JJ Hat Center
First off, thanks to everyone who contributed and became a sponsor here at TMW yesterday! I appreciate the support and it will help to keep this blog going! If you can spread the word to your friends via facebook and Twitter, it would be greatly appreciated! Alright, enough sponsor talk, back to the business of tripping!
Since I passed the virtual hat yesterday, I thought it only fitting to take some of the sponsor money and buy a real hat today. The only hat I own is one that my good pal and TWM commenter and sponsor Biff gave me for Christmas (along with some Metro Cards) back when I was doing the 365 bar crawl. It’s a stocking cap and here’s a picture of me modeling it in a bar (of course) back when Gene from the BBC was in town. Thanks again, Bifferoonie!
While looking for a store, I found Manhattan’s oldest hat store online. The name of the store is JJ Hat Center and from what I read, they have thousands of hats in stock. The store has been in business since 1911 and it’s set up like an old time haberdashery. I’ve never been in a haberdashery, so today’s the day! From the name of the store, I think this trip is going to be...Dy-no-mite! Sorry about that, I just couldn’t resist, okay, it’s off we go!
It's a nice day out, so I thought we'd walk there. It's a straight shot up Fifth Avenue, it'll give us a chance to see some of the storefronts along the way.
Motherfucker! There's no escape from these places!
Motherfucker, motherfucker!
Holy shitballs, the trifecta of motherfuckers! I need some local signage fast!
Ah, now that's more like it, JJ Hat Center, a store that's been in business here in New York since 1911.
Lots of hats in the store window, let's go inside and check the store out.
The store is long and narrow with dark wood and glass display cases.
Gold, sparkly chandeliers hang overhead, this is one classy hat store!
And there's lots of hats, here's a wall full of them.
Here's a display of hats on a pole...
And there's hats stacked like pancakes in a glass display case in the front of the store.
There's top hats...
And here's a flashy red hat on display.
Here's Mark, who's one of the friendly and knowledgable sales people in the store.
Look at the Don Draper hat. I should've come here before doing my Mad Men Tavern Tour!
Here's Sean, another nice sales person in the hat shop.
Sean pointed out this Blues Brothers photo, signed by John Belushi and Dan Aykyroyd. JJ Hat Center supplied the hats for the Blues Brothers movie. He said they also supply hats for most of the Broadway productions in town as well as many TV shows and movies.
One thing I learned about hats is that they're not cheap in here. Most of them run between 75 to 150 bucks. These fur hats are 450 dollars! I don't like going to a shop and taking pictures and not buying anything, but I told Mark that the hats were a little out of my price range. He told me not to worry about it and that they were happy to have me come in. They're nice people in here. When I hit the Mega Millions, it's going to be my first stop!
And so it's out the door, hatless in New York City.
Hold on...what's this on the street corner?
More hats and these might be a little more in line with the TWM budget. I doubt this guy's been on the block since 1911...the odds are he's probably just been on the block since noon, but I think we may find something here within the TWM price range.
I asked to see something in a NYC baseball cap and the proprietor suggested this fine chapeau.
It fits! Now we have an actual hat for next month's sponsorship drive. Okay, hat's all folks...ouch! See you tomorrow.
JJ Hat Center
310 Fifth Ave. (@32 St.)
212-239-4368
Hat Vendor Guy
Corner of 16th and Fifth Avenue
Further Reading: New York Magazine, Racked and Time Out New York.
She wore a raspberry beret,
The kind you find at a second-hand store.
Surprise link, click on it...I dare you!
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P.S. Cash Mob At Odessa Tonight!
There's a cash mob at Odessa tonight, It starts out at the "light" Odessa for dinner at 117 Avenue A at 6 PM and then moves next door to the "dark" Odessa later for drinks. Read more details here: Jeremiah's Vanishing New York, Gog in NYC, EV Grieve and Musings by Melanie. There should be a lot of fun and interesting people, stop by if you can!
Hats, JJ Hat Center, Odessa Posted on Wednesday, March 7, 2012 at 9:50AM
Reader Comments (33)
I'm not sure which is more shocking.
The fact that you found the store Indiana Jones bought his fedora,
or that you are wearing a baseball cap.
My friend Bob Sacamano sells those rat hair hats for $40.00 in Battery Park.
The son of the guy who owns JJ's opened his own hat store in the East Village, called Pork Pie Hatters. Prices are a little less than JJ's but still, style ain't cheap!
And speaking of hat stores, the one next door to McSorleys must be a gold mine. They wait til people have had four or sixteen mugs of beer and stumble by their shop, then coax them in and heap praise about how great they look with a sharp dressed man chapeau. Five minutes later your forty bucks lighter. This didn't happen to me, I swear. I'm not speaking from experience. I just heard stories in the neighborhood. You know, chatter, scuttlebutt...No you can't look in my closet. I mean, I got nothin' to hide. Just don't like people rummaging through my stuff, is all.
@csp: I didn't keep it on for long! I think it will be a sponsorship prize next month!
@Terry: You gotta love Bob Sacamano!
@Spike: Ha ha ha! All I can say is you're lucky that JJ's isn't next to McSorley's!
Cool hats, I wish I wore them more often. But I like your peacoat buttoned jacket looks very similar to the one Melanie had a picture in her blog. Are you guys working in cahoots?
An appropriate post today now that you come to us 'hat in hand'...hyuck nyuck! The flashy red hat looks like just the thing for ordering an out of control comentator whacked in...it was good enough for Al Pacino in 'The Godfather'...I think you, however, should have got yourself a pork pie hat, then you could run around grabbing people like Gene Hackman in 'The French Connection' and screaming; "Did you PICK your FEET in POUGHKEEPSIE!?!" with authority until the real cops grabbed you and shot your ass full of Thorazine...
@Mykola Mick Dementiuk: They do have cool hats in there, just out of my price league! As as far as being in cahoots with Melanie...I'll never tell!
@Jaws: Ha ha ha! Nice little movie you played out there today! I actually kind of wanted the pork pie hat, but the one I looked at was $150! A little out of my price range, even with the generous donations from yesterday!
I'm a "hat person," so I loved this story! Can't help thinking of old photos of New York, even Coney Island, in which every man is wearing a hat and a suit. Not a cap in sight..They must have sold a lotta hats back in the day!
Hats! Where do I start on hats! I had an interesting experience buying a hat in Thailand last year...the street hawkers there like to take advantage of our large Australian cash budget...In $AU, they wanted to charge me $7...but I think I ended up paying $2. Needless to say, the hat didn't make it back to Oz (I wore the shit out of it). I can't complain. If I'm lying on a beach buying Heineken stubbies for a dollar, I'm always going to afford a cheap hat.
Loved the "hats stacked like pancakes", especially because my husband sports a tweed cap of that style in the winter, and he always calls it his PANCAKE!
@Tricia: I've seen a lot of those photos on your blog! I didn't think there'd be a lot of people in the store, but there was a decent group of all ages coming and going, so I'm glad they're doing well. Nice to see old time businesses surviving!
@Clacky: Hats off to you! And to one buck Heinkens! I need to get to Thailand!
@Katrink: Ha ha ha! Too funny! Great minds DO think alike!
Spike,Your right about that fucking store next door to McSorleys. I went in there 2 times with my girlfriend after 8 McSorleys dark beers. Both times we walked out with my girlfriend wearing a $40.00 hat. The pushy sales lady kept putting the most stupid hats on my head & telling me it was amazing. I just looked at her like a serial killer & said are you fucking serious. I had to tell my girlfriend that I'd wait for her outside. I just love hats, I have plenty, especially leather Clint Eastwood cowboy hats, but I do the pickin.
@danny the freelancer: What's funny is that all the times I've been to McSorley's, I've never noticed the hat store. I'm just too focused on McSorley's I guess! Okay, I'm off to Odessa, anybody reading this in the city should stop by!
The NYC baseball cap suits you. Love those fur hats.
I was a hat model. I love hats.
Hats off to Marty!!
Marty! Next time you need to wear that red hat lol! Those are the colors of Red Light district Amsterdam lol..humbs up Martyman! Btw..I swapped the red cross donations for the red hat my friend! Keep up the good work
Marty, you crack me the fuck up.
"Holy shitballs, the trifecta of motherfuckers! I need some local signage fast!"
AHHAHAHhahaha
LOVE YOUR NEW HAT!!
@Melaine: Too cool you were a hat model! I need to hear some stories about that the next time we're out!
@Ruben: Nest time the red hat goes on for you, my friend! Thanks for your donation and for chiming in!
@meleah: Glad you got a larf out of that and that you like the new hat!
As an aspiring amateur mitten model, I too would enjoy some stories from Melaine.
I wonder how many dicks have been in her mouth. 69? 138?
Another chain, I know, but Marshalls/TJ Maxx have some pretty dapper hats. I got a few porkpie-ish hats there for $10.
"I doubt this guy's been on the block since 1911...the odds are he's probably just been on the block since noon..." HA HA HA! You still gots it, Marty! I really liked this post. Lots of very cool hats in that shop. There's another shop (or there was) right behind the WSHotel. Well, not RIGHT behind...more like a block behind, on what is that? 8th? Anyhoo, I meant to go in there last time I was in town, but the only time I remembered my plan (I had a lot of eating and drinking and walking to do, you know), it was closed for 5 minutes. Which turned into 10 minutes. Which turned into 20 minutes. And by then, I'm pretty sure I had to meet you at the bar or something. In any case, the point is that I never got to that hat shop, and now I'm resigned to wearing my damn Life is Good ballcap which is so old, it's developing a sweat ring. And, yes, I'm sure that sweat ring's from age and not heavy thinking. Because I'm just not that smart. But back to my point - I'd really like to save up a couple bucks and hit the hat store next time I'm in town. Add it to my list! Entry number 1,420,998!
Oh, and you're welcome!
@Marco: I don't think I want to know her mouth count! Thakns for the hat tip!
@Biff: That list is too long, you have to move here and that's all there is to it. I'll get a Mega Millions ticket today!
I used to have a cute little pork pie hat i paid way too much for in the eighties...
I am a sucker for a cute young boy in a dapper suit and a pork pie hat...
but personally pork pies themselves are yucky...
@Gidget: I've never had a pork pie and now I'm curious as to how the pork pie hat got that name! Off to Google I go!
its cause the hats look like pork pies...
@Gidget: Good to know, hats off to you!
Marty, I believe because it looked like a pork pie. Has anyone ever seen a pork pie? There's a great tribute to Lester Young written by Charles Mingus called "Good Bye Pork Pie Hat". Listen to it after midnight.
I think the fez should come back into style. I always wanted to look like Sidney Greenstreet from Casablanca.
@Marco: I've never seen a pork pie and am now determined to find one in New York! Stay tuned! I've never heard the tune, "Good Bye Pork Pie Hat" and will try to find it on the internet, and I will listen to it after midnight. Thanks for the hat tip!
@DaveW: Ha ha ha! A great look, indeed!
Damn, I need one of those expensive ass fut hats. The ladies can't resist a man wearing a big ass dead animal on their head.
I've been on a bit of a dry streak, a fur hat might be just what I need!
@Reggie Thistleton: You can order online! It just might be the thing to end your dry streak, good luck!
@Marco...the dicks comment and the "she" who are you referring to???
@Melanie: I'm pretty sure that Marco is referring to the woman from the "surprise link" down at the bottom of the page.