Decent hat shop in DC area?

[stealthboy]

I've been having a heckuva time finding a decent hat shop in the DC metro area. Most of the shops around here sell terrible quality hats in sizes like Medium and Large. you say you need a 58 or a 7 1/4 and they look at you funny.

Are there any *real* hat shops around here? I'm at a loss. My recent experience ordering a hat online has convinced me that ordering a hat without trying it on first is a difficult experience.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Valhson]

Indeed. I have had the same issues and know of none.

American Hatter use to be well recommended but alas I believe they are long gone. Might I suggest a trip to New York City? Three great shops I know of there and numerous others that I have never visited.

I was going to try and see what sort of furnishings William Fox and Co had over on 14th NW. I do admit my hopes are not high.

If you happen to actually find one, I am extremely interested.

 

[Lefty]

I don't know anything about the places listed here.

 

[stealthboy]

I don't know anything about the places listed here.

Thanks! That's a great list.

 

[NukeMeSlowly]

skip the Hattery

Thanks! That's a great list.

Thanks! That's a great list.

Please avoid the GT Hattery. The guy who runs it is a shady operator who purportedly (couple of threads here on FL) wildly misrepresents his goods (e.g., saying fur felt is beaver).

In my pre-FL days, I had a hat reshaped [something I can now do myself. Thanks guys. ] from a center dent to a tear drop. Took a couple of weeks to hear back from him only to find very sloppy work and no apparent concern when I brought it to his attention. The "fix" was still pretty much crap. I can only imagine the horror if I had wanted something really serious done.

My 2 cents, go elsewhere. A train ride to NYC would be much cheaper in the long run.

Hats by Haber is ok. The shop is the front/living room of her house so open limited hours & by appointment only. She has cats and the house smell reflects that. Okay prices, I guess.

Andrea's Fine Hats - again ok. I stopped in once a while back. Ok selection & prices.

Still, nothing amazing locally in term of hat shops.

 

[Aureliano]

What about vintage shops tha sell hats? My wife and I will be in DC soon.

 

[stealthboy]

The Georgetown Hattery place would go in my bottom-tier hat shop list anyway - They sell mostly crap hats to people that think all hats are the same. To me, top-tier shops are run by folks who actually own hat blocks and can repair/make a hat. This is what I'm looking for, and sadly, that is a type of shop that is going away.

I was fortunate enough to go to a university in Pittsburgh in the 90's, so for many years I was local to Tucker & Tucker on 5th. That was a real hat shop, and I miss it dearly.

Thanks for the tips about a train ride to NYC - that makes a lot of sense. I was meaning to take a trip up there in a month or two anyway, so that sounds like a great plan.

 

[Neil]

Absolutely nothing

Zero. Zip.
And I would second the fellow warning about Georgetown Hatters. Most of its stock is mediocre, and the owner misrepresented the quality of one of his hats to me. A simple check of the internet showed he was charging at least a hundred dollars more than the going rate, and wrongly claiming it to be pure beaver.
Since then, I've avoided him completely.

 

[mayserwegener]

Hippodrome Hatters in Baltimore is decent for the lower end. As noted the DC area is a wash. As for vintage. I haven't really looked but my guess is there isn't much happening.