Whenever we used to drive downtown for dinner as a kid I would scream to go into Henry The Hatter. I loved the classic neon and the 50’s exec/60’s and 70’s pimp hats in the window displays. But seeing as I didn’t start wearing hats until much later in life my parents didn’t see the need to stop in so I could discover one more thing I wanted to collect, such as my fate has been with beanies and the over 200 unique ones I’ve acquired over the past couple years.
When I announced I was doing “The D”, someone I went to high school with emailed and said they were the present owner of Henry The Hatter and asked if I’d like to shoot there. Of course I screamed YES!!! The place lived up to my fantasies about it and beyond. Creaking up the floors on the store’s original elevator, it was thrilling combing through the towering stacks of vintage hat boxes. I scored two knit 70’s Soul Train style rim caps, neither of which has left my head for more than an hour or two since we were there. Thank you, Paul Wasserman, for the excellent hospitality, vocals and hats!
To learn more about “The D”, the record, video, and feature length documentary go here.
