Sacrilege?

Vintage Betty · Sep 30, 2007

I've shopped my share of hat stores around the world, but even I was more than a little astounded at this:

When I went into a low-end hat shop yesterday, the shopkeeper stacked all the men's $220+ fedoras in a single pile of each type. I'm used to hats of this price range being arranged singly so as not to crush the hat, or have to pull them apart, etc. While saving space, it seems to me that this might actually cause more damage to the high end hats.

Thoughts?

Vintage Betty

dostacos · Sep 30, 2007

Vintage Betty said:
I've shopped my share of hat stores around the world, but even I was more than a little astounded at this:

When I went into a low-end hat shop yesterday, the shopkeeper stacked all the men's $220+ fedoras in a single pile of each type. I'm used to hats of this price range being arranged singly so as not to crush the hat, or have to pull them apart, etc. While saving space, it seems to me that this might actually cause more damage to the high end hats.

Thoughts?

Vintage Betty

I wonder when the last time they ORDERED hats and when the last time they SOLD a hat

the only hats that should be sold like that are on the heads of the street vendors at the Tijuana border crossing, and maybe the el cheapo's at Disneyland

dhermann1 · Sep 30, 2007

The indignities perpetrated on vintage clothing are incredible! There's a place in Manhattan called Cheap Jack's, that used to get great 40's suits (this is back in the late 80's). What did he do with them? He chopped the ends of the sleeves off and added knit cuffs. He must have thought this was cool or something. He did similar things to trouser. He wantonly destroyed dozens, maybe hundreds, of vintage garments this way. At least these hats aren't being physically altered. Hey, why don't you buy all the good one and make a few bucks?

Miss Neecerie · Sep 30, 2007

dhermann1 said:
The indignities perpetrated on vintage clothing are incredible! There's a place in Manhattan called Cheap Jack's, that used to get great 40's suits (this is back in the late 80's). What did he do with them? He chopped the ends of the sleeves off and added knit cuffs. He must have thought this was cool or something. He did similar things to trouser. He wantonly destroyed dozens, maybe hundreds, of vintage garments this way. At least these hats aren't being physically altered. Hey, why don't you buy all the good one and make a few bucks?

I have been there....and he also sticks the plastic hanging tags -through- the felt of hats...or maybe you blocked that terribly thing out of memory....

Vintage Betty · Sep 30, 2007

Funny you mention that place...

I was traveling earlier this year in Manhatten, and had a limited amount of time, so I was doing my homework. Cheap Jack's was in my top 3 until I read reviews like this and the store was quickly dropped from my list of "have to visit".

And about my topic...
Thank you Loungers! I can now sleep peacefully at night, knowing other caring souls would NOT stack their expensive hats in such a poor manner.

They are local, so maybe I'll take a pic when I'm in there next. And than I'll post it, just to give you nightmares in time for Halloween.

VB

dostacos · Sep 30, 2007

Miss Neecerie said:
I have been there....and he also sticks the plastic hanging tags -through- the felt of hats...or maybe you blocked that terribly thing out of memory....

now that is a crime against humanity:rage: :kick:

Mr. 'H' · Sep 30, 2007

dhermann1 said:
The indignities perpetrated on vintage clothing are incredible! There's a place in Manhattan called Cheap Jack's, that used to get great 40's suits (this is back in the late 80's). What did he do with them? He chopped the ends of the sleeves off and added knit cuffs. He must have thought this was cool or something. He did similar things to trouser. He wantonly destroyed dozens, maybe hundreds, of vintage garments this way. At least these hats aren't being physically altered. Hey, why don't you buy all the good one and make a few bucks?

That idiot who owns Cheap Jacks, he punches holes into the felt through the ribbon to put his own price label on the hat.

:rage:

He was so rude about it as well. Like by saying that was the only way to price label the hats etc.

MK and I pulled him up about it it be we got no satisfaction. What a dope! :rage:

Vintage Betty · Sep 30, 2007

ok - back on topic!

Any other comments about stacking expensive men's hats, hmmmm?

fatwoul · Sep 30, 2007

Vintage Betty said:
Any other comments about stacking expensive men's hats, hmmmm?

Yes. I don't understand why someone would be so greedy as to want to have that many $220 hats on display. Have one or two examples of each on show, and store the rest. If storage is an issue, then really they shouldn't be ordering so many hats to begin with. Afterall, the chances are that anybody who knows anything about hats who goes there will be instantly put off by the way they are stacked, and not purchase anything.

tonyb · Sep 30, 2007

This was at a hat shop? Geez, remind me to avoid his brother the brain surgeon.
As long as we're on the topic of apparently clueless shopkeepers who really ought to know better ... I spotted a pretty darned nice vintage lid, in my size, at an antique/vintage/junk shop and knew I'd be buying it, as the marked price was within reason. But, judging by the appearance of the place and its inventory, I deduced that the shopkeeper didn't move his merchandise very quickly and for that reason he would probably be open to offers. To give myself more ammunition, I pointed out a flaw in the hat -- a break in the brim-edge whip stitching at the rear of the brim. So what does this guy do? He grips the hat firmly by the crown (ouch!), grabs a thick needle, a big honkin' one, and attempts to punch the loose whip-stitching end back through the little hole it had once been in. What he hoped to accomplish by this I will surely never know. I didn't want to tell him that he was only making things worse, but I think my expression got the message across well enough. I recall saying something like, "I think I could probably fix that myself."
Yes, I bought the hat, for just a little less than he was initially asking, and repaired the broken stitching with a thin needle and thread close in color. Just one little stitch rejoined the loose ends.
I'm quite pleased to have the hat in my collection, but it still irritates me that a person who makes his living (presumably) in the business would have so little knowledge of (and regard for) his stock in trade. It just seems so, I dunno, tacky or shoddy or something. I mean, I step into a vintage clothing shop and I kinda expect the proprietor to know a thing or two about vintage clothing. Silly me.

Vintage Betty · Sep 30, 2007

tonyb said:
This was at a hat shop? Geez, remind me to avoid his brother the brain surgeon.
As long as we're on the topic of apparently clueless shopkeepers who really ought to know better ... I spotted a pretty darned nice vintage lid, in my size, at an antique/vintage/junk shop and knew I'd be buying it, as the marked price was within reason. But, judging by the appearance of the place and its inventory, I deduced that the shopkeeper didn't move his merchandise very quickly and for that reason he would probably be open to offers. To give myself more ammunition, I pointed out a flaw in the hat -- a break in the brim-edge whip stitching at the rear of the brim. So what does this guy do? He grips the hat firmly by the crown (ouch!), grabs a thick needle, a big honkin' one, and attempts to punch the loose whip-stitching end back through the little hole it had once been in. What he hoped to accomplish by this I will surely never know. I didn't want to tell him that he was only making things worse, but I think my expression got the message across well enough. I recall saying something like, "I think I could probably fix that myself."
Yes, I bought the hat, for just a little less than he was initially asking, and repaired the broken stitiching with a thin needle and thread close in color. Just one little stitch rejoined the loose ends.

Yup, been there....

The funny thing is that this particular hat shop is in my town, and when she opened up, I dropped by the first week, and we chatted a while. Turns out she knows nothing about hats, and for the last year she has been purchasing mass-market hats, which require purchases of 50 hats or more (which might explain the hat stacking).

I offered to volunteer at her store and teach her something about hats, but she never took me up on the offer, even though she said once she was "going to take me to Los Angeles with her to go hat shopping at the hat convention". I contacted her 3x, but gave up.

Whatever.

VB

dostacos · Sep 30, 2007

I do admit to setting my Camptown Indy hat ontop of my campaign hat, but it does NOT put any pressure on the crown of the camptown and allows the hat to actually have no pressure on the brim too:eusa_doh:

RBH · Sep 30, 2007

tonyb said:
clueless .

The key word.

barrowjh · Sep 30, 2007

I've seen stacking where there was a foam ring around the crown of each covered hat, that particular method did not seem so harmful.

Joedahat · Sep 30, 2007

Hat Stacking

At our stores, we do stack 3 sizes apart.
Stack 1 = 7, 7 3/8, & 7 3/4 together.
Stack 2 = 6 3/4, 7 1/8, 7 1/2, 7 7/8.
Stack 3 = 6 7/8, 7 1/4, 7 5/8, 8.
Pliofilm in between each.
Sometimes if the ribbon treatment is thicker, we will use the sponge rings to prevent any damage.

Vintage Betty · Sep 30, 2007

Mr. Jedahat, I've never heard of Pilofilm, and can't remember the last time I saw a foam ring. Could I trouble you for pics showing the CORRECT method of stacking hats?

Vintage Betty

BellyTank · Sep 30, 2007

Vintage Betty said:
Any other comments about stacking expensive men's hats, hmmmm?

Crushed, creased ribbons.
B
T

carter · Sep 30, 2007

There are so many good display systems for hats at any retailers disposal that it's hard to fathom why anyone would stack, punch a hole for a tag, or do anything else to a hat they truly intend to sell.

Sponge rings are intended to be placed around the crown of the hat to cover the ribbon before the hat is placed in a clear bag and placed in a hat box. They are not generally intended for display. The same is true of pliofilm.

Do the retailers mentioned even provide a hatbox when a customer purchases a hat from them?

Diamondback · Sep 30, 2007

carter said:
Do the retailers mentioned even provide a hatbox when a customer purchases a hat from them?

"Hatbox? What's that?"*dumbfounded look*--their probable best reaction

Vintage Betty · Sep 30, 2007

Mr. Carter: thank you for your valuable information.

The answer to your question is no. This is a very low end hat shop.

However, there is another hat seller and milliner a few cities away that always packs your hat in a gold hatbox and real ribbon tie embossed with the shop name. I gotta get outta town more.

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