Jimmy Pierce

Deputy Jedi said:

Thanks Indycop. I appreciate it. I've had a fitted western hat for a few years and really wanted to try a fedora since I live in a metropolitan area. I have tomorrow off so I am going to start looking again for something decent to start with; perhaps an Akubra or maybe an open road that I can bash into a fedora. Best Deputy Jedi

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Well, since you've already op'ed out of the JPD, I don't mind saying that Penman Hats are getting a lot of good buzz. I talked to the man himself not long ago, and I think he's at a 3 month wait right now. I'm weighing Penman vs. JPD for my next custom lid.

Jimmy; Lots of Mylanta, my man!
Hang in there. Your communication may still be spotty, ol' Murphy may be smacking you repeatedly with his lawbook, but at least you haven't quit yet! And your most recent post is exactly the sort of thing to help calm the restless.

As for when I will be in the shop.
Today I will be in Fort worth most of the day.
Wednesday and thursday I will be here working
Friday I will be in and out
Saturday and sunday I will have a booth in Fort Worth at Will Rgers memorial center.

Jimmy

Jimmy -I hope things work out for you. I have two reworked Stetson Pinnacles on order from you. Get them done when you can. I appreciate the bargain you offered!

I have two fantastic hats from Art Fawcett. And it is true he is great about talking with customers, answering questions and educating people. Art is a true gentleman... but I didn't get either of my hats fast. I think I pestered Art a bit on the first one, but then I understood the process, paid for the next one and waited until it arrived. I didn't consider canceling my VS 6 weeks into waiting for it. I would have missed out on a great hat.

I order custom hats because I want something special. I want a hat an honest craftsman who cared about what they are making hand finished. That is going to take some time. I wouldn't want to deal with someone who rushes through work or shorts other people's orders. I don't want to deal with someone who passes the work off to other lesser skilled employees. I pay for the product and get in line.

I understand the frustration people feel. I know it is hard to wait for a hat and I do think it is important for a business to stay in touch with it's customers, but I also know if people want good work they have to allow time for it.

In my passed career I was a baker for 12 years. I worked very hard to produce high quality scratch baked goods. The toughest thing to deal with was cake orders. People would want to talk forever discussing every little color and detail on a $12 cake, like they were working through me to create their personal masterpiece. And no matter what extra work they requested they wouldn't pay more then the 12 bucks. The truth was the longer customers talked to me, the less time I had to work on their cake.

I'm not trying to excuse bad communication. Part of having a successful business is customer service and communication... but people also need to understand the production clock stops when you aren't physically working on the items.

When you commission an artist, the work takes what it takes. And if you really want that persons work, you have to understand that sometimes life gets in the way, too. In a bigger operation, the artist can just hand the work off to an employee, but then you aren't getting the same workmanship. The artist also has the responsibility to do everything possible to get the product done in a reasonable amount time.

Gosh, this has gotten long! I don't know Jimmy, personally. I wish he had done a better job of keeping people updated on orders. I think he has been slapped enough in this thread over that. Hopefully, Jimmy can learn from this.

Again, Jimmy I wish you luck. I am also currently struggling with trying to support my family. We have a lot of company.

Thank you for the recommendation Not-Bogart 13. I have seen many Penman hats over at COW and they look excellent. I may venture there sometime. I really have no problem with the 12 week wait (if i know going into it), but it's cold here now and I want something to wear now, not in early Feb. My best.

Deputy Jedi said:

it's cold here now and I want something to wear now, not in early Feb. My best.

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What size are you?

Indycop... I'm typically a 7 L/O. Looked around central Ohio today at both men's hat shop and a western shop and didn't find what I wanted. Looking at a Federation IV in tawny fawn from Hatsdirect right now.

Give Mike Moore a holler.... sometimes he has a few hats on hand.

Oh... WELCOME TO THE LOUNGE!!!

Thank you for the welcome RBH. I found Mike Moore's website and will take a look.

I made that post not to whine, but because I have talked with a few people who seemed genuinly conserned. Apparently I am not supposed to be honest and tell people what is going on. I have gotten emails that were pretty upsetting.
So, I am running behind do to personal problems.
The thing that gets me is that the worst of the emails are coming from people who, I believe, have been banned from this board, and that I have never talked to.

Jimmy

Hang in there Jimmy....

Jimmy, take care of yourself..

Major Moore

Enough

I have been watching what has been going on in this thread with sympathy and sadness. I do not know any of the principals in the dispute. What seems to be going on here is an essentially private dispute between a customer and a merchant get played out before us.

People, we are talking about a hat here. The customer has his recourse and achieved getting a refund. A merchant has essentially prostrated himself before us and disclosed things publicly that he clearly did not wish to make known. His reputation has been damaged and he has lost business. Isn't it time we all just move along from this accident scene and agree that there is nothing more to see?

I would respectfully suggest that the moderators close this thread and I wish all those involved the best of luck.

A word to the wise.

Members who just joined and have only a handful of posts shouldn't carry as much weight as longstanding members who have a solid track record here.

I would say that for words of praise or rants from people who haven't established themselves yet. I have seen unscrupulous members create an additional account just to make provoking comments. Eventually they tip their hand and we show them to the door.

This is not to reflect on any of the above members or comments. I am just suggesting that you really know who is giving the advice before accepting it.

....now back to our regularly scheduled program.

I see why the Lounge is a step above other forums.

Thanks, MK.

That is the first time I've seen a forum address certain phantom member, "newb", and plotted tactics for back-handedly trying to push other items by means of slamming another. Your approach to the subject is right on the money. The stock in this place just went up in my book, based on that statement. (And that is with the understanding that you have assumed no position, on one side or the other, in the process.)

Having seen that game played out on other forums, I don't post much (even left a few) exactly for those reasons; but I see a trend in the words you just spoke that is uncommonly sensible. Thanks for taking the lead on this and addressing it from a no-nonsense point of view. Refreshing.

jpdesign said:

I have gotten emails that were pretty upsetting.
...The thing that gets me is that the worst of the emails are coming from people who, I believe, have been banned from this board, and that I have never talked to.

Jimmy

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There will always be those who will find anything to nip at. Don't put stock in them. Listen to actual customers.

Tone, if there is one thing that has remained a constant on this board, it's the good management. Welcome to my other hang-out.

Gotta sleep with the light off sometime No-boge.

To MK (The Guy in Charge)

I made what I thought was a good faith post because I had an issue almost identical to the gentleman who actually started the thread. I thought it was a relevant post. It was not a personal attack on the vendor and I chose my words carefully to portray that. I am not playing games on this forum or any other. I was drawn here because I liked the atmosphere. I thought it was a place where members could respectfully discuss issues good or bad. I did not want or expect to start a firestorm.

Certain Phantom Member
Deputy Jedi

Absence of malice

I'm the one who started this thread, and I didn't do so to beat up on the merchant. I'd found his name on this forum, I'd ordered a hat, and I'd subsequently found him unresponsive.
I guess we all know why now.
I feel for the guy. It's tough to start a business, even tougher today. And I certainly didn't mean to start a discussion of his personal problems.
I was just a dissatisfied customer who, as someone above noted, asked questions and found recourse. I was certainly not burned, nor am I in any position to question that Jimmy Pierce's product is anything other than first rate. Everyone who's received one of his hats sure seems to think so.
I hope he recovers, and makes his business a success. I greatly prefer to see small businessmen and women succeed, precisely because of the personal touch they bring.
But this sort of discussion, appropriately conducted, is how the internet is supposed to benefit everyone, no?

JP Update

I drove down to Glenrose, TX on Sunday afternoon and visited with JP who is indeed live and well and doing some wonderful work. I'll post more pictures later but want to show you a Stevens Pacesetter that I left with him in hope that he would be able to make a new fedora in the same style. Imagine my surprise/amazement when I looked at an Open-Crown fedora, asked what it was, and was told it was that Stevens! He resized the hat from 7 1/8 to 7 5/8 and you'd never know if you weren't told. I now have a new Stevens Pacesetter in my size. The only things left of the original are the body and the liner. Can you tell how much I like this hat?


I'll post pictures later of the Borsalino Stockman, Disney Milan, and Mallory Coast to Coast that he did work on. In December, I'll be picking up another 1/2 dozen or so hats ranging from an early 1900's Panama to a Stetson Nostalgia with a bound brim and new ribbon treatment. I'll post photos of those as well. It'll be a bit like Christmas came early this year.

Really nice, carter. Since I am in the area too, I have wondered about Mr. Pierce's work. Looks superb to me, from a novice viewpoint and your face says what you think about it.