Hat for sale in unexpected places...

[DougC]

I office across from the one (if not the only) dedicated hat store in San Antonio, Texas. Great store-in fact they just installed a brand new steamer that puts out a fantastic amount of 300 degree Fahrenheit. Very exciting-the idea is that you can have your new or old hat shaped while you wait rather than drop off the hat. Anyway...hats are only one of my hobbies.

I also like to frequent pipe and tobacco stores-I smoke a pipe infrequently and love the way unburnt tobacco makes my car smell. Generally, I light the pipe when the weather cools. So, today, I went to one of the Club Humidor (on San Pedro if you are local) in town to pickup a new lighter. Surprisingly, the Club Humidor was taking orders for some very nice hand woven panama hats. I didn't get prices for styles or how to order. But, I can say the hats are very flexible and looked to be very nicely made. And, it got me thinking...where have you been when you saw hat for sale and were caught off guard?

 

[Txmason]

DougC

Where is this hat store in SA? I am new to hats and would love one for winter here inTexas. I am on Lake Conroe.

 

[DougC]

It's in San Antonio on Broadway near the Alamo--Paris Hatters. Good store and good owner. But, its about 3.5 hours from Conroe (3 hours from April Sound). There are some good hat stores in Houston too. Then again, Paris Hatters is turning into a tourist destination since they should up in a bowl commercial a couple years ago...maybe its a must see???

By the way, I went to high school in Conroe and my parents still live there off Longmire Road.

 

[bowlerman]

I'm with you, DougC, on the pipes and pipe tobacco. An infrequent puffer myself, I started collecting these before hats, and have sold about a third of them.

Anyway, for this thread, I did find a Portis OR clone for sale on a table outside of a small diner in the middle of nowhere SD, near the Sisseton Indian reservation. It was next to some old coats, blankets, and oil lamps. I couldn't pass it up, and the ederly man selling it seemed pleased that it was going to a [HA!] "young man."

My wife has been giving me endless hell for being "middle aged" since I turned 35 last week. Yikes.

 

[Benzadmiral]

About two years ago I found a '70s-era Churchill Open Road clone in olive green at a local costume/vintage clothing sale. Snagged it for $12, stretched it up to fit me, had Optimo trim and rebind the brim; voila.

Some of you may recall my blundering across not one but two mint Stratoliners at a vintage store in Ponchatoula, LA, last year. Twenty-five bucks each -- but each was size 6 3/4! I passed the info on to lounger Frank, who bought them for his sons to wear in a few years.

 

[RBH]

While this was not for sale... I did find it in an unexpected place.
I ran across it in the prop room at my Masonic Lodge while helping put on a Masters Degree.

Royal Stetson Whippet.
Alas it was to small for me!
There were several other hats but this one caught my eye.

 

[hatophile]

My wife and I stopped in a small town in Vermont a few years ago to get some ice cream. We looked around the town and went into an art/pottery shop. Around the walls were hung some very nice vintage hats. I asked if any were for sale and the lady said No, they were used for theatrical productions in the town theatre.
She had some really good fedoras, plus some bowlers and top hats, not to mention some great old hat boxes.:eusa_booh