Why not new off the shelf?

[SHARPETOYS]

A forgotten Thank You to all small hat shops

I don't disagree with what's already been said but thought I'd add this.
Having mass produced hats is vital to the hat industry as a whole as a way of introducing people to hats. I don't think anybody would argue that a custom made beaver compares to a mass produced fur from Stetson or DP but consider this. A lot of people have only ever worn a baseball cap and don't even know their hat size in a small, medium or 7, 7 1/8, etc. For them to seriously consider something besides a ballcap is the first vital step in creating a true hat wearer. Now that person will never go from wearing a ballcap to wearing a $300+ hat. It just won't happen. But they will consider a $50-75 hat. Some people won't even start that high. As I'm working with that customer I'm also educating them about the differences in the hats they're interested in. Whether it's a teenager or a 40 something and they buy their first real hat it's a wonderful thing. They'll enjoy that hat and once they start getting compliments about it they'll be back in a hat store and looking at hats that are a little more expensive until one day they're going for that beaver. Just like every creature has a place in the food chain, every hat has a place in the hat chain.

Just one mans view,

I bought my first felt hat {Wool} Indy Jones hat at a nice store like Aaron owns. The owner talked to me about felts and hat making in general . I paid $38.50 for my first Fedora and because of this nice owner years later I have about 50 hats. He also showed me newsboy caps and I own 12 of them now mostly custom made. I'm known about town as "The Hat Man"

I need a meeting!! http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=2651

Thanks Aaron for your excellent post. I had forgotten what got me into hats!!

http://www.getahaton.com/

 

[artboynyc]

Actually, this brings up something I've noticed since I recently decided to re-enter the hat market.

My gramma bought me my first hat in 1984 as a birthday/Hanukah present. It was a nice gray Dobbs fur felt with a C-crown bash from Stix, Baer & Fuller (now Dillards) I think it was the one Stacey Keach wore as Mike Hammer in the series a few years later. It cost $45, which wasn't cheap but was certainly fair enough for a hat I got several years of wear out of. It wasn't of heirloom quality, but it was pretty nice.

Later on, I discovered Levine and saw their line of Borsalinos, which were going for $95. Again, $95 wasn't chicken feed, but I could tell that these were better hats than the Dobbs and when I could afford it, I bought one. It lasted through the end of college. Again, not heirloom quality, but six years for $95 -- and six rough years, as I wasn't too careful about my personal affects during college -- was nothing to sneer at.

Now the lowest-end fur felt hat I've seen is about $75. Most are $95 and up. And Borsalinos have more than doubled in price, while simultaneously dropping in quality. When they charge $250 for a lousy hat, a custom job seems like a reasonable decision.

But my question is: why can't they make a decent (not great, mind you) off-the-shelf hat for $50-60 bucks? Prices haven't doubled for almost anything else since 1984. Why hats? There should be room in the market for a reasonably well-made factory hat for entry-level buyers, I would think. If there were a couple of nice, inexpensive selections out there, the hat market as a whole could grow.

If anyone can explain this to me, I'd appreciate it.

Tom

 

[Michaelson]

As I've become older, I've found that I care more for my 'comfort' than most other things. To date, I have NEVER found an off the shelf hat to fit me comfortably, but like everyone else, really didn't know better. You took what you got, and were happy with it. The first time I ever put a custom hat on my head, made to MY specs, I never looked back. For just a few dollars more than the mid to high range cookie cutter hats on the shelf, you can have one made to the size shape, and configuration of YOUR head, and yours alone.

Nothing snobbish at all. Comfort is first and foremost in MY mind...THEN you can worry about how nice it looks, which is usually a given when a hat actually fits you! (grins)

Regards. Michaelson