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Agustin Garcia: A true artisan!
Agustin “Morro” Garcia is one of the most experienced leather workers in the world. Agustin has been creating masterpieces from tanned hides since he was 13. At age 18, and as the youngest employee there, he was managing 25 people at a leather shoe factory. Since joining American Hat Makers in 2008, Agustin has been beyond valuable as our production supervisor, and often as a talented designer of our fine leather masterpieces.
Agustin putting the finishing touches on a Bottle Rocker in Bomber Grey!
Most recently, he has dedicated a lot of time to designing our new line of caps. As a company, we have never explored into designing caps, so it was all a great learning experience. When asked where he got the inspiration for these new styles, Agustin said that he observes a lot of different types of hats out on the street, and combines them to make something new. He said that his favorite hat he has designed so far is the Flames top hat, but he wears a Bottle Rocker most often.
Agustin wearing his completed Bottle Rocker!
If you own one of our fine hats, chances are that somewhere along the lines Agustin has worked some of his magic into it. We’re so lucky to have such an amazing, talented, and creative individual on our team, and we want to take this opportunity to thank Agustin for all he does!
Bobby’s Bay Bridge Adventure!
American Hat Makers truly has some of the greatest supporters in the world. We’re always hearing awesome stories about the places our hats go. Today, I wanted to share the story of Bobby Boucher, and I’m not talking about the waterboy! Bobby and his wife Paula are members of Golden Gate H.O.G. That’s Harley Owners Group for those wondering. On 4th of July in 2011, Bobby got himself one of our now limited edition top hat designs. To say that this hat became his best friend and travel companion would be an understatement. He logged over 300,000 miles wearing this top hat to all corners of the globe. I’m talking Sturgis Bike Rally, the majority of the U.S states, and a bike tour of Australia. He even got married in it!
If he was on foot, he always had his top hat on, but as for riding, Bobby always hung his hat from the cup holder on his bike for easy travel. Not too long ago, Bobby was out for a ride on the Bay Bridge in California taking his new bike for its inaugural ride. This bike had a different cup holder attached to it, but never-the-less Bobby tried to hang his hat from it while they were on the road. Unbeknownst to Bobby, this new cup holder couldn’t grip the hat tight enough to keep it secure. As the group was crossing the massive bridge, Bobby’s iconic top hat flew off into oncoming traffic. Other members of the group tried to convince Bobby to chock it up as a loss and move on, but Bobby wasn’t having it. Determined to get his hat back, Bobby and the group turned around at the other end of the bridge, and went back across. Luckily, they were able to find Bobby’s beloved hat, but unfortunately the Bay Area’s trucks and cars found it first.
Now we’ve seen some well worn hats, but let me tell you, this hat was BEAT UP. It hardly even looked like a hat! Bobby knew he needed to make a pit stop by our factory to show us the damage and to share this awesome story. We’re lucky enough to have a team of the world’s finest leather artisans here at American Hat Makers, and we were able to resurrect Bobby’s precious hat and make it look like new. Here’s to another 300,000 miles!
Happy Halloween from American Hat Makers!
We at American Hat Makers always have such a great time around this time of year! Seeing everyone’s attitude flow in their Halloween costumes is so inspiring, and drives us to create the most unique and eye catching styles possible! One of our talented designers, Ruby Roxanne, lives for Halloween. Every year, she goes all out for her costume, and this year she designed a couple all-new couture hats to flaunt at her Halloween party! The first of which is a wickedly sassy interpretation of a witches hat!
This one-of-a-kind stunner is the tallest hat we’ve ever made! Standing at a staggering 2.5 feet tall, this hat is a guaranteed eye-catcher. This hat was designed to give off a wickedly glamorous witch vibe, and features leather lace around the crown, a laser engraved moon decorated with swarovski crystals, pink ombre hair draped around the crown, and is finally topped off with a sassy bird that stares into your soul with aurora borealis eyes. This isn’t the only hat Ruby designed this Halloween…
Behold the Dia De Los Muertos couture hat! This style is made with an extra wide felt brim, and a leather crown and top. Ruby says that the movie “The Book of Life” inspired this hat. In the movie, the goddess La Muerte wears this style of hat, and Ruby couldn’t resist replicating it for Halloween!
Ruby isn’t the only one who likes to express creativity around Halloween. Garth and Hannah rocked the Pirate and truly looked like a pair of salty sea dogs! Gary the dastardly desperado was no match for Garth’s sword skills!
At American Hat Makers, we love to create some of the most unique and eye catching styles in the world, so we can give people an outlet to show off their true selves!
One stylishly creepy design perfect for Halloween would be the Escape! Designed by Adam Rose of Fallen Owl Tattoo, this terrifying hat features monstrous teeth bursting from the hatband, and is topped with an airbrushed and laser engraved anatomical zombie brain on top of the hat. This style is only available for a limited time, so get yours today!
Halloween is a time when people’s creativity comes out in full force, and seeing all of the amazing ways that our hats are worn as part of costumes is always so fulfilling. Here are some awesome examples of some ways that our hats can enhance your costumes!
We hope everyone has an awesome and safe Halloween, and don’t forget to share all of your crazy costumes with us on social media! We love to see all the ways you express yourself.
Ana’s Baby Shower!
One of our amazing team members, Ana, is expecting a new addition to the family next month. Everyone at American Hat Makers is excitedly awaiting the arrival of the newborn, so we decided to show our love for Ana and throw her a baby shower! We always take the opportunity to show our appreciation and support of all of our team members, and were grateful to be able throw an awesome party in celebration of Ana. All in all, it was an awesome day spent celebrating our beloved team member and this new chapter in her life. Here are some pictures we took at the party!
American Heroes: Paul and Melissa Getter!
The title of American Hero is not thrown around lightly here at American Hat Makers. It is reserved for those who act selflessly to improve the world around them under any circumstance. The title of American Hero belongs to those who have a vision for what they can do to help others around them, tirelessly working to do their absolute best to provide for those in need. Melissa and Paul Getter exceed this criteria.
Paul is a pastor at New Life church in Naples, Florida, and partnered with Melissa they perform great work, endlessly carrying a message of love and support to the community around them. Based in Florida, they were in the direct path of the devastating Hurricane Irma, which wreaked utter havoc around them. However, weeks before Hurricane Irma made landfall, another devastating storm, Hurricane Harvey, was putting Texas through the wringer.
Aware of the need for humanitarian outreach during such a hectic time, Paul and Melissa started collecting donations in support of helping Texas. Having access to a warehouse chock-full of basic supplies, they were able to send no less than 8 truckloads of supplies to support Texas.
When asked about the reason behind their selfless acts they elaborated that they live their lives with a “servant’s heart”. They say that when they have the ability and resources to help, they are obligated to step up to the plate and do their part. They say that anytime they can be of help, it’s an ultimately gratifying feeling being able to pass on kind actions, in order to start the cycle of good deeds in their community. Several weeks after doing this outreach, the gravity of the situation about to effect them reared it’s ugly head. Hurricane Irma, the most devastating Atlantic hurricane in the last 10 years, was about to make landfall in Florida. Evacuation orders were issued across the state, and a state of emergency was declared.
Now they were the ones in need of support. Paul and Melissa were fortunate enough to have a house that was up to the code of withstanding a hurricane, however many of the members of their church were in dangerous flooding area, or had wood frame homes which were no match for a storm of this magnitude. Rather than direct their focus solely on themselves in this dangerous time, Paul and Melissa opened their home to those in need of shelter, and ended up protecting 25 members of their community within their home. I asked them what worried them most during this time, and setting aside their own needs, Paul and Melissa were most worried and focused on the safety of those they were providing for, and the task of getting all of their needs met. Melissa said she felt like a mama bear during this time, fiercely protecting those around her. After the intensity of the storm subsided and they were able to get their bearings, the work started to remedy the destruction around them. The organizations they partnered with in order to help Texas provided supplies right back and helped the Getter’s get their feet back on the ground.
It took quite a bit of time until relative normalcy was restored in the community, and due to the fact that cell service and landlines were down, communication was almost non-existent. The Getter’s were fortunate enough to have power restored to their home relatively quickly, while many of those around them had to endure the near 100 degree weather with no power, or very little power from gas generators. Once again they opened their home to anyone in need. After getting a foothold back in the community, word came in of the absolute devastation many Caribbean islands were experiencing. Never missing a chance to do their part, the Getter’s set out to see what they could do to help support those affected greatest by the hurricane. They once again had a warehouse full of supplies, but the task of getting them out of Florida and into the hands of those who needed it in Puerto Rico was daunting. Paul and Melissa started brainstorming of the possibilities and finally turned to social media to search for any way that they could undertake their mission. A group of individuals with the same idea of helping Puerto Rico was formed on FaceBook, and Paul connected with someone who told him that he had 8 private jets flying to and from Puerto Rico each day, shuttling refugees away from the areas most affected. They said that if Paul could get the supplies to the airport, they would gladly take them on board and over to Puerto Rico. At first, Paul had absolutely no idea where the airport was, and assumed that getting the supplies there would be a huge task on it’s own. After conversing further about the possibility of flying the supplies over to Puerto Rico, it was revealed that the airport was only about 3 miles away from Paul’s warehouse. Immediately the Getter’s jumped into action and transported their warehouse full of supplies over to the airport where they were then flown to Puerto Rico to those in need.
The Getter’s are a family of individuals who would never miss an opportunity to lend a hand to those in need. Who knows just how many individuals their selfless actions positively impacted during this time? If you learn one thing from the Getter’s it’s that any action taken to help another, will be returned to you tenfold.
Jacob’s Gallery: Talent, Dedication, and Achievement!
Located in the historic black hills of South Dakota, in the aptly named town of Deadwood, lies the gallery of a family dedicated to their craft. World renowned artist Scott Jacobs and his family have opened an art gallery here, to let the world know their passion for creating and displaying beautiful pieces of artwork along with many of our hat styles. His daughter, Olivia, does a fantastic job managing the gallery and is an absolute joy to work with.
Deadwood, South Dakota
The interior of Jacob’s Gallery
Scott Jacobs grew up in Cranford, New Jersey, and graduated from Westfield High School where he drew pen-and-ink illustrations for the school’s newspaper. Jacobs worked for an art gallery as a teen and then went on to sell art out of a van. At 19, he purchased an art gallery at below market value and was an art dealer for 25 years. In 1989, his wife, Sharon, gave him an easel, canvases and paints as a Christmas gift. Jacobs began painting and displaying his work in his own galleries under the assumed name Escotete. Based on client feedback, he concentrated on creating work in a photorealistic style. In 1993, a short time after painting two pieces “Fat Boy” and “Live to Ride,” which featured Harley-Davidson motorcycles, Jacobs’ work was seen by the motorcycle manufacturer. Harley-Davidson signed Jacobs as its first officially licensed artist in its fine art program, a position he continues to hold.
“Fat Boy” one of Scott’s original Harley-Davidson paintings
Jacobs’ work has also been licensed by Chevrolet, Ford, Mattel, Marilyn Monroe Estates and Elvis Presley Enterprises and others. His work has appeared on Franklin Mint Collector Plates, apparel and other home décor items. As of 2013, Jacobs had been the official artist for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally 17 times. Other subjects of Jacobs’ work include game room still life paintings, wine and spirits, women in masks, cars and florals. Jacobs’ original works sell for $40,000-$150,000.
“In Your Dreams” a painting featuring Scott’s daughter, Olivia.
Some well known collectors of Jacobs’ work include Willie G. Davidson, Bill Davidson, Jeff Bleustein, Senator Ben Campbell, John Elway, Carl Malone, Don King, Dan Aykroyd, Robert Patrick, Steve Hendrickson, Arlen Ness, Joan Lunden, Kathy Ireland, Kim Alexis, Malcolm Forbes, Clarence Clemons, Michael Jackson, Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, ZZ Top, Survivor and Loverboy.
Scott is a man of great character. He spent time on the show “Secret Millionaire” where in each episode, a millionaire leaves their luxurious life behind, takes on a secret identity and lives undercover in a much much poorer area of the country for a week. Living on a limited budget (Usually less than $150) with no modern conveniences they must forge their own way in the community – working and volunteering alongside the locals and finding individuals or projects whom they think deserve a cut of their fortune. On their final day, the millionaires come clean and reveal their true identity to the people they have chosen, surprising them with gifts of thousands of dollars to improve their lives. They must donate at least $100,000 in total. “I gave $180,000, which is like a painting and a half for me,” Scott says. “I have seven motorcycles, four homes and eight cars. I can afford to give more. And I will give more. I will continue to be philanthropic the more successful I am.”
“I think one of the reasons I became the most successful person in my family financially is that my dad always told me growing up that I was a failure,” he says. “So I was out to basically prove my parents wrong.
“I worked for every single thing I have,” he says. “Nothing was ever given to me. Every dollar I made was a separate brush stroke on a piece of canvas.
“Now to be able to go back to New Jersey and be immersed in what we were immersed in is a real reality check. Anybody can have a reversal of fortune at any time.”
Scott is not the only artist in the family. Alexa Jacobs is also a very talented artist, and is very passionate about her work. At age 15, she started working part time for her dad, Scott as his under-painter. The first time she painted lasted a brief 15 minutes before she was uninterested and ready to move onto her next teen adventure. Although, Scott thought he lost his apprentice forever, Alexa worked on and off for him for the next several years, amongst many other odd jobs, including modeling for Harley-Davidson. It wasn’t until she had eight years of painting experience with her father that she gained enough courage to create some of her own master pieces. Her first several years painting her own canvases were spent experimenting with many different mediums, subjects and styles. Although she believes in the world of art you never stop discovering, she is confident she has found her niche.
Alexa and Olivia inside Jacob’s Gallery
“Smoking Gun” by Alexa Jacobs
Alexa with Christiev Carothers and Big Kenny.
Alexa with her painting, Smoking Gun.
Alexa with Scott and his wife.
Alexa with Dolly Parton.
Deadwood is only a stone’s throw away from Sturgis, home of the world famous motorcycle rally! This year’s rally is right around the corner, and if you’re a motorcycle enthusiast or simply like to have a good time, you shouldn’t miss out!
Scott Jacob’s contributions to the world of art and his philanthropic nature have truly solidified his position as an American hero. There’s no better place than Jacob’s Gallery to pick up a hat on your way to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally this year! You won’t regret checking out all of the gorgeous artwork they have to offer!
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