Get to Know Garth Watrous – the Businessman

May 9, 2016American Hat Makers Leave a comment

Garth Watrous grew up in the hat making world watching his dad, Gary, create one-of-a-kind artisan hats in his workshop. Later, Garth would join his dad at art fairs and festivals as Gary made a name for his skilled handiwork and artistry and began to build the Head ’N Home Hats brand.

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Surely influenced by his early exposure to entrepreneurship, Garth went on to earn his business degree from San Diego State University. He came home to Watsonville and became a proud partner of American Hat Makers with his father in 2005.

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In the decade since Garth has been – as he likes to say – “at the rudder” of the company business has doubled…twice! But don’t think that Garth is satisfied with that, because you would be wrong. Garth says his goal for the American Hat Makers is “to be the #1 hat company in the world.”

That, he says, will come through cultivating the best from the dedicated and talented team at American Hat Makers; making solid, authentic industry connections; and by bringing greater exposure to the exceptional and unique line of products designed and manufactured at their Watsonville, California facility.

“We are already the #1 cut and sew hat maker,” he explains, “and that sets us apart from the competition.”

There are other things that set American Hat Makers apart from the competition as well, and one of them is their outstanding level of customer service. Each hat sold comes with an unconditional lifetime guarantee. “Our customer service is second to none, and on top of that, our marketing team is incredible!” Garth says. “To be the best you have to play in all areas.”

Speaking of playing in all areas, Garth doesn’t just talk the talk, he walks the walk. Garth spends a good deal of time nurturing business relationships through his positions as Vice-President of the Board of Directors of The Headwear Association and as a member of the American Made Matters Board of Directors. In addition, American Hat Makers is expanding it’s global presence with growing sales worldwide. Garth shares that the Asian market is growing rapidly – especially Tibet!

With Garth’s visionary, dynamic business sense and an unparalleled team at his side, there is no doubt that American Hat Makers will continue to grow in innovation, production and global recognition.

American Hat Makers in the Community: Aptos High School Hall of Fame

May 5, 2016American Hat Makers Leave a comment

American Hat Makers welcomes the opportunity to support the local community and was pleased to donate hats for the 2016 Aptos High School Athletic Hall of Fame silent auction on Saturday, April 30 at the Seascape Golf Club.

Inductees included big wave surfer Tyler Fox, extreme skier Cody Townsend, track athlete Stephanie LeFever and many other Mariner standouts.

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Members of the Aptos High School Hall of Fame committee said they were honored to have American Hat Makers’ contributions from the Sol Air, Ashbury and American Outback lines. “The hats are gorgeous and they really raise the bar on our silent auction. We are grateful for American Hat Makers’ support of our Hall of Fame.”

American Hat Makers congratulates the Aptos High School Hall of Fame Class of 2016!

Getting to Know Garth (Garth Watrous of American Hat Makers, that is!)

May 2, 2016American Hat Makers Leave a comment

It’s not unusual for a company to have a list of core values. What is unusual is for one of those to be “be happy and weird.”

Pajama Day

Then again, thanks to Garth Watrous, American Hat Makers isn’t your usual company. From “Keep It Weird Wednesdays” to a rousing game of line ball at lunch, the Watrous family is dedicated to promoting a sense of fun and family in the workplace.

the team 2015 crazy hat day

Son of founder Gary Watrous, Garth Watrous has taken a hands on, interactive approach to managing the team at American Hat Makers since he became partner in 2005. “We’ve always made incredibly good hats,” Garth said. “So I decided to focus on company culture, promoting teamwork and connection and sharing fun and laughter with the team.”

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Garth is dedicated to hiring incredible people who really want to find a home and grow with American Hat Makers. To help team members thrive – inside and outside of work hours – Garth focuses on mentoring, training and authentically connecting with each and every person at American Hat Makers. “Connection has always been important in my life,” he explained. “If we notice someone is struggling, or we see fear or uncertainty growing among the team, we address it. It is important to maintain open communication with our entire team.”

If nothing else, Garth wants everyone at the company to feel like they are appreciated, valued and trusted to make good choices for themselves and the business. Garth is not afraid of change and he wants to engender that spirit of innovation and fearlessness into the culture at American Hat Makers. When he first became partner he instituted a practice where anyone could make a decision that impacted the company up to $50. Since then, he has increased the limit to $500 with nothing but positive results. “When you are hired you are encouraged to try new things and we trust you to make independent decisions,” he said. “I believe this makes our team feel more connected, more confident and more fulfilled in their work environment.”

Ultimately, Garth is driven by a strong desire to stay true to his personal beliefs. Fortunately for the team at American Hat Makers, primary among them is to treat everyone kindly and, as he puts it, “to love them up.”

We hope you feel that love when you wear a hat from American Hat Makers.

108th Annual Headwear Association Dinner

April 19, 2016American Hat Makers Leave a comment

American Hat Makers attended the 108th Annual Head Wear Association Dinner! The Headwear Association is the oldest association in the hat trade, and in fact, the oldest of its kind in the world. Their mission is to promote hat wearing, the headwear industry throughout the world, and foster goodwill and fellowship among those engaged in the headwear industry. Held at The Loeb Boathouse, Central Park! The evening started with a business meeting, cocktails, an amazing Fashion Show! It ended with an award ceremony and delicious dinner! The Retailer of the Year Award went to Tony Lippi from The Panama Hat Company. The 2016 Headwear Hall of Fame Inductees where, John Wayne, Usher, Justin Timberlake, Kate Hudson, Christina Aguilera, Hedy Lamarr. Be sure to save the date for next years 109th Annual Dinner on April 27th, 2017. Here are some captured moments of the 108th dinner…

Annual board meeting

The Headwear Association Board members

Millinery women showing off their fabulous hats at the 108th Annual dinner

Bob & Kim Broner owners of Broner Hats

Owners of Magid Hats

Magid Hats Family

Gia Skova in the San Tropez by Wallaroo Hat Company. Simply Breathtaking at The Loeb Boathouse at Central Park.

PR Jill Hammer and Hannah Watrous

Millinery Ladies, Evetta Petty

Kourtney Bush with San Diego Hat Company and Jim

Ellen Christine from New York

Angus and Agustino

Kathy Anderson

JJ Hatter Crew

Garth Watrous and Don Rongione from Bollman Hat Company

Updated 2016 Hall Of Fame Inductees

Past Headwear Association Dinners

Tony Lippi owner of The Panama Hat Company won Retailer of the Year

Arthur Gardner from Dorfman Pacific Company Inc. won the Ben Rosenthal Award

Todd and Arthur Gardner

Jen with Hats in the Belfry

Garth Watrous and Jill Hammer

Charles Rand and his wife

Darrin Santos Thank you for providing all these amazing photos and being an exceptional photographer every year!

Garth, Hannah, and Don Celebrating Agustino retiring this year after 30 years of designing hatbands in the industry.

Jerry Miller and his wife from Hat Co.

Agustino at work until May 31st. We are sad to see him leave

– American Hat Makers

Jamie Foxx

March 8, 2016American Hat Makers Leave a comment

concho

We have covered so many celebrity heads and Jamie Foxx was an amazing addition to our list. We met him at the GBK Gifting Suite: Oscars held at the London Hotel West Hollywood at Beverly Hills. It was a amazing having him walk down the wall with excitement and say “Ohh look at the hats!”

Jamie Foxx Summit Ashbury Hats American Hat Makers

He came into our booth with his daughter, Annalise Bishop. Annalise fell in love with the Wisdom hat, designed by Adam Rose for American Hat Makers. Soon Jamie had a matching Wisdom hat on and he started flapping his arms like he was an owl. He was so thrilled and had a ginormous smile on his face.

Jamie Foxx American Hat Makers Wisdom Hat Annalise Bishop

Then he started trying on different hats and with each hat he portrayed a different personality and pose. We where so honored to witness his excitement for our hats. “What great product!, I love these hats!, their amazing!”.

Jamie Foxx - Bromley - American Hat Makers

Jamie left with a Summit hat. Annalise left our booth with a Wisdom hat that she didn’t take off the whole night.

Jamie Fox with Daughter Annalise Bishop wearing Wisdom hat by American Hat Makers

The Wisdom Hat that Annalise took home and Jamie tried on is not just an Owl Hat. Designed by Adam Rose owner of Fallen Owl Tattoo Studio in Denver here is the story behind the “Wisdom” or as most call it the “Owl Hat”.

American Hat Makers continue to push creativity and design in the world of hat making. It’s a joint collaboration from their exceptional team to create/sew/assemble that has been etched by designer Adam Rose. The Team then cuts leather and sews into a top hat, then airbrushed on leather, laser engrave owl face, assembles eyes/eyelids and feathers to create a masterpiece called the “Wisdom” Owl Hat.

In 2015, American Hat Makers partnered with tattoo artist, Adam Rose. As artist and owner of Fallen Owl Tattoo Studio in Denver all hats in Adam Rose’s line are directly inspired by his tattoos and artwork. Public response to Rose’s initial release was immensely positive and we couldn’t be happier with the results. All hats in Adam’s line are 100% American made, hand painted, and laser etched with the highest quality materials available.

American Hat Makers agreed that for every owl hat sold ( ‘Wisdom’ ), $5.00 will be donated to a charity of Adam’s choice. Nature’s Educators has been another amazing charity cares for and educates the public with non releasable birds of prey. For Fallen Owl it was a perfect fit.

American Hat Makers ships worldwide. To preview the full line go to http://www.americanhatmakers.com To see more of Adam Rose’s work and inspiration go to http://www.FallenOwlTattoo.com

We where so happy to see Jamie and Annalise be so excited for our new Wisdom hat. For us it’s always exciting to see a hat lover be so excited about our hats, especially if it’s Jamie Fox.

Jamie Foxx American Hat Makers unconditional love -The American Hat Makers Team concho

American Hat Makers Top Designer Merry-Lee Rae winner of Saul Bell Design Award 2014

January 29, 2016American Hat Makers Leave a comment

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Merry-Lee Rae (Watrous) One our Top Designers at American Hat Makers

Merry-Lee Rae- I love being with my family. My extraordinary husband and my amazing, gifted daughter. My horses, becoming a child in their presence and simply experiencing them in all of their profound perfection. I also have been designing hats for my husband’s business. Something new for me, and I am having a blast! I love learning new things; I thrive on a good challenge. Traveling, but after all home is best!

Merry-Lee Rae (Watrous) is a world renowned cloisonné artist. Merry-Lee has recently begun to contribute her artistic talents to the leather medium, and gratefully to our hats in particular. Her innovative designs and metal work make up an impressive part of both our Steampunk and Ashbury brands. Her 40+ years of artistic creations bring into play an amazing addition to this new (for her) medium. Merry-Lee’s cloisonné can be viewed at www.merryleerae.com

http://riograndeblog.com/2014/10/saul-bell-design-award-winner-merry-lee-rae-story-behind-artist/

Hat Collection Merry Lee Designed:

Draco Hat “How sharper than a serpent’s tooth…?” From the depths of time itself comes an all-leather masterpiece of fierce design and regal pedigree. Our Draco asks nothing more from its wearer than 100% boldness, as that’s what it presents to the world. Hand-worked dragon-scale pattern, scalloped leather band, powerful wing accent and serpentine eye all come together to speak of battles yet to win and skies to seek aloft. Available in black and brown, to match almost any mood, the Draco is a solid beauty. Water-treated, like our other offerings; however the wing itself holds its shape best when kept as dry as the dragon’s breath. Buy the Draco today, wear it to your next gathering, and utter not a sound. Let this beauty do the roaring for you.

Comes in Black/Brown Leather
http://www.headnhome.com/draco.html

Evil Within

Kraken Hat –From the depths of the seas and hearts of Steampunk lovers everywhere comes The Kraken. The airbrushed artwork covers a full three-quarters of the crown, while a beveled hatband rises ominously to reveal the eye of the beast itself. Our best-selling new hat, THE KRAKEN offers old world elegance, mid-crown suave and a hint of danger lurking just beneath the surface.

Comes in Black/Brown Leather

http://www.headnhome.com/kraken.html

Kraken

Sprocket– When it comes to clockwork precision, THE SPROCKET is spot on. Laser-cut leather and engraving with an airbrushed design add elegance, style and mechanical beauty to this topper. Accented with a dual-colored, beveled-edge band and gear concho, this hat is perfect for Steampunk events, cosplay or simply topping off that weekend outfit.

http://www.headnhome.com/sprocket.html

Sprocket

Sprocket Black Angle View

Spat in the Hat Wine (Angle View)

Spat in the Hat Cocoa (Angle View)

Spat in the Hat Coffee (Angle View)

Boundary

Marlow Brown - Metallic Band

Eureka

Eureka Brick (Angle View)

Eureka Electric (Angle View)

Eureka Olive (Angle View)

Humboldt

Mendocino Wine

Sonoma Rustic

Strut

Strut Copper Angle View

Opal

Opal Copper Angle View

AHM partner with Adam Rose

January 22, 2016American Hat Makers Leave a comment

Watsonville, CA — American Hat Makers was created in the early 1970’s with a total investment of $20 in leather and $20 in leather working tools. The family owned and operated business quickly grew from selling belts and wallets out of the back of a station wagon to a premier hat company known world wide for their creative designs. With everything from beachcomber to western wear, hippie chic to steampunk flair, American Hat Makers continue to push creativity and design in the world of hat making.

American Hat Makers ships worldwide. To preview the full line go to http://www.headnhome.com. To see more of Adam Rose’s work and inspiration go to http://www.FallenOwnTattoo.com

Check out a few of his astonishing designs used as inspiration for our hats below.

Adam and his team at Fallen Owl Tattoo have made giving back to the community a large focus of the studio. Working with several local charities Fallen Owl was awarded Business of the Year for their support of The Action Center. Nature’s Educators has been another amazing charity close to the heart of Adam & his crew. The charity cares for and educates the public with non releasable birds of prey. For Fallen Owl it was a perfect fit. The American Hat Makers have agreed that for every owl hat sold ( ‘Wisdom’ ), $5.00 will be donated to Natures Educators. If you would like to learn more about them or donate to their cause, you can visit their website at the link here. Call #1800NICEHAT if you would like to purchase one of Adam’s masterpieces.

You can also see more of his designs on his studio website, Facebook, and Instagram.

http://fallenowltattoo.com/home.html

https://www.facebook.com/adam.rose.tattoo

@adamrosetattoo on Instagram

Skulls & Roses

Brown Cocktailer

Splash

Shipwrecked

Balance

Happiness

Wisdom

Adam and Garth

Adam Rose featuring his Hat Collection

Here’s a link to our Pinterest Board with the pages from Magazine https://www.pinterest.com/americanhat/adam-rose-tattoo-designs/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/432838214168383553/

“Keeping it Weird”

September 2, 2015American Hat Makers Leave a comment

Core Values, #7: Happy/Weird – Being comfortable in the work environment, as well as having fun, has helped us be our most productive selves here at Head’n Home. We’re a bit weird here at Head’n Home Hats, but in the end we always end up with an extraordinary product that is beyond our expectations.

The Zappos Experience

Recognizing a need to establish a group dynamic that would stand the test of time, we flew our team to Zappo’s to experience their company culture. We collected and applied ideas, and we continue to add our own sense of style. Making hats is a collaborative team effort. Without exception, each and every team member is treated with respect, and provided with quality materials, and the necessary tools to create their masterpiece. All work stations are designed to be comfortable and efficient, but that’s not a reason to take ourselves too seriously.

Let’s get weird! Our Company culture promotes a “Keeping it Weird” campaign, keeping things light and fun.

Garth’s cake eating etiquette is on point!

At Head’n Home Hats/American Hat Makers, our Keeping it Weird Committee plans monthly themed luncheons, including recognition for outstanding team members, and odd games. We are a celebratory group, celebrating any holiday (standard calendar holiday’s or fictitious ones).

St. Patrick’s Day and Easter

Crazy Hair Day

The Keeping it Weird Committee is not alone in bringing good times to the workplace. The staff are full of surprises at every administrative level, keeping things light. We’re making hats, not performing open heart surgery.

“One day Garth called everything to a halt, loaded us up in cars, and we went to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. We rode the Giant Dipper a couple of times and came back to work”, said Retail Associate, Bruce Driggs. “It was awesome.”

Our festivities feature themes, and raffle prizes.

100.00 Winner!

Crazy Hat Day

Pajama Day

Lunchtime Foosball

We’re big on high fives, and incurably competitive. In the heart of our facility, you’ll find the employee lounge. Foosball, air hockey, hoops, recliner chairs and plenty of friendly competition.

This kind of company culture is what makes the staff want to be here, working and playing in this fun environment, and giving their best talent back.

We’re proud to be making an American made product. We make it, we wear it, and we keep it weird.

The Team

On Top of the World at Hat-A-Palooza

August 24, 2015American Hat Makers Leave a comment

Hat-A-Palooza is an annual mixer for the members of The Headwear Association. The Headwear Association (THA) is a 106-year-old association, the oldest in the fashion industry. They are committed to globally promoting the headwear industry. Hat-A-Palooza provides a platform to bridge gaps connecting the worlds best hat makers and designers. This year, American Hat Makers/Head’n Home Hats was invited to attend Hat-A-Palooza III, at the Stratosphere in Las Vegas !

“It was 118 degrees outside, walking to the car was like bikram yoga, but we made it”, said Garth. “We are so pleased to be recognized in this elite gathering of like minded individuals. This event gives us the opportunity to emerge among, and alongside the world’s best hat makers. It’s wonderful to be recognize. We’ve been doing hats for 40 years, and now that there is a higher demand for leather, our “cut and sew” method is being recognized. We’re honored to be contenders in this industry”.

Garth reflects, “We were in the Stratosphere, literally on top of the world, sitting at the ’round table’ with the best of the best, discussing our futures in hat industry. And, we’re having some fun in the process too”.

It was a pleasure to meet Preston Souza, of Liberty Fashion & Lifestyle Fairs. His “fashion forward” approachable style is top notch in sales etiquette, and technique.

Garth Watrous with Joel Johnston of White Wing.

Beth Watrous with Amber Fekete, Tere Cutler & Monty Goodson of Overland Outfitters.

It’s easy to see why we do this, everyone looks good in a hat.

Garth and Zach Belinski from Village Hat Shop.

Gerry Miller – Sales Manager, Stetson Hats, and Garth.

Steve Wood with Hattitude, relaxing with Beth.

Hannah and Beth Watrous enjoying the view from the Stratosphere.

Matt Katz – Bollman Hat Co.

Our own Cynthia with James Nelson of Nelson Leather Company, and Beth.

Don Rongioni of Bollman Hat Company, John, Garth and Suzi .

10 Days, 2000 Hats – Sturgis 2015

August 18, 2015American Hat Makers Leave a comment

Garth Watrous sums it up, “Our Voodoo Hatter brand is spreading like wildfire! We are now the official hat in the motorcycle industry. We’re always looking for new partnerships with the leaders in the industry, like Indian Motorcycles, and Harley Davidson. This kind of event put us in an optimal position for exposure, and our customers love our hats”.

Hat shipment ready to go.

Selling 2000 hats in 10 days requires some preparation. Bikers were pouring in days before the official event began and we were ready. We cranked up production a month in advance, fabricating (by hand) over a thousand hats in addition to our usual customer orders. Those hats were packed on pallets and strategically shipped to our booth in two separate shipments. Our goal to make supply meet demand is our highest priority.

Here we are on Main and Junction.

VooDoo Hatter headquarters was located at the corner of Main Street and Junction Avenue, in front of JJ Davenport’s restaurant, and close to the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame.

This is a prime location on the main drag!

Diego En Fuego Gomes on stage with his band at the “Buffalo Chip”.

Kommando Kilts

It’s such a good feeling to get product recognition from people who are at the top of their trade”, says Garth. “I actually had the honor of signing an autograph for being the Owner of VooDoo Hatter. It really makes us feel good about our hats”.

Tommy Shaw of “Styx” gives his approval.

Dallas Hageman at Wild Ride Radio loves his VooDoo Topper.

We go to Sturgis with the goal of becoming the #1 hat maker in the industry. Next year, VooDoo Hatter will be in the same location, and we’re bringing it! We’ll have new hat designs and of course plenty of the old school classics.

We want to thank our customers, and give heartfelt high fives to everyone who participated in making this event a success. Here are some of our favorites. For more pictures Click here.

American Hat Makers

We are THE #1 hat manufacturers in North America who produce quality leather hats to fit any personality.

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