Aahzz
Bluebeard Member
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2012
- Messages
- 6,445
That's New Derby Day
I did something that I've wanted to do for 40 years.
So I've been a fan of hats since my early teen years. I also used to hang out a good deal on Fountain Square in Cincinnati in my teens, much to my parents' dismay. It was there that I first saw Batsakes Hat Shop, and fell in love with their hats.
Batsakes has been open and in the same family since 1907. The current owner, Gus Miller, is the nephew of Pete Batsakes. Gus immigrated from Greece in 1951, at the age of 18, and began working in the shop. Gus is now 89, and is still in the shop 6 days per week. Gus was Luciano Pavarotti's favorite hat maker. He has made hats for Sinatra, Snoop Dogg, Ronald Reagan, and just a metric ton of famous people. Gus knows hats. The shop has no website, and doesn't advertise, yet is known worldwide.
Gus no longer makes custom hats, but he still sells excellent hats and shapes them to the owners' preference. It occurred to me that, with Gus being 89, 40 years was long enough to wait. So I went in yesterday, and talked to Gus's wife - Gus had left for the day. I found a new Derby that I really liked, but didn't like the shape of the brim as it was. So, she took what I wanted, wrote my initials on a claim check, and told me to come back after lunch today.
I went back today, and Gus was behind the counter - he saw me walk in and said "Black Derby, right?". I said yes, and he handed me my hat - beautifully shaped and an utterly perfect fit. I didn't know he was going to, but he'd also imprinted my initials on the leather band inside. We had a lovely chat for about 10 minutes, about hats, and CIncinnati, and advertising, and I left with a hat personally set up for me by a legend in the industry. I am so glad to have had the experience, and now to have the hat.
I did something that I've wanted to do for 40 years.
So I've been a fan of hats since my early teen years. I also used to hang out a good deal on Fountain Square in Cincinnati in my teens, much to my parents' dismay. It was there that I first saw Batsakes Hat Shop, and fell in love with their hats.
Batsakes has been open and in the same family since 1907. The current owner, Gus Miller, is the nephew of Pete Batsakes. Gus immigrated from Greece in 1951, at the age of 18, and began working in the shop. Gus is now 89, and is still in the shop 6 days per week. Gus was Luciano Pavarotti's favorite hat maker. He has made hats for Sinatra, Snoop Dogg, Ronald Reagan, and just a metric ton of famous people. Gus knows hats. The shop has no website, and doesn't advertise, yet is known worldwide.
Gus no longer makes custom hats, but he still sells excellent hats and shapes them to the owners' preference. It occurred to me that, with Gus being 89, 40 years was long enough to wait. So I went in yesterday, and talked to Gus's wife - Gus had left for the day. I found a new Derby that I really liked, but didn't like the shape of the brim as it was. So, she took what I wanted, wrote my initials on a claim check, and told me to come back after lunch today.
I went back today, and Gus was behind the counter - he saw me walk in and said "Black Derby, right?". I said yes, and he handed me my hat - beautifully shaped and an utterly perfect fit. I didn't know he was going to, but he'd also imprinted my initials on the leather band inside. We had a lovely chat for about 10 minutes, about hats, and CIncinnati, and advertising, and I left with a hat personally set up for me by a legend in the industry. I am so glad to have had the experience, and now to have the hat.
