gcollins
One of the Regulars
- Messages
- 270
- Location
- Shanghai, China
I am in the middle of a 4 week travel splurge--USA, Seoul, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Auckland, Taipei, Tokyo--and found myself with one extra day in the USA...so I decided to travel to the most contraversial place in the world of modern custom hats: Clintwood, VA, home of Gladhatter, Charlie Swindall and the Superwoman. From San Fran, I flew to Charlotte, NC, then to a place called TriCity, TN, best known as the HQ of the Eastman Co.
From there I drove about 1.5 hours into the mountains of America's old coal country to find out what makes the Gladhatter tick, and spent a night there. Before I go on, let me be clear. I have been delighted by my hats from GH, they have delivered a fine beaver hat that others could not. I don't shill for them, but I love a nice hat and great custom service. And all of us need to appreciate the collective power of a fedora afficionado's desire coupled with the desire of the American dream. That combination is what drives the Gladhatter pursuit of excellence.
The place: if an American wants to know how lucky he is to live in Chicago, Boston or Austin, or California, just visit Clintwood. A lovely town at the foot of the Appalachians, but a town that the US has largely forgotten, as the coal business moved further North into West Virginia. Life is not all roses in places like Clintwood, though it is easy to see that three seasons a year bring a beauty to the trees and mountains that other places in the world would envy in a heartbeat. There's not a lot of job creation there or money to invest in the education of the school system. This just 'aint a place one thinks of when they think of modern America.
None of us have any reason to go there, perhaps, except for one thing: one of America's finest hat making duos: Charlie and Dalia, collectively known as the Gladhatter. I for one was even more taken by a woman known as Aunt Rose, who still refers to sitting and talking as "visiting". A lovely elderly lady with folk wisdom and character, a gracious old world hostess, and with whom I could spend a few more days and enjoy it all. And with the three of them, some of the old country hospitality that does not exist in most of the US any more. I mean hospitality Chinese style, where the guest is king! What a priviledge for me!
I could go on about the hospitality of that family, but I want to focus on something else: the making of hats. Where Charlie and Dalia live is a very small space that Charlie is in the process of renovating. That unfinished bathroom is the real deal. They live and work in the same place, surrounded by a beautiful mountain setting we urbanites can only admire. And the equipment that goes into making of hats is primitive and basic--they make these great hats without the many modern conveniences that one would expect to create, say that Hickory Wonder, or this latest Sahara Sand perfection? You want to see a real hand made hat? People, this is it! One cannot imagine how they could have created that Alamo hat with little more than talent, creativity, desire to please, and a passion for the perfect hat.
What I have appreciated about this hatter is the desire to exceed the expectations of customers. And I cannot say enough of Dalia. Such a lovely lassie. For those of us who have lived in our own culture all our lives, we cannot imagine what it would be like to move from our homeland abroad to rural Appalachian country, with its traditions and culture, and family ties! She is amazing. And what she does for the styling and making of such phenomenal hats is beyond this man's comprehension. I will always have a good job for her if Charlie doesn't treat her well!
:evil: But, he seems to.....so he is lucky.
And Charlie. the guy is not what most of us think. He is an entrepreneur with a million ideas, and a desire I thought unique to hungry immigrants and jews in our country. There is no job to fall back on. No opportunity to pursue beyond one's desire. And the guy can cook a mean continental cuisine that was highly unexpected. His tribal knowledge of felts and the making of hats is almost constitutional. From that background, it is no wonder why he is so passionate about making customers delighted, beyond delighted. There is that immigrant's passion to succeed that is all too absent in the spoiled corporate American's world these days. And he is by far, the most "wired" and internet saavy of any person in a 50 mile radius of him--the GH electronic command center is in direct contradiction to anything else in that county or that house he built himself from scratch. Impressive to say the least!
Mostly, this pilgrimage was about getting to know the man, and the woman behind the hats that still are the best in class, high end custom beaver hats. We spent the day talking about hats, and I pounced some customer's gunbarrel grey hat (so you better give ME your feedback, whoever you are!).
I guess I thought to write about my summer felt hat, a very thinly pounced, fabulous Sahara Sand hat. I'm in Seoul presently and the thing hasn't left my head. But I'll save the review and some pics for a bit later. But alas, I am inspired from this trip; and in a world where the journey continues to be more interesting than the destination....it makes all the difference.
Regards,
G
From there I drove about 1.5 hours into the mountains of America's old coal country to find out what makes the Gladhatter tick, and spent a night there. Before I go on, let me be clear. I have been delighted by my hats from GH, they have delivered a fine beaver hat that others could not. I don't shill for them, but I love a nice hat and great custom service. And all of us need to appreciate the collective power of a fedora afficionado's desire coupled with the desire of the American dream. That combination is what drives the Gladhatter pursuit of excellence.
The place: if an American wants to know how lucky he is to live in Chicago, Boston or Austin, or California, just visit Clintwood. A lovely town at the foot of the Appalachians, but a town that the US has largely forgotten, as the coal business moved further North into West Virginia. Life is not all roses in places like Clintwood, though it is easy to see that three seasons a year bring a beauty to the trees and mountains that other places in the world would envy in a heartbeat. There's not a lot of job creation there or money to invest in the education of the school system. This just 'aint a place one thinks of when they think of modern America.
None of us have any reason to go there, perhaps, except for one thing: one of America's finest hat making duos: Charlie and Dalia, collectively known as the Gladhatter. I for one was even more taken by a woman known as Aunt Rose, who still refers to sitting and talking as "visiting". A lovely elderly lady with folk wisdom and character, a gracious old world hostess, and with whom I could spend a few more days and enjoy it all. And with the three of them, some of the old country hospitality that does not exist in most of the US any more. I mean hospitality Chinese style, where the guest is king! What a priviledge for me!
I could go on about the hospitality of that family, but I want to focus on something else: the making of hats. Where Charlie and Dalia live is a very small space that Charlie is in the process of renovating. That unfinished bathroom is the real deal. They live and work in the same place, surrounded by a beautiful mountain setting we urbanites can only admire. And the equipment that goes into making of hats is primitive and basic--they make these great hats without the many modern conveniences that one would expect to create, say that Hickory Wonder, or this latest Sahara Sand perfection? You want to see a real hand made hat? People, this is it! One cannot imagine how they could have created that Alamo hat with little more than talent, creativity, desire to please, and a passion for the perfect hat.
What I have appreciated about this hatter is the desire to exceed the expectations of customers. And I cannot say enough of Dalia. Such a lovely lassie. For those of us who have lived in our own culture all our lives, we cannot imagine what it would be like to move from our homeland abroad to rural Appalachian country, with its traditions and culture, and family ties! She is amazing. And what she does for the styling and making of such phenomenal hats is beyond this man's comprehension. I will always have a good job for her if Charlie doesn't treat her well!
:evil: But, he seems to.....so he is lucky.And Charlie. the guy is not what most of us think. He is an entrepreneur with a million ideas, and a desire I thought unique to hungry immigrants and jews in our country. There is no job to fall back on. No opportunity to pursue beyond one's desire. And the guy can cook a mean continental cuisine that was highly unexpected. His tribal knowledge of felts and the making of hats is almost constitutional. From that background, it is no wonder why he is so passionate about making customers delighted, beyond delighted. There is that immigrant's passion to succeed that is all too absent in the spoiled corporate American's world these days. And he is by far, the most "wired" and internet saavy of any person in a 50 mile radius of him--the GH electronic command center is in direct contradiction to anything else in that county or that house he built himself from scratch. Impressive to say the least!
Mostly, this pilgrimage was about getting to know the man, and the woman behind the hats that still are the best in class, high end custom beaver hats. We spent the day talking about hats, and I pounced some customer's gunbarrel grey hat (so you better give ME your feedback, whoever you are!).
I guess I thought to write about my summer felt hat, a very thinly pounced, fabulous Sahara Sand hat. I'm in Seoul presently and the thing hasn't left my head. But I'll save the review and some pics for a bit later. But alas, I am inspired from this trip; and in a world where the journey continues to be more interesting than the destination....it makes all the difference.
Regards,
G
