Hat Man Last Of A Vanishing Breed

Hat Man Last Of A Vanishing Breed AG WORLD Ag World 17-6-21 "I found this hat buried two feet under when I was plowing one day." "This hat is 50years old. It belonged to my great-grandfather . . . " Hundreds of well-worn, ill-used and much-loved felt cowboy hats from all over the world sit stacked on a shelf in the back room of a shop in Bryan, Texas, with notes like those above attached to their brims. A separate document lists each hat's ailments like a diagnostic manual: Soiled, greased, sweat-stained, holes in crown, bloodstained, soft, no body, nap-worn, etc. The room isn't a graveyard. It's a waiting room for hats on the way to complete restoration at the hands of Catalena Hatters, a professional hat shop that renovates old felt hats to like-new condition. First all old leather - the lining and band - is removed Then surface dirt is removed and stains chemically treated. The hat is then washed in a chemical solution and dried. Stiffener is applied, and the hat is steam blocked to the correct head size and sown height, making it larger or smaller, if desired Next, the hat is ironed and the felt re-worked to regain color and finish. Since no two hats me alike, this step requires extensive handwork. Finally, the hat brim is pressed and a new leather band, silk liner and trim or ribbon is added and the hat goes through a final inspection. "Some hats come out better than others," says co-owner Carolyn Catalena who, with her husband Sammy Catalena, has operated the shop fix 1I years. "Hats that are 40 to 50 years old are hard to work on but the time is well-spent because those hats are usually so well-made." About 50 percent of their business is by mail order. Hats come in from Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, China, Japan and Canada, to name a few. During summer, turn-around time is 4 to 6 weeks. In winter, it takes about 2 1/2 months. The oldest hat the Catalenas ever rennovated was 63 years old sent in by a 77-year old man who bought the hat as a teenager and had never had it cleaned. The Catalenas also sell custom-made hats. Customers select hat size, brim size, crown height, and how many "X's" they want, which is a measure of felt quality. For example, a 5X hat is made primarily of rabbit fur. A 10X hat is half rabbit and half beaver. A 20X hat, almost all beaver, is the highest quality felt. Orders come in for everything from 10-gal. cowboy hats to top hats and fedoras. Contact FARM SHOW Followup, Catalena Hatters, 203 N. Main, Bryan, Texas 77803 (ph 409 822-4423). Reprinted with permission from COUNTRY WORLD, Sulphur Springs, Texas

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