Thanks for your calm reasoning Ed. Optimo has the large equipment of a small factory in spaces the size of hallways and a small garage and a small busy staff. Even the retail portions are behind counters and not designed for self-service. It is neither a 1-man shop nor a production line. Timing and numbers would come into play as to what interaction might be possible, I don't want people to expect something akin to Buckaroo Hatters last year.
There are also other Hat Shops and another Hatter in the area, but it is still too soon to know what can be arranged.
Mike was exceptionally generous with his time, shop and materials and he is indeed a Lounge participant. That was the only Fedorafest with hands on experience. The space as well as his exceptional personality made that Fedorafest unique.
Other Fests involved just short visits to Commercial Factories and the rest personal interaction and visits to local sites and eateries.
May I suggest a FedoraFest promotion by Optimo? Buy a hat for the event, get a room credit at the downtown LaQuinta (or wherever)? If Graham were on board, perhaps Optimo could reserve a number of rooms at a discounted ($100-ish?) rate for the purpose. He'll sell more hats.
Robert explanation is accurate 100%. I'd like to add mine that, though unrequested, might be beneficial here. I know Graham a little bit less than Robert does but have developed a nice friendship with him over the years. Plain an simple, he won't go for anything similar to what you guys did at Mike Moore's shop. As Robert said, his store is a hybrid between a showroom and a small factory. The man and his staff are friendly, they give outstanding customer service but, otherwise, they are unbelievably busy. Optimo does not need promotion or deals with hotels. He doesn't have time (or need, I guess) to be a participant in the Lounge. His business is doing great, has expanded, so this sort of "coupon" idea is just not going to happen or fly with him. His time is focused on making his hats, developing techniques to make them better, acquiring equipment and planning his trips to Ecuador and China for his Montecristis and Milans. Not to offend anyone, but just to tell my opinion the way I speak, he's in a different league as far as shop ownership and hat makers. I could be all wrong here, but that's just how I feel.
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