Hopefully this isn't redundant, but I've done some looking around on the site and for some reason failed to find a 'definitive' list of custom, bespoke fur felt Fedora hatmakers. There is some crossover with "Western" hatters, but for this list, I'll try and stick to the ones that make fedoras specifically (and have them listed on their site specifically). Also, I'm avoiding the resellers for now, since this is specifically for those shops that make custom hats. If I've included one by accident, please let me know. So I've compiled a quick list, as of June 2014, in no particular order: Art Fawcett Vintage Silhouettes (Medford, OR) http://www.vintagesilhouettes.com/ Gary White (Buffalo, NY) http://www.custom-hatter.com/ Leon Drexler (Toronto, Canada) http://www.leondrexler.com/New_Leon_Drexler_Website/Home.html Garrison Hatters (Maysville, GA) http://garrisonhatters.com/ Penman Hats (Hillsboro, OR) http://www.penmanhats.com/ Black Sheep Hatworks (Bremerton, WA) http://www.blacksheephatworks.com/ Tumwater Hats (Olympia, WA) http://www.tumwaterhat.com/ The Brass Rooster (Milwaukee, WI) http://www.brassrooster.com/ Buckaroo Hatters (Covington, TN) http://www.buckaroohatters.com/ Falcon Park Hattery (Chicago, IL) http://www.falconparkhattery.com/Home.html Paul’s Hat Works (San Francisco, CA) http://www.hatworksbypaul.com/ Rocky Mountain Hat Co. (Bozeman, MT) http://www.rockymountainhatcompany.com/ Watson’s Hat Shop (Cave Creek, AZ) http://www.watsonshatshop.com/ Baron Hats (Burbank, CA) http://baronhats.com/ Peter Bros. (Fort Worth, TX) http://www.pbhats.com/ Dave Brown Hats (Rochester, NY) http://www.davebrownhats.com/ Optimo (Chicago, IL) http://optimo.com/ Optimo Hatworks (Bisbee, AZ) http://www.optimohatworks.com/ Adventurebilt (Marc Kitter - Reesum, Germany; Steve Delk - Columbus, MS) http://www.adventurebilt.com/ Mike Miller's Northwest Hats (Eugene, OR) http://www.northwesthats.com/Home.html JW Hats (West Valley City, UT) http://www.jwhats.com/ DbarJ Hats (Las Vegas, NV) http://www.dbarjhat.com/ Manny Gammage's Texas Hatters (Lockhart, TX) http://www.texashatters.com If I've missed any others, please add it to the thread!
Are you going to include the Westerns? Tonto Rim Trading Company http://www.tontorim.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/index.html Rand Custom Hats http://www.randhats.com/index.cfm Richard
I wouldn't put Steve Delk on the list . . . He is years behind on orders, and some of us feel that we may have thrown away good money by ordering from him. I have just about given up on ever seeing my $, my fedora, or a note of explanation.
Thanks JonSolo! I had no idea that there was a custom hat maker in Georgia. Even better, I like his hats!
Thanks, everyone, I'll add them to the list in a few moments. Shame about Steve Delk's response time. Didn't I hear that he had some trouble or something which slowed up his supply line? And Lt.hats, I'm glad this thread has helped someone already. By all accounts, David Garrison is a superlative hatter and (at the moment) very affordable for the work he does. At least that's what I've heard. I have yet to order one from him (but plan on doing so as a "reward" soon).
Yes Steve has had a lot of health issue and is still working on finishing off his list of orders and will fulfill them. He should not be cast aside because of health issues.
Great idea! Thanks for starting the list. Here is another one for you. Texas Hatters located in Lockhart, Texas. http://www.texashatters.com
Sheila Nab runs Nab Hatters. Does mostly westerns but would probably tackle a fedora... http://www.nabhatters.com/hats.html
Wait, I am confused. Did someone say to cast someone aside because he had health issues? If so, that is not a very cool thing to do.