Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeff Biggars.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Jeff. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I used to break horses when I was a teenager. I moved back to Texas and I couldn’t find a job making any money, so I took a job making minimum wage in a Western shop. If I couldn’t work on a ranch, I at least wanted to work with people that live that lifestyle. I quickly rose through the ranks to the top Assistant Manager. However, there weren’t any Manager jobs available in the Metroplex. I decided to take a Manager’s position at a little custom hat shop in the Fort Worth Stockyards. After three years the owner of that store bought a large production hat company and began to work there. I worked for him for twelve years, but due to my growing family I did not want to travel as much as the job required. My father-in-law and I came up with the idea of our own custom hat shop. While he financed it, I found all the machinery needed and started making custom felt hats. Two years later we started making straw hats as well, which we wholesale internationally.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I would say it has been a much smoother road than most people would have starting their own company, because we have the money and the extensive network needed to keep it going. We have found the machinery from all over the world and put together an inventory of hat making equipment that most hat makers can only dream about, and we did it in a fairly short amount of time. We have had problems for sure, a lot of this equipment is over 100 years old, but we have always overcome them.
Please tell us about Biggar Hat Store.
We make custom felt hats and production straw hats. Our felt hats are the finest in the world. Everyone says that of course, but we back it up. We use different materials which the other little shops can’t get, so we start right out of the gate with a huge advantage.
When you add to that by having the best machinery available and the 20 years of experience of working with hats, it just makes us unbeatable. We don’t have to skip any steps, and I will not rush a hat when it decreases the integrity of the final product. We have a lot of machines, but there are still many steps that we do solely by hand.
Whatever is the best for the hat is the process that we do. We also make a lot of one of a kind hats that you just have to see to believe. All of our straw hats are weaves that I designed, which have been replicated by every major production company.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Has to be the sports I played. I played baseball, football, hockey, took karate, and rode bulls. My father worked hard to put me through all of those, but til the day he died I can’t remember him ever missing a game. I loved competing, and I think that has helped me through my adult life by always striving to do better.
Pricing:
- Straw hats are $100
- Felt hats range from $185-$500
- Custom felt hats range from $200-$2500
Contact Info:
- Address: 121 N. State St
Decatur, Texas 76234
On The Square - Website: www.biggarhatstore.com
- Phone: 940-627-HATS
- Email: biggarhatstore@gmail.com
- Instagram: @biggarhats
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/biggarhatstore
- Twitter: @biggarhatstore
- Other: Snapchat- @biggarhatstore
Image Credit:
Tadd Myers
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
