Our Hat Refurbishment & Alteration Policy: We only provide service for hats made by Paul's Hat Works.
We’re a small shop (both in terms of staff and space), and we devote most of our time to our first love, which is making hats. Because refurbishments are an art, and are often more complex than hat making, we will no longer be doing maintenance, alteration, refurbishment, adding new ribbons, etc. on hats from other brands for the time being. We will still work on Paul’s Hat Works hats.
Here’s what you need to know if you’d like us to work on your Paul’s Hat Works hat:
Appointments: We accept hats by appointment only. Please see our appointment page to schedule the next available appointment. Our work is done on a first-come, first-served basis – no rush orders accepted. Please wait for your appointment to bring your hat in.
Assessment: Before we do any work, we’ll do a hands-on assessment so we can tell you what your hat needs, and what it will cost. If it has a problem we can’t fix, we’ll let you know that, too.
Estimates: We can sometimes provide an approximate price range for your repair over the phone when you make your appointment, but because each hat is different, we can give you a firm estimate only after we’ve seen the hat in person. If you want to ship us your hat, please send us an email with clear photos, and a description of the work you would like so we can assess and quote the hat before you ship it.
Turnaround Times: Hat’s are usually ready in four to six weeks. While we do our best to stick to that timetable but hats can be complicated & all deadlines are approximate; we’ll call you if your hat will be delayed.
What We Can Do: We will do our very best to refurbish each hat we take in, and we can really work some magic. In fact, a full cleaning of your hat every two to five years (having it stripped, washed and re-blocked) can prolong its life. You’ll know it’s time to get your hat cleaned when you notice body oils building up in the ribbon and brim near the sweatband. Keeping the dust off by brushing your hat regularly not only keeps it looking great, it also makes it possible for us to remove oils in a full clean.
The style of your hat can be manipulated easily. Often hats go unworn because of small details in a hat's personality that don’t match that of the wearer. Everything from the width of the brim and the height of the crown to the color or size of the ribbon can make the difference between a hat you never wear and one you never want to take off. Fortunately, many of these factors can be adjusted relatively easily, and we can make recommendations for you.
What We Can’t Do: We don’t work on baseball caps, most qualities of wool, white wool, bleached straw hats, paper “straw” hats, or flat-pattern caps.
Also, like any other article of apparel that has been worn, your hat may have invisible weak points or include materials that react in unexpected ways to our processes. While we do our best to identify those potential problems before we start, they may become apparent only during the work. As a result, we are not liable for any unforeseen damage. Additional charges may apply if, after consultation with you, we replace any materials or do additional work because of these unseen problems.