Austin vintage hat hotspots

[CactusJax]

I'm meeting my kids in Austin for Thanksgiving. Does anyone have any good vintage hat hunting ground reccomendations? I know there are a couple of good places on South Congress...

 

[carter]

I'm meeting my kids in Austin for Thanksgiving. Does anyone have any good vintage hat hunting ground reccomendations? I know there are a couple of good places on South Congress...

Let us know when you find them. I'm definitely up for a road trip!

 

[Uncle Vern]

In Austin, there's an antique/junk store on South Congress Ave. called Uncommon Objects. I've bought quite a few hats there. Currently, various vendors have lots of hats for sale. As you would expect, prices vary according to the individual seller, and there's no real consistency in regards to pricing. There are also lots of wigged-out, antique military hats for sale. The occasional antique wooden hat block shows up there from time to time.

I passed through there last week and there were many fedoras, straws and western hats, some of them wildly over-priced, but then there are important exceptions. Two weeks ago I managed to pick up a c. 1942 brown Borsalino stingy in excellent condition for $35.00, and last week I bought my wife a killer c. 1960 woman's felt fur, velour-finish rusty brown Borsalino with a 3.5-inch rolled brim for about $30.00, in great condition.

You'll see a few piles of Open Road-style hats, often re-branded Stetsons at very affordable prices. If you know your hats, you can strike gold amidst those piles. But then you'll see a current, low-end 3X Stetson western priced at $125.00. Go figure.

There's another store a block south of Uncommon Objects called Off The Wall. They'll have a number of hats for sale. If you have time, hit the Goodwills in South Austin. Their employees often have a marked distain for western hats, so you can buy them for a song.

If you're up for a road trip, there's an antique store in Blanco, Texas, on the town square that often has great hats, including fedoras, for very good prices. Good hunting!

 

[CactusJax]

Thanks!

I'm heading out in the morning, I'll check it out. I've been several resale shops on S Congress but never paid much attention to the names... The kids always want to eat @ Guerras, The wife @ Vespayo (sp?). so we end up wandering around that area. Lots of fun shops... We also have to hit Las Manitas every trip... Are there any new eateries in town? We don't go much since my daughter graduated a couple of years ago...

 

[CactusJax]

I'll check this thread before I hit S Congress Friday. If there are any other suggestions on hats as well as food, fun etc. go ahead & post. Saturday I think I'm playing one of the Barton Creek Courses with the kids and will not have much time.


I guess bringing my family there will help keep Austin Wierd!



Thanks for the help!

 

[CactusJax]

Uncle Verne

Have you ever been in the Boot/Western Store a couple blocks south of Vespayo (sp?) on South Congress. I've never bought any footwear in Mexico that didn't fall apart way too soon or stink, but they have some way cool retro looking, drugstore cowboy boots, hecho in Mexico. I can't remember the brand. It's worth a look, although I don't trust Mexican footwear and as I recall they were quite pricey...

 

[Uncle Vern]

Can't help you much on the cafes. We mostly eat at home. There's a terrific new pizza joint on South Congress near Oltorf called the Southside Flying Pizza.

Here's Uncle Vern's Universal Rule for Vintage Cowboy Boot Selection: "The greater the number of store employees who dress in black and resemble extras in a David Lynch movie, the wider the disparity between price and quality." The staff will consist of a gaggle of little tooty-butts who wouldn't know a real cowboy boot if it walked up behind them and bit them in the patoot.

Most all Mexican boots are handmade in Leon, Guanajuato. Vicente Fox owns a boot factory there. Mexican boot quality can run from trash to treasure, but that's also true of the junky, synthetic low-end imported boots made currently by the major boot companies, which all issue from the same corporate source. Mexican boots suffer the same malicious gossip as Mexican avocados. Yea, there's some crap out there, but if you know how to look, you can find good quality. The boots need to have steel shanks, good tight (hopefully double) pegging, strong stitching and and overall feel of quality. It's not rocket science. I own a pair of Cristobal Romeros that I bought in Austin in 1987, and they've really held up well, and as I write this, I'm wearing a great old pair of Mexican no-names with Sonoran heels that I bought for six bucks in a local thrift store. They're really fine old boots. Caution: if you go into Allen Boots, the local boot retailer on South Congress Avenue, don't expect a single employee to know anything about any of the boots in that store. They're just under-paid kids who wish they could be somewhere else.

If you're feeling adventurous while you're in Austin, especially this weekend, locate the intersection of South Congress and East Riverside. Head east on East Riverside, over I-35, and go a couple of miles until you see Pleasant Valley Road. Turn left and go down one very long block until you see a large, two-story building on the left called the Mercado. It'll be surrounded by outdoor Mexican vendors. Just wade right into the outdoor crowd. Whenever I go there, I'm usually the only Gringo. These are great people and it's a lot of fun to shop there, and great food abounds. Look for the guy who sells Botas Arango http://arango.com.mx/proceso.html. These are very good quality boots for well under $200.00. In true Mexican tradition, they'll expect you to haggle. Stand-outs are the tan ostrich leg and full-quill ostrich boots. For fun, look around for the guys who sell the screaming yellow fake crocodile boots. Don't buy them, just marvel at them!

You'll see lots of individual sellers sitting behind card tables or squatting on the ground, and if you look carefully, you might score. I bought a pair of terrific early 70's Rios of Mercedes boots there for $12.00.

Uncommon Objects has tons of boots. Just a block east of South Congress, on South Mary Street, you'll find a shop called the Golden Slipper Shoe Repair. That's Abel Gonzales's shop. He's got dozens of pairs of used boots for sale. You can find any of the shops I've mentioned by simply asking someone on South Congress. These places are all no more than a few minutes from each other.

 

[CactusJax]

Thanks.

I checked out Uncomon Objects. I've been in there many times, just never paid attention to the name... All of the hats I liked, that fit, were pricey... I bought my son an old Resistol Open Road type hat. He said he needed a hat to take to Tokyo next semester... I was really sad to hear that Las Manitas and Tesoro were going to be replaced with a new Marriott. I hope they find good homes.


I guess all of the Mexican footwear I have purchased has come from Border Town Markets... I'm sure there is some fine footwear as well..

 

[Uncle Vern]

It's hard to find good bargains when you don't have much time. I've done well at Uncommon Objects, but I can go there whenever I want to, so I have lots of opportunities to find good deals over the course of several months.

Watch on eBay for Romero boots, usually labeled Cristobal Romero, or Sonora. They're really good-quality Mexican boots from Leon, and the sizes are accurate and generous. Back in the late 80's, Chris Romero had a boot store here on South Congress. I bought my pointy-toes there. Sadly, I think he's out of business now. I wish I'd bought more at the time.

 

[CactusJax]

I walked by a womens resale shop on So Co. I can't remember the name. There was a sign in the window. Visit our new mens resale shop on S 1st... Never made it though...