Colorado Hat Company — Makers of fine custom hats for ranchers

There is probably no more iconic symbol of the west than the cowboy hat, and there is certainly no shortage of places to buy cowboy hats. Like any other product, there are hats that vary in quality and in price. If you are a rancher or farmer and want a hat that will last for many years and not a hat that is the latest in fashion, then you probably want to look at a custom hat. You are not going to find a custom made hat in a catalog or off of a shelf. It is a face to face project of discussions and measurements. Fortunately, one of the best custom hat companies in the country is located in Colorado. Ted and Susan Williams of Colorado Hat Company have been in the custom hat business for 20 years and have made Estes Park their home for the past 11 years. Colorado Hats is proud to be recognized as one of the three established major brands of Estes Park, Colo. — Colorado Hats, The Stanley Hotel and Rocky Mountain Nation Park. The quality of a custom hat is based on the original measurements, the quality of the felt, and the skill of the people in the manufacturing process. At Colorado Hat Company only two people are involved in the construction of custom hats. Ted Williams makes and shapes the hats and Susan Williams does the trim and finishing, or, as Ted puts it, “makes them beautiful.” All of the custom hats made at Colorado Hat Company are literally made by hand. “There are no machines used in making our hats. These are my machines,” says Ted, as he holds up his hands, “This is manual labor — not easy, but it is the best way to do it. It's not about doing it fast. It's about doing it right.”...more