ChicagoWayVito
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I would go with one of the Milan's! I assume he is doing the sewing of the braided plait and turning it into a hat.
I would go with one of the Milan's! I assume he is doing the sewing of the braided plait and turning it into a hat.
Thank you for the report. Now I am even sadder I didn 't stop in last year.
That $800 is for a western weight Winchester beaver? Is he adept at both western and fedora styling?Quality hats, but I’m not sure of the value for my needs. The hat I was thinking of would have been between $750 and $800 all told. It’s not overpriced, the way I see it, but for my needs there are probably better options.
I was most surprised at Chandler’s willingness to critique other hatters without any solicitation. He’s a man of definite opinions. He wasn’t rude, but he didn’t pull punches.
That $800 is for a western weight Winchester beaver? Is he adept at both western and fedora styling?
Chandler told me his shop made over 3,500 custom hats this year
Must have a fair size crew of hat makers working for him to put out 9+ hats a day, 7 days a week, 365.
$800 western felts? There are so many good makers doing western hats from Winchester's 100% beaver from $450 to $600, along with a quick delivery I find it hard to justify the prices some what to charge. ( $1000+ beaver hats from some made from the same Winchester blanks) Even more so once you know what it takes to turn a beaver blank into a decent hat.
I came out of the Tatton Baird Hat shop and saw that I had two messages: a PM from Max @drmaxtejeda and an email from Randall @Randall Renshaw and both of these fine men sent me a link to this hat...and now it’s mine!
Quality hats, but I’m not sure of the value for my needs. The hat I was thinking of would have been between $750 and $800 all told. It’s not overpriced, the way I see it, but for my needs there are probably better options.
I was most surprised at Chandler’s willingness to critique other hatters without any solicitation. He’s a man of definite opinions. He wasn’t rude, but he didn’t pull punches.
Thanks for the write-up, Brent. Nice pics as well.Today I traveled about an hour south of SLC and visited Tatton Baird Hatters. I called first to see if they were open this close to Christmas and Chandler said he was closing at 2:00, but he’d stay open for me if I needed to come later. That’s good service!
The shop is definitely a must-see if you’re ever in the area. It’s orders of magnitude more interesting and more friendly than JW Hats. The store and shop isn’t large, but it’s obviously sufficient. Chandler was engaging and enthusiastic. His finished hats were depleted as people were even buying the display hats for Christmas. The finished hats I saw showed great attention by a knowledgeable hand. The stitching holding the crown ribbons to the felt was indiscernible. The junction where the brim binding edges meet was barely noticeable. The hats were well-pounced and the finishes were even.
Chandler offered a tour of the shop in the basement and his whole setup is just about perfect. Chandler wasn’t shy about sharing opinions on other hatters: some flattering and some less so.
Chandler told me his shop made over 3,500 custom hats this year! Some went to Japan where he has a partner selling them for him. His 100% beaver hats start at $675 and delivery is approximately 6-8 weeks. I went over some styles and ribbon options with Chandler, but left without ordering a hat! No one is more shocked than I am. I had my $250 deposit ready to hand over, but was undecided and chose to wait.
His western felt is from Winchester, but he can get FEPSA for dress hats. Chandler was unequivocal in stating that the best felt in the world comes from Portugal. I did have him take my measurements and save them for a future custom.
Great place to kill some time if you’re in the area. No commercial hats for sale, just his own custom hats.
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Yes, I really do want to order another Gannon. I have just the one and would be a treat to see his evolution as a hatter.That price is for a beaver hat, bound brim, and pencil curl. My understanding is that his prices for western and dress hats are the same. He had a few of his fedoras on display and one was made from a western felt and the rest from dress felts. The dress felt hats were not overly stiff and definitely better than what I handled at JW, and I’d say roughly equivalent to my Northwest Hats fedora. They certainly don’t compare to my two most recent Gannon hats. Then again, not everyone wants a thin and easily molded hat that doesn’t always hold its crease come hell or high water. Great, now I want to order another Gannon.
Sounds very interesting, and glad he has the business, but that was my first thought as well - does he have a crew working because that is 9 or 10 hats per day every day!
And no offense to anyone or any of the great hatters in the world, the main reason I don't buy locally (I have a shop almost in my back yard) is that their market is primarily westerns and they get caught up in making big, stiff, heavy westerns with 100% beaver prices over $1000. They make so many big westerns that, over time, they lose the skill set (and desire) to make a soft, moldable, lightweight hat at an affordable price. I know we each have our own, rather complex criteria for hat purchases but for me, a lot has to do with value. I can spend $400 at Gannon, VS, Northwest, etc and get an amazing hat and I see zero increase in value by spending $1400 for the same hat from most of the western hat makers I know of in Texas and New Mexico.
was resigned that it would be a stiff Winchester felt..
FYI?
Winchester overs at least 3 different felt qualities. Their felt is only as stiff as the hatter (intentionally or unintentionally) makes it.
Just to clarify, these are NOT Tatton Baird’s prices.