Graham Thompson
36 | DOESN'T WANT A HAT WEARING YOU.
No. That's just one of those things that we hear all the time. It gives the president way too much credit in setting style trends. He actually did wear a hat -- a top hat -- on and off during his inauguration.
Before the inauguration, hats were already on the way out. Hats made a slow decline as more people spent less time outdoors with the rise of the automobile. It just became less necessary to have a hat on all the time.
What are the tools of your trade?
Generally, we block a piece of felt or straw over a block, a wooden form, that is going to give the hat its dimensions. You have to cut into felt like a diamond, like a fine piece of wood. It goes through ironing processes, sanding processes. You really want to give this felt a beautiful finish. Then, it has to be trimmed. There is a lot of hand sewing, putting in the sweat bands and ribbons. The brim gets cut and then it gets creased and styled. We take extra steps, such as de-dusting to take all the dust out and double blocking to make the shape permanent.
Are things changing?
Hats have become stylish and hip.
How did you get into the business?
As a teenager, I used to hang out at Johnny's Hat Shop on the South Side. It was an institution for guys who were really into nice hats. I always admired craftsmanship. He [Johnny Tyus] would renovate hats and make new ones. After I graduated from college, Johnny Tyus was retiring, so I bought his equipment and opened up in Beverly about 13 years ago.
What is the starting price?
It's about $500 for our felt hats and about the same for straws. Our most popular is a smooth-finished felt fedora that is very tailored for the wearer. We like to make the hats very comfortable and natural on the wearer. We say that we don't want the hat wearing you.
How many hats are custom made?
Sometimes somebody will come in and they'll find a hat that is perfect and ready to go. But 75 percent of the hats are custom made. It takes about a month for custom orders.
Have you worked with a lot of celebrities?
We've worked with tons of celebrities. It's fine if stars are wearing your hats, but the ones that are great are the true hat guys. My favorite customer was [the late] John Lee Hooker, the great blues musician. Bernie Mac is a regular, now that he has moved back to Chicago. He loves hats, and we make a lot of hats for Bernie Mac. Andy Garcia is a collector of the Montecristi Panama hats, and we've made felt hats for him. Buddy Guy, the great blues guitarist, has tons of our hats and comes in a lot. To me, the cool guys are the ones where the hats become part of their lives, and they're passionate about their hats.
You've also made hats for some movies?
The most fun was the "Road to Perdition," with Tom Hanks and Paul Newman. We made 82 hats for the movie. They really did a lot with the costumes.
Are you a mad hatter (a la Alice in Wonderland)?
Not from the chemicals. Cheap hats get me mad.
Every Wednesday, the Sun-Times Business Section features a mystery occupation. See if you can guess the job before the end of the interview.
Hatter Graham Thompson owns Optimo Hats, a boutique and factory in Beverly.
