Specializing in All Types of Hats:
Stetson – Resistol – Dobbs – Bailey – Kangol
Authorized Boot Retailer of Lucchese and Dan Post
Family owned and operated since 1917, Paris Hatters is world famous for their expertise in providing quality custom-fitted and custom-shaped hats. The tremendous variety, along with their cleaning and blocking services, keeps Paris Hatters high on the list of any hat connoisseur.
The décor at Paris Hatters hasn’t changed much through all the years. The cash register, used in the 1930’s, requires hand cranking to open and is used faithfully each day. The old wooden hat blocks are antiques, and the steaming equipment chugs huge clouds of steam over the backshop and the old buffalo and bison heads hanging on the walls. But, if you look closer, there is good reason why Paris Hatters was chosen by the Travel Channel and the History Channel’s “American Pickers” to be featured in a segment about San Antonio.
Located right around the corner from the Alamo, Paris Hatters is at Broadway and Houston streets, and is the oldest surviving retail business in downtown San Antonio, selling more than 11,000 hats per year. They also were named a Legacy Business by the San Antonio Office of Historic Preservation. “Abe the Hatter,” as he is known, and his wife Myrna, are third-generation owners of Paris Hatters. They believe in being hands-on at the store, personally operating it seven days a week. Says Abe, “I think people like to deal with the owners. If they’re willing to pay for a good hat, they want the best service. What tops our list of compliments is when someone says they want the Paris Hatters name inside the hat, just like their granddaddy’s had.” Their daughter, Alexandra, is the next generation at the helm and can boast of her hatting skills and expanding custom services which are now offered. Still involved daily, Abe doesn’t want to miss out on meeting anyone famous. Many years ago, a young man walked into the store and dropped his name, but Abe didn’t recognize him. After being fitted and as he walked out of the store, he said, “Garth Brooks, remember that name.”
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