For Restoring Your Hat, He’S The Head Man

As you step over the threshold at Wolf’s Hattery and Mercantile, 2617 Northwest Blvd., it’s as though you’ve stepped back in time to a retailing era when merchants had a special understanding of the products they sold and knew their customers by name.

Dave Wolf, who spent 13 years learning the art of hat-making at the former Olsen Brothers Western Wear, opened his own shop last December. His specialty is making and restoring men’s felt and straw hats, a unique business to this area.

“There’s really no one else around here that I know of who does this kind of work,” said Wolf, who restores hats from all over the region. Casey Bush of the National Headwear Bureau in New York confirmed Wolf’s nearest competitors are in Montana and California.

When hats arrive at the shop, they’re dirty, torn and misshapen from years of wear, tear and sweat — but within two or three days Wolf has that cherished Stetson looking new again.

The process includes repair of the lining or other parts, a thorough bath in a cleansing solution, then shaping or blocking using antique wooden forms. Finally, the restored hat is placed in a dryer and allowed to rest before being returned to its owner.

It’s worth a trip to the shop just to admire Wolf’s wooden hat forms, which date from the 1930s, purchased when Olsen Brothers went out of business.

“One of the reasons you don’t see more shops like this one is because it’s so expensive to buy the equipment needed to make all the different types of hats people want,” Wolf said. His wide assortment of forms allows him to work with any shape of hat, ranging from traditional cowboy styles to bowlers, fedoras, top hats and even baseball caps.

Prices for basic cleaning range between $20 and $35; a total restoration costs $55 and up.

You can also buy hats, both new and used, at the shop. Or have one custom made. Prices start at $20 for a straw hat and go as high as $500 for a fur felt chapeau, a combination of beaver and rabbit fur. The more beaver fiber in the fabric, the higher the price tag.

In addition to men’s headwear, Wolf carries a limited assortment of Western and Victorian-era apparel. Currently his selection is primarily aimed at the male market, but if all goes well he hopes to one day add hats and fashions for women.

Whether you always wear a hat or have never even considered the possibility, stop by Wolf’s. It’s a little shop worth knowing about.