VIDEO: How the world's oldest hat shop has stayed in business for nearly 350 years

[Louis Mountbatten]

VIDEO: How the world's oldest hat shop has stayed in business for nearly 350 years

This video shows a conformateur being used...


https://www.businessinsider.com/lock-and-co-hatters-london-worlds-oldest-hat-shop-2021-7

 

[Just Daniel]

Awesome! It brings one thing immediately to mind:

Here is a link to “12 O’Clock High” with the opening hat store scene at ~1:45

 

[Allydress]

That video is really worth a watch. Thank you for sharing that here.

 

[GHT]

Founded in 1676, James Lock & Co. is the world’s oldest hat shop. Despite the name, it was actually founded by Robert Davis, whose son Charles took on James Lock as his apprentice in 1747. James also married Robert’s daughter, further cementing his legacy with the business. The businesses passed down from fathers to sons for generations, in the meantime outfitting many famous names from Admiral Horatio Nelson to Oscar Wilde. Even to this day, Lock & Co. uses its famous conformateur to measure a person’s head to create a bespoke hat, and the shop displays many of the famous persons for which it has done work.

London is home to a number of 17th century shops,

Just 13 years after Lock & Co opened, Gentlemen's outfitters, Ede & Ravenscroft was established.

The oldest seller of alcohol in the City of London is Berry Brothers & Rudd, founded by the Widow Bourne at No. 3 St. James’s Street in 1698. Mrs. Bourne had the fortune of establishing her grocer’s shop across the street from St. James’s Palace, which ended up becoming the principle residence of the monarch, King William III.

Thomas Twining opened the country’s first team room in the Strand in 1706, transforming it into an empire as Britain’s demand for tea grew. The location was perfect as it straddled the line between Westminster and the City of London, putting him in the perfect place to cater to the gentry. In a feat of trademarking, Twining’s logo was created in 1787 and remains the oldest logo in continuous use. Queen Victoria made the company an official warrant holder in 1837. Today, it remains the top name in tea all over the globe.

Unquestionably the oldest department store in the city, the seller known mostly as Fortnum’s was born in the court of Queen Anne in 1707. William Fortnum was a footman in the household and used to collect, melt down, and resell the candles from the palace. He also had a grocery business on the side and managed to parlay his profits from both his businesses into opening the store with Hugh Mason, from whom he was renting a room. Fortnum & Mason credits itself for much, such as creating the Scotch egg and being a post office before the service was established officially. Still one of the top grocers in the UK, their hampers are a star feature amongst their culinary selections.