THE COWBOY HAT STILL HAS ITS DEVOTEES

Brook Briddle	Bollman Western Hat

No matter how many people discount the popularity of the Western hat, it still has legs. Maybe it’s not making the grade in Washington, but men and women continue to be smitten with its upside brim and honky talk persona. The Elizabeth, Colorado TV News did a segment on the cowboy hat and featured Brook Briddle, a custom made hatter.

There was also a newspaper article called, “Cowboy hat maker shares skills of 'dying art.” We are printing the article fully below. It seems the media is in love with what they call the “dying art of hat making.” One thing we do know, wearing hats is not dying – it continues to be slowly gaining momentum on young folks and boomers. Because as we all know wearing a hat is health smart (I like that tagline).

Cowboy hat maker shares skills of 'dying art'
By Nelson Garcia

ELIZABETH – Brook Briddle stands in his shop called the Powder River Hat Company. He has one foot on the floor. He has his other foot is pumping a steam head. Briddle makes hats the way they've been doing it for more than a hundred years.

"I'm carrying on tradition. I'm using the old machines," said Briddle. "I'm doing the work by hand."

Briddle has a crown iron which flattens out the cylindrical tops of his cowboy hats. He says it's more than 102 years old. He uses an old fashion steam iron and forms his brims meticulously with his fingers.

"There's a difference within your steam, too," said Briddle. "Your steam's got to be a dry steam rather than a wet steam."

The details sound small, but Briddle says the differences are big. He says making hats his way is a dying art.

"There's probably not very many. There are probably 40 to 50 across the country," said Briddle. "And, when you think about those kinds of numbers, it's not really that many of us left."

He tailors every angle and every shape to the exact sizes and configurations to his customers' heads.

"Every single cowboy wears a hat," said Briddle. "When you think about it, when you look at it, when you really into the hat and you look closely at the hats, there is not one the same."

Briddle believes every hat develops its own personality.

"Throughout the life of that hat, it's going to develop character and it brings the character out in the guy who's wearing it," said Briddle. "The hat is going to be a character."

Briddle spent time fitting customers at the National Western Stock Show. Normally, he sells his hats from his shop in Elizabeth starting at around $450. Briddle says though his profession is unique, it's the only life he knows.

"The cowboy hats to me – that's something that really defines the Western lifestyle," said Briddle.