They Make Hats The Old-Fashioned Way

1999 - Volume #23, Issue #1, Page #21

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Herb and Vicki Gindulis make hats the way they were made 100 years ago, thanks to their huge collection of historical hat-making equipment.
The owners of the Great Plains Hat Company of Omaha, Neb., spent many years collecting equipment from old hat makers' shops that used to be common in towns throughout the Great Plains.
The couple now runs their own hat-making business and they also put on hat-making demonstrations at historical conventions. They also make and restore hats for museums and historical societies.
"We custom make the hats in a variety of colors, styles, and sizes and often include accessories such as personalized signature pieces from that era. People are impressed with their quality," says Herb.
"We tracked down relatives of deceased hat makers or people who had purchased old equipment but weren't using it," Herb says. "A lot of the equipment was in storage. One collection of hat works from the 1890's had been in a semi-trailer for more than 20 years. Our oldest equipment dates back to the 1840s."
According to Herb, there are fewer than 3 dozen private companies that still make hats by hand.
All their hats are made from rabbit or beaver fur felt. They can duplicate a hat using a photo as a guide, so if you have a photo of your great grandfather wearing a hat they can probably make it. You can also bring in an old hat for restoration or to have a duplicate made. "We know enough about hat-making shops that we can often tell where a particular hat came from, when it was made, etc. It allows us to design and create a hat that would have been worn in a certain area, at a certain time."
Gindulis made historic hats as a hobby for 18 years before his wife Vicki convinced him to go into business four years ago. He was taught by master hat maker Art Henderson. Vicki's specialty is the hat band, an art form of itself. "I sew ribbons and different kinds of bows right onto the hat," she says.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, The Great Plains Hat Co., In The Old Market, 516 S. 10th St., Omaha, Neb. 68102 (ph 402 341-1948).

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They Make Hats The Old-Fashioned Way AG WORLD Ag World 23-1-21 Herb and Vicki Gindulis make hats the way they were made 100 years ago, thanks to their huge collection of historical hat-making equipment. The owners of the Great Plains Hat Company of Omaha, Neb., spent many years collecting equipment from old hat makers' shops that used to be common in towns throughout the Great Plains. The couple now runs their own hat-making business and they also put on hat-making demonstrations at historical conventions. They also make and restore hats for museums and historical societies. "We custom make the hats in a variety of colors, styles, and sizes and often include accessories such as personalized signature pieces from that era. People are impressed with their quality," says Herb. "We tracked down relatives of deceased hat makers or people who had purchased old equipment but weren't using it," Herb says. "A lot of the equipment was in storage. One collection of hat works from the 1890's had been in a semi-trailer for more than 20 years. Our oldest equipment dates back to the 1840s." According to Herb, there are fewer than 3 dozen private companies that still make hats by hand. All their hats are made from rabbit or beaver fur felt. They can duplicate a hat using a photo as a guide, so if you have a photo of your great grandfather wearing a hat they can probably make it. You can also bring in an old hat for restoration or to have a duplicate made. "We know enough about hat-making shops that we can often tell where a particular hat came from, when it was made, etc. It allows us to design and create a hat that would have been worn in a certain area, at a certain time." Gindulis made historic hats as a hobby for 18 years before his wife Vicki convinced him to go into business four years ago. He was taught by master hat maker Art Henderson. Vicki's specialty is the hat band, an art form of itself. "I sew ribbons and different kinds of bows right onto the hat," she says. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, The Great Plains Hat Co., In The Old Market, 516 S. 10th St., Omaha, Neb. 68102 (ph 402 341-1948).

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