Show Us Your Vintage Hat Store

[BobHufford]

Silverwoods men’s store in Los Angeles, Cal

The store built for Noir ...

Looks like the location you shared @Randall Renshaw was built in 1929.

There were several other locations.

Historical Notes

Silverwood's was founded in 1894 by Francis Bernard ("Daddy") Silverwood, Los Angeles clothier, merchant, and businessman, originally from Canada, near Lindsay, Ontario. The first store was located at 124 South Spring St. in Los Angeles, and soon moved to larger quarters at 221 South Spring St. The flagship store was established in 1904 at Sixth & Broadway in downtown Los Angeles.

Hartmarx, one of the nation's largest clothing manufacturers and retailers, bought the chain in 1941 and kept the name. The Silverwood's chain of clothing stores folded in the 1990s.

1920: (calling something a "Magnificent Pile" nowadays probably has a different meaning)

Downtown location circa 1936.

Modern times:

 

[BobHufford]

Mid-to-Late 1950s Borsalino Gorasgu from Newburg Clothing Company, LaCrosse, Wisconsin.

(Text from the Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation, https://wipreservation.org/ )

Preservation Post: Newburg Menswear Building, La Crosse WI
January 2, 2022

The past 133 years have brought a lot a change to the four buildings at 320-326 Pearl Street. Originally four separate structures, a series of purchases by the Newburg Menswear Company combined the buildings into the single structure that we see today.

The buildings were originally known as the following:

326 Pearl Street, historically the Gund Building, c. 1888 by Gund Brewing

324 Pearl Street, historically the Newburg Menswear Building, c. 1888 as residence and commercial space for Peter Newburg Company

322 Pearl Street, historically the Miller & Horne Building, c. 1889

320 Pearl Street, historically the Trane Building, c. 1889 by James A. Trane & Company. This was the beginnings of what would become The Trane Company, a global leader and innovator in Heating, Venting and Air Conditioning.

Expansion: The Gund Building
Historic photos of these four buildings show first floor wood storefronts with cast iron columns dividing the bays and recessed door alcoves. Each second floor is composed of brick broken up by double-hung windows capped by arched headers with limestone keystones and anchored by a lug stone sill. Each building a variation on the same theme.

Circa 1896 Peter Newburg purchased the adjacent Gund Building and expanded his clothing store. The brick party wall was removed on first floor and was replaced with a row of cast iron columns. Sometime prior to 1921, the front of the two buildings was removed and replaced with a white terra cotta façade with what was probably a bronze storefront.

The building was again remodeled circa 1937 when the adjacent Miller and Horne Building was acquired at 322 Pearl Street. A new Carrara Glass Storefront was installed over all three bays of the building to unify the store’s appearance.

Expansion: The Trane Building
The final expansion occurred circa 1973 when the Newburg Menswear Company purchased the former Trane Building at 320 Pearl Street. With this purchase, the entire front façade was ‘modernized’. A black metal slip cover was installed over the second floor, pre-cast concrete panels covered the storefront transoms and a new aluminum storefront with brown tiles was installed for the first floor storefront.

The main entrance was moved to the center of the renovated façade. The Newburg Menswear stayed in this location until 1986 when it closed its doors for good after 100 years in business.

The four storefronts, not too long ago:

After a recent "restoration":

 

[BobHufford]

Michael's Clothing of Kansas City, Since 1905.

1905:

1921:

1923:

1938:

1950:

1968:

 

[BobHufford]

1950s (?) Royal Stetson from Mayer_Krom in Milwaukee.

A helpful fellow on a Milwaukee History Facebook Group shared this with me (from about the same era as the hat):

That area today:

 

[BobHufford]

Mid-1950s Lee, Blue Label, "Double Brim" from Filene's Department Store in Boston, MA.

^^^^^ Thanks @DaveProc for the advertisement!

1912:

Teens:

1920s:

1949:

1963:

 

[BobHufford]

Fahey-Brockman.

A chain of stores (Seattle, Spokane, Portland, Denver and Salt Lake City -- maybe more) that were typically on the second floor of a building to save overhead costs -- and featured that in their advertising. The ground floor housed other businesses.

1931:

I'm not finding much on early history, but they were in business at least by 1914. From George Fahey's obit: "After his father's death in 1945, he and brother, Philip, took over Fahey-Brockman, the family's men's clothing business - with stores in Seattle, Portland, Denver, and Salt Lake City. They sold the business in 1967."

An early Seattle location was in the Arcade Building on 2nd Avenue. For a time they had both the Arcade location and the 3rd and Pike location. They appear to have dropped the Arcade location when the 4th and Pine location was built in 1920/21. This is the Seattle location at 3rd and Pike (next to the Joshua Green Building).

Note the traffic tower on the corner (you can see the Fahey Brockman sign down the street):

The 4th and Pine location in 1941. This was originally built in 1890 as the Fisher Building and housed the Hotel Abbott. It was bought and remodeled into the Fahey Brockman Building in 1920/21.

Portland's 6th and Washington location in 1939:

Portland's SW Broadway location in the 1950s (or the sign on it anyway -- they leased space from PGE):

 

[BobHufford]

Royal Stetson Deluxe Vita-Felt (minus the ribbon) from Zachry in Atlanta.

1950: (Down the block a bit)

1952:

1954:

1957:

 

[BobHufford]

Some of these just hide in plain sight. Stetson 3X from Sydney Davis in Ft. Myers.

The store was around from 1934 until the late 1980s.

Ad from 1934:

1943. The store was to the left of the entrance to the Arcade Theatre. The oval sign is out front.

1950:

1950s postcard detail:

Ad from 1955:

Ad from 1986:

Nowadays:

Thanks to @DaveProc for the ads!

 

[BobHufford]

The hat in this box was from Denver Dry Goods (which had been featured earlier in the thread), so I'm only using the box to segue into some info on Daniels and Fisher in Denver.

From Colorado History archives:

Not sure of the date of the box, but I would guess 1930s.

Daniels and Fisher was in business from 1872 until around 1958 when mergers and buy outs essentially did in the name and closed the store.

https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/daniels-and-fisher-tower#

1872 - 1879 store front:

1884 (at Sixteenth and Lawrence Streets):

1902:

The iconic tower for the store was built in 1911. The addition with the tower would be to the right in the photo above.

https://www.clocktowerevents.com/images/pdf/DF_Tower_History.pdf

1910-1911:

1911:

1959:

Nowadays only the tower remains:

 

[Mighty44]

The hat in this box was from Denver Dry Goods (which had been featured earlier in the thread), so I'm only using the box to segue into some info on Daniels and Fisher in Denver.

View attachment 435987

From Colorado History archives:

View attachment 435986

Not sure of the date of the box, but I would guess 1930s.

Daniels and Fisher was in business from 1872 until around 1958 when mergers and buy outs essentially did in the name and closed the store.

https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/daniels-and-fisher-tower#

1872 - 1879 store front:

View attachment 435993

1884 (at Sixteenth and Lawrence Streets):

View attachment 435985

1902:

View attachment 435992

The iconic tower for the store was built in 1911. The addition with the tower would be to the right in the photo above.

View attachment 435984
https://www.clocktowerevents.com/images/pdf/DF_Tower_History.pdf

1910-1911:

View attachment 435991

1911:

View attachment 435989

1959:

View attachment 435995

Nowadays only the tower remains:

View attachment 435988

Wonderful investigations and photos—terrific to see that old theater so well preserved. Thanks for sharing this!

 

[BobHufford]

Early 1950s Resistol "Regent" from Glosser Brothers in Johnston, PA.

1906:

Interior 1910:

1922:

1931 Grand Opening of the expanded store.

1936:

1940s:

Then and now:

 

[BobHufford]

Old Stetson campaign style hat from P. Schira & Co. in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Circa 1910s? Not mine ...

The store was started in 1862 and I'm not sure how long it was around. I'm not finding much info past 1920.

It's now a chocolate shop (or maybe was as the image above appears newer than this Google view).

It was a block down from "City Hall" and on the right.

1909:

1911:

1912:

 

[dkstott]

It's straw hat time, dontcha know. Edison Hat Store, Albany NY newspaper advertisement 1926.

 

[Ken Paulson]

Royal Stetson "Kashmir Finish"

View attachment 147158

Thanks to @Redfokker (Mike) for the Scoop's storefront image. Best I could do was finding the store's sign hidden behind a café sign (on the right).

View attachment 147257

My lord that's a fine looking hat. Yowza.

 

[BobHufford]

My lord that's a fine looking hat. Yowza.

Thanks! More pics here ...

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/post-new-hats-here.28145/page-1816#post-2378680

 

[Mighty44]

Old Stetson campaign style hat from P. Schira & Co. in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Circa 1910s? Not mine ...

View attachment 440289

View attachment 440290

The store was started in 1862 and I'm not sure how long it was around. I'm not finding much info past 1920.

View attachment 440295

It's now a chocolate shop (or maybe was as the image above appears newer than this Google view).

View attachment 440291

It was a block down from "City Hall" and on the right.

View attachment 440292

1909:

View attachment 440296

View attachment 440298

1911:

View attachment 440297

1912:

View attachment 440293

View attachment 440294

Wonderful research, Bob.

 

[BobHufford]

Wonderful research, Bob.

Thanks David! It was fun. Some of these searches go nowhere (you go down some deep rabbit holes), but I was thrilled to finally find a pic of this store.

 

[BobHufford]

1940s Portis from Bratton's in Newell, South Dakota.

N.M. Bratton Mercantile, 2nd buiding in on the right:

Newer digs with the grocery store added in 1915. The store even carried tractors and farm implements.

2015:

Nowadays:

 

[Mighty44]

1940s Portis from Bratton's in Newell, South Dakota.

View attachment 441420

View attachment 441421

View attachment 441422

N.M. Bratton Mercantile, 2nd buiding in on the right:

View attachment 441428

View attachment 441425

Newer digs with the grocery store added in 1915. The store even carried tractors and farm implements.

View attachment 441423

View attachment 441424

View attachment 441426

2015:

View attachment 441429

Nowadays:

View attachment 441427

Once again—amazing research, Bob!

 

[BobHufford]

Once again—amazing research, Bob!

Thanks David!