Questions

If you try on hats and they are uncomfortably tight front to back or if the hat leaves a red line across your forehead, you are a long oval. The problem in getting a good fit is that there are an immense number of oval variations. We ask that our customers create a template when ordering a hat. This enables us to make a custom hat that will fit you.

Measure around your head at the spot where you are comfortable wearing a hat. This is usually just above the ears.

We are constantly working on improving our turnaround time! As of right now it takes us 5 to 6 weeks to get a hat out. We try our best to meet all of our customers deadlines!

If the hat does not fit due to a problem on our end, then we will pay for the return shipping & guarantee to fix your hat! If the hat does not fit because the customers template or measurements were off we will still guarantee to fix your hat, but shipping will be at the customers expense. If a customer simply does not like their hat for any reason, we will offer a 100% refund for the first 60 days!

We normally ship by United States Postal Service Priority Mail. Please let us know if you would like your hat shipped by Federal Express or UPS.

We can make almost any fur felt hat used during the last 300 years. We do ask our customers to text or email us a picture of the hat they want so that we have an example to go by. These hats would be considered "Specialty" orders and could result in a longer wait time, so be sure to get your orders in early!

Our hats can vary in size due to the fact that we use original hat blocks. Original blocks can be smaller or larger than some of today's new blocks. It is because of this that we have our customers make a template of their head and measure their head circumference.

Always handle you hat by the brim. When putting on or removing your hat, you should hold the brim by the front and back. The crown should be handled as little as possible and preferable with clean hands. Any bending or flexing of the crown or brim will eventually weaken the hat. The more often or severe the bending or flexing, the quicker the hat will lose its natural ability to keep its shape.

The best place to store your hat is on a peg or hat tree in a cool dry place.. If you place your hat on a table always place it with the crown down and the inside of the hat facing up. If you place your hat with the brim down, it may flatten the brim. Never leave your hat in a vehicle in the sun where it will become superheated. If it gets hot enough in your truck to melt a video tape you can bet that it is going to shrink your hat!

If you get your hat muddy, just let the dirt dry and then brush it off with a stiff brush. It is usually best to handle your hat with clean hands and you might want to wipe the perspiration off the sweatband on hot days.

Our hats are made from premium materials, (beaver and rabbit fur). These materials will endure heavy soakings and when dry will be stiff and can be shaped and relocked a number of times. We do not use wool which is inferior material and loses its’ shape when wet. A hat that is rain soaked will become softer and heavy with moisture. It is very important to let the hat dry naturally and slowly. Place your hat on a peg with the sweatband turned inside out. Never use heat to dry your hat as this will shrink the sweatband and/or the hat itself. Also, make sure the hat does not rest on a surface or on the brim since any pressure at all on a wet hat will leave its mark when the hat dries. The good news is that when the hat dries it will be stiff again. Any minor shaping can then be done using steam from a teapot.

We have done extensive research on historical styles and methods of manufacturing. We have made hats for museums and historic sites and our customers have included an exhibit at the Smithsonian Institute, and The Henry Ford Museum. Click here for a partial list of museums and historic sites. We have shipped hats from Hong Kong to Bosnia to New Zealand and many places in between. We also use original equipment, some of it dating back as far as the 1830's. Each hat is made the old fashioned way--by hand.

No. Our shop is located on our farm 6 miles South of Calico Rock, Arkansas. We do, however, encourage people to come out and tour our shop and try on hats! That is if they are willing to make the drive!

Fur felt is felt made from the underfur of the beaver and/or rabbit although it can also be made from some other furs such as nutria. It is dense, virtually waterproof, and is the highest quality material from which hats can be manufactured. It will last five to ten times longer than wool, and unlike wool felt or a fur/wool blend such as Dynafelt, it can be reblocked and reshaped a number of times.

Years ago the number of X's meant the number of beaver pelts used to make a hat: the higher the number of X's, the more beaver fur and, therefore, the higher the quality of the hat. The number of X's are a valid measure only of the relative quality of the same company's line of hats. We classify our standard hats as 10X, meaning 100% rabbit fur, and our 100X hats are 100% beaver fur. Industry experts have told us we are more honest than most. Why, we've even seen straw hats advertised as 5X!