be polarizing here, lol.) and even found me a couple of Strat pins, for which I sincerely thanked her. With money.

I mentioned to Aubrey what I was really hoping for, but he stated that it’s been a long time since anything that nice had been in his stock. He was friendly and helpful, and I appreciated our chat.

One of my Strats, an olive-green one, sized 7 1/8”, had a nick in the crown right at the top, but I couldn’t put it down (Actually I did put it down a few times, but kept coming back to it, finally deciding if I didn’t buy it I would regret it. and yeah, I still think that.) The other Strat was a kind of slate blue, sized 7 ¼”, which also had a clone at 7 1/8”. I got the ¼”, which I usually go for, with the adage “better too big than too small” in mind.

Prices sat at around $129 for the top line of felt hats… with the lowest I saw (on a wool hat) around $39.99, but only one or two of those, with most in the $79.99 to $99.99 range. I had been hoping the prices would’ve been a little lower, especially considering the conditions of some of the hats I saw; I probably would’ve picked up a couple more. All told I got out of there at slightly under $300 with tax incl. Aubrey actually stated he’d had some folk become angry because of the prices and selection. I’ll admit I’d rather have found more for cheaper, but I also realize it’s an outlet, and I got 2 quality Strats at a substantially discounted rate, with flaws I could live with.

I’d definitely recommend going in if you’re in the Dallas area. I drove 5 ½ hours from Arkansas, (but for other reasons) and am glad to have had the option of checking it out. I would also highly recommend Sonia for her steaming/cleaning skills. All told I spent a couple of hours looking for treasure, so I’ll say it was well spent. I felt like I saw what they had (at least in front of the house), and was pleased with my selections. It also stands to reason that you’d have to visit somewhat regularly to get the nice ones that do show up. I’ll go again!

 

[Timeras1]

So I see now that SE (sage) doesn't have a quality (Sovereign, Royal, etc) on the sweatband, but it DOES say Royal on the liner... the other one doesn't say much at all, but the sweatband is much nicer, softer... interesting... anyone out there have any Strat SE knowledge? (Yeah, I know, I'm going to use the search tool now...)

 

[jlee562]

AFAIK, for modern Strats, if it's a blocked in crease, it's Royal quality.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

AFAIK, for modern Strats, if it's a blocked in crease, it's Royal quality.

Doesn’t the Pure Stratoliner have a blocked in crease? I’ve never handled one.

 

[jlee562]

Doesn’t the Pure Stratoliner have a blocked in crease? I’ve never handled one.

Ah, actually, you're right about that.

Disregard previous comment!

 

[Timeras1]

Forgot to add this... was in the back of a case I think...

 

[Scooterz]

Well I’ve joined the Stratoliner club, gentlemen (and ladies)… I made my pilgrimage to the Stetson Outlet in Garland, TX this past weekend. It was not the Candyland I had been hoping for (just a little, I’ve read all the other accounts here).

My impressions:

It is very much an actual “outlet” store… 70% cowboy/30% fedora type hats with most, if not all that I looked at being “seconds”, with some flaw somewhere. I spent most of 2 hours amongst the fedora racks, examining and trying on anything that appealed to me. The racks were marked by size, with most hats sorted correctly on them, however after my first go-thru just looking at the marked size, I decided to go thru them again, and did find a few marked differently than my normal 7 1/8” - 7 ¼” would've fit. I went thru them again and made sure to try on anything that I liked. I ended up taking home 2 Stratoliner SEs. I’ll post pics later.

I did see “returned” hats that had retailer names stamped on the sweatbands. As far as hot models I saw, there were a few Stratoliners in a gray color, 1 or 2 Open Roads in Silverbelly, with the odd other style too. Quite a few wool hats. I saw Stetsons and Dobbs mostly; couple of crushable fedoras, a couple of the “Seeker” collection, 1 Chatham, 1 Homburg, 1 or 2 Temples and Whippets. That’s about all I can recall. There were certainly others that didn’t leave an impression, however. There were quite a few straw-type hats, but none of them jumped out at me.

I was trying REALLY hard to not be a hat-snob, but after going thru it once, I felt that the pickin’s were slim. I had had the small hope of finding 1 or 2 gems in-the-rough, but didn’t see anything that shiny. The 2 Stratoliners that came home with me were the only 2 that were hermetically sealed to my hand as I went thru the stock another 1-2 times. They were really busy, it being the Saturday before Labor Day (which they were closed) and they had sales going on for everything but fedoras (that ticked me off a bit). I was 45 min in before anyone even asked if they could help me, (now I take that back, I wasn’t a minute in the door before a managerial type asked what I was looking for… at the moment it was the restroom, to which he directed me, lol.) but like I said, they were really busy. Later I asked the young lady if they might have anything in the back I could look at, specifically anything of Excellent Quality, Strats in particular. She went back and looked, but came back to say they didn’t have anything like that. (It wasn’t Candy, btw, I asked.) I did have a small chat with Aubrey, the manager, for a few minutes while Sonia steamed and cleaned my Strats, which he identified as Special Editions (something to do with the felt color vs. ribbon color, I think he said). She knocked herself out steaming and cleaning my olive Strat, apparently it was dirty… I did give her a big tip. There was a constant line for the two folk steaming hats, all the way up to 6 pm, when they closed, and I waited to the last minute, so I appreciated even more the effort she put in. She was very nice, allowed me to pick out a couple of feathers (which may or may not stay, I know that can be polarizing here, lol.) and even found me a couple of Strat pins, for which I sincerely thanked her. With money.

I mentioned to Aubrey what I was really hoping for, but he stated that it’s been a long time since anything that nice had been in his stock. He was friendly and helpful, and I appreciated our chat.

One of my Strats, an olive-green one, sized 7 1/8”, had a nick in the crown right at the top, but I couldn’t put it down (Actually I did put it down a few times, but kept coming back to it, finally deciding if I didn’t buy it I would regret it. and yeah, I still think that.) The other Strat was a kind of slate blue, sized 7 ¼”, which also had a clone at 7 1/8”. I got the ¼”, which I usually go for, with the adage “better too big than too small” in mind.

Prices sat at around $129 for the top line of felt hats… with the lowest I saw (on a wool hat) around $39.99, but only one or two of those, with most in the $79.99 to $99.99 range. I had been hoping the prices would’ve been a little lower, especially considering the conditions of some of the hats I saw; I probably would’ve picked up a couple more. All told I got out of there at slightly under $300 with tax incl. Aubrey actually stated he’d had some folk become angry because of the prices and selection. I’ll admit I’d rather have found more for cheaper, but I also realize it’s an outlet, and I got 2 quality Strats at a substantially discounted rate, with flaws I could live with.

I’d definitely recommend going in if you’re in the Dallas area. I drove 5 ½ hours from Arkansas, (but for other reasons) and am glad to have had the option of checking it out. I would also highly recommend Sonia for her steaming/cleaning skills. All told I spent a couple of hours looking for treasure, so I’ll say it was well spent. I felt like I saw what they had (at least in front of the house), and was pleased with my selections. It also stands to reason that you’d have to visit somewhat regularly to get the nice ones that do show up. I’ll go again!

Contgrats. Nice looking hats.

 

[Gary in NC]

Well I’ve joined the Stratoliner club, gentlemen (and ladies)… I made my pilgrimage to the Stetson Outlet in Garland, TX this past weekend. It was not the Candyland I had been hoping for (just a little, I’ve read all the other accounts here).

My impressions:

It is very much an actual “outlet” store… 70% cowboy/30% fedora type hats with most, if not all that I looked at being “seconds”, with some flaw somewhere. I spent most of 2 hours amongst the fedora racks, examining and trying on anything that appealed to me. The racks were marked by size, with most hats sorted correctly on them, however after my first go-thru just looking at the marked size, I decided to go thru them again, and did find a few marked differently than my normal 7 1/8” - 7 ¼” would've fit. I went thru them again and made sure to try on anything that I liked. I ended up taking home 2 Stratoliner SEs. I’ll post pics later.

I did see “returned” hats that had retailer names stamped on the sweatbands. As far as hot models I saw, there were a few Stratoliners in a gray color, 1 or 2 Open Roads in Silverbelly, with the odd other style too. Quite a few wool hats. I saw Stetsons and Dobbs mostly; couple of crushable fedoras, a couple of the “Seeker” collection, 1 Chatham, 1 Homburg, 1 or 2 Temples and Whippets. That’s about all I can recall. There were certainly others that didn’t leave an impression, however. There were quite a few straw-type hats, but none of them jumped out at me.

I was trying REALLY hard to not be a hat-snob, but after going thru it once, I felt that the pickin’s were slim. I had had the small hope of finding 1 or 2 gems in-the-rough, but didn’t see anything that shiny. The 2 Stratoliners that came home with me were the only 2 that were hermetically sealed to my hand as I went thru the stock another 1-2 times. They were really busy, it being the Saturday before Labor Day (which they were closed) and they had sales going on for everything but fedoras (that ticked me off a bit). I was 45 min in before anyone even asked if they could help me, (now I take that back, I wasn’t a minute in the door before a managerial type asked what I was looking for… at the moment it was the restroom, to which he directed me, lol.) but like I said, they were really busy. Later I asked the young lady if they might have anything in the back I could look at, specifically anything of Excellent Quality, Strats in particular. She went back and looked, but came back to say they didn’t have anything like that. (It wasn’t Candy, btw, I asked.) I did have a small chat with Aubrey, the manager, for a few minutes while Sonia steamed and cleaned my Strats, which he identified as Special Editions (something to do with the felt color vs. ribbon color, I think he said). She knocked herself out steaming and cleaning my olive Strat, apparently it was dirty… I did give her a big tip. There was a constant line for the two folk steaming hats, all the way up to 6 pm, when they closed, and I waited to the last minute, so I appreciated even more the effort she put in. She was very nice, allowed me to pick out a couple of feathers (which may or may not stay, I know that can be polarizing here, lol.) and even found me a couple of Strat pins, for which I sincerely thanked her. With money.

I mentioned to Aubrey what I was really hoping for, but he stated that it’s been a long time since anything that nice had been in his stock. He was friendly and helpful, and I appreciated our chat.

One of my Strats, an olive-green one, sized 7 1/8”, had a nick in the crown right at the top, but I couldn’t put it down (Actually I did put it down a few times, but kept coming back to it, finally deciding if I didn’t buy it I would regret it. and yeah, I still think that.) The other Strat was a kind of slate blue, sized 7 ¼”, which also had a clone at 7 1/8”. I got the ¼”, which I usually go for, with the adage “better too big than too small” in mind.

Prices sat at around $129 for the top line of felt hats… with the lowest I saw (on a wool hat) around $39.99, but only one or two of those, with most in the $79.99 to $99.99 range. I had been hoping the prices would’ve been a little lower, especially considering the conditions of some of the hats I saw; I probably would’ve picked up a couple more. All told I got out of there at slightly under $300 with tax incl. Aubrey actually stated he’d had some folk become angry because of the prices and selection. I’ll admit I’d rather have found more for cheaper, but I also realize it’s an outlet, and I got 2 quality Strats at a substantially discounted rate, with flaws I could live with.

I’d definitely recommend going in if you’re in the Dallas area. I drove 5 ½ hours from Arkansas, (but for other reasons) and am glad to have had the option of checking it out. I would also highly recommend Sonia for her steaming/cleaning skills. All told I spent a couple of hours looking for treasure, so I’ll say it was well spent. I felt like I saw what they had (at least in front of the house), and was pleased with my selections. It also stands to reason that you’d have to visit somewhat regularly to get the nice ones that do show up. I’ll go again!

Thanks for the thorough details of your visit. I may or may not ever have the opportunity to visit the store, but I've wondered what it was like.

I do think the Strats you took home look fantastic. The colors are some of the better I've seen on a Stratoliner. I like the feathers a lot too. I'm picky about my feathers and I think you did well! Yes I know that's my opinion and like you said feathers are a bit polarizing - but I wear bowlers and fedoras in western North Carolina so I'm used to polarizing! I say if you like it then rock it. Nicely done in my opinion.