SAN ANTONIO – Cowboy hats are enjoying a resurgence in popularity, appearing everywhere from country concerts, fashion runways and social media feeds.
But inside one longtime San Antonio hat shop, owners said the hats that leave the biggest impression aren’t the ones fresh off the shelf. It’s the ones that have already lived a lifetime.
Maddux Adams’ cowboy hat is much more than an accessory.
“I got the same hat my grandfathers has had since he’s been a kid,” Adams said. “It was a George Strait model. It means a lot to me to have that same legacy because, man, my grandfathers means so much to me.”
Adams’ family has been buying hats from Herb’s Hat Shop for decades. He said every hat represents more than a personal style. It carries the values and work ethic passed down through generations.
“All the hard work my grandpa did for me to have the life I have, feels like I get to live on that,” Adams said.
That connection is something Herb’s Hat Shop owner Kay Maynard sees every day.
While the shop carries everything from straw hats for the Texas summer to felt hats and custom accessories, Maynard said many customers aren’t searching for something new. Instead, they’re hoping to preserve a piece of family history.
“We have so many people bring in hats that their grandfather wore, that their father wore and they either want to replicate it or restore it,” Maynard said.
The shop has served the San Antonio community for more than 50 years, helping customers shape, restore and customize hats to fit both their style and personality.
“We have expert hatters, expert fitters that can take this hat and shape it into anything that you desire,” Maynard added.
For newcomers to Texas, the experience is often about finding a hat that reflects who they are.
A store employee explained that every hat is crafted with its future owner in mind.
“There’s always something that just makes that hat look good on that person because it was made with the intention of that person in mind,” the employee said.
Although cowboy hats have become a growing fashion trend, Maynard believes their significance has never changed.
“The hat is an enormous part of your personality. It kind of becomes your best friend,” Maynard said. “You remember when you bought it, you remember what event you were going to. You remember the quality of the hat. It just becomes a part of you.”
For many families, those hats become more than something worn, they become heirlooms, carrying stories, memories and traditions from one generation to the next.
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