The Brass Rooster Hat shop in Bay View is one of just a few custom hat stores left in the country.
John McLaughlin and his wife Kate, have owned their store here at 2252 South Kinnickinnic Ave for the past ten years.
Here's John on why they are so special,
"We're three of 15 master dress hatters left in the country, and all three of us are right here, so we're one the fifth of them," said John.
Every hat that comes out of this store is handmade, and the process starts with a conformateur, that helps measure a person's head.
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They just had one of their fedoras featured in a Super Bowl commercial, that was centered around the late Vince Lombardi.
Kate was surprised how much of a focus their hat was during the big game.
"It was wonderful because so much was focused on the hat and the silhouette of Lombardi, it was really about the shape, of course, it was an actor, but they got you with the suspense."
Their sales are down 75 percent because of the pandemic, and the PPP loan that they applied for never happened, so they are hoping their peak time which is the Kentucky Derby, will make up for the loss in sales.
"The Kentucky Derby is our busiest time of year," Kate says. "At that point people, even if they're the most conservative dress, will a low themselves to go over the top and where the most grandiose things that they've ever imagined."
It's not cheap when you buy a hat here. John explains that "our customs are gonna start at $375, and most are gonna fall between [the] $400 to $600 range, but then we guarantee them for life."