Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Shots fired into Medford home Wind pushes tree over onto Grants Pass woman's car Bates-Dotterrer race leads state's campaign spending spree Elderly woman's kidnapper sentenced to 15 years Restaurant Inspections Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Shots fired into Medford home Wind pushes tree over onto Grants Pass woman's car Elderly woman's kidnapper sentenced to 15 years Emergency Services 'Constant state of paranoia' Politics and Elections Fire chief has sheriff's back Phoenix council races draw a crowd — and debate Winters worn down by criticism Eagle Point might get on the bus Richardson accuses Kitzhaber of 'corruption' in final debate Education Kids Unlimited Academy awarded $450,000 grant County helps fund RCC job training SOU student says free speech issue overblown SOU interim president leads in a different direction Medford school officials consider costs of full-day kindergarten Environment Reintroduction of McCloud River salmon inspires film, tribe Rite Aid bear cub may be released into the wild in spring Rite Aid cub well, could come back to southern Oregon Neighbors smell trouble in proposal to spread waste on Sams Valley farmland Bear cub captured in Ashland pharmacy State news Nation - World Obituaries Donna Lee Norvell Faith Ann Honer Sherry Nell Bean Pat V. Cutler James Luther Hinds, Jr. Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Sports Latest Stories Wilson leads Seahawks over Panthers again, 13-9 Earnhardt wins at Martinsville Speedway Streb wins McGladrey Classic in a playoff Beavers’ defense wilts in loss Ducks do a lot of bending in victory Varsity 541 College Sports Beavers’ defense wilts in loss Ducks do a lot of bending in victory Victory puts Raider netters atop standings Beavers fall flat OSU’s pass defense gets failing grade Pro Sports Wilson leads Seahawks over Panthers again, 13-9 Streb wins McGladrey Classic in a playoff New season looks like it’s can’t miss North Carolina coach Williams ‘dumbfounded’ by report LSU pulls off upset of No. 3 Mississippi Community Sports LOCAL EVENTS LOCAL RESULTS Business Latest Stories Southeast Village Center inches closer to reality Winco to build Grants Pass store Business briefs Blog: Let's Celebrate! Old-fashioned hat maker Real Estate News New I-5 interchange puts south Medford on fast lane to fast food Lithia buys Clovis dealership Rental vacancies increase Jackson County real estate sales, prices continue rebound Pallet Wine Co. expands in downtown Medford People In Business People in Business Transportation Frontier Airlines to end Eugene-Denver service Business Resource Fair has answers Erickson's Navy contract extended Lithia buys Clovis dealership Agriculture Hundreds look for work at Harry & David hiring fair Umpqua Holdings more than doubles net earnings Harry & David will hold hiring fair Thursday Ranchers offer livestock exchange 1-800-Flowers CEO: Labor shortage an issue for Harry & David Opinion Latest Our View: Cost is a poor excuse for local pot tax Letters to the Editor, Oct. 26 Dana Milbank: Larry Pressler's quirky Senate campaign Guest Opinion: Common Core testing sets math students up for failure Guest Opinion: Campaigning and voting 'the Oregon way' Editorials Our View: Cost is a poor excuse for local pot tax Don't bet on pot windfall for schools Our View: SOU's 'free speech zone' constitutionally questionable Our View: Kitzhaber is still the best choice Our view: Merkley-Wehby race leaves us unconvinced; Walden seems destined for permanent position Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Oct. 26 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 25 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 24 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 23 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 22 Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Common Core testing sets math students up for failure Guest Opinion: Campaigning and voting 'the Oregon way' Guest Opinion: A glimpse into the reality of our elections Don't overlook importance of Jackson County commissioners race Measure 92 misleads rather than enlightens Lifestyle Latest stories Rocks and Rhetoric Engagement Wedding: Potter-Hazel Wedding: Martin-Berg Wedding: Hale-Lombardi Food Community blog: Quick breads take well to gluten-free ingredients Community blog: Barrel Aged and Sour Beers Ledger David Cellars has a new winemaker and big plans Community blog: There's a method to mix, match alternative grains Ashland resident's cookbook showcases gluten-free creativity Home and Garden How to live and work in a tiny home Dear Monty: Rent-back clause prevents financial disaster​ Recycle plastic at The Expo Friday and Saturday How to know when trees and shrubs need to go Dear Monty: Is your real estate agent a secret agent? Health Community blog: Finding My Roots Dr. Jeff Hersh: Controversy over breast cancer screening Dr. Murray Feingold: Choose a diet best for you Community blog: The Crowd And The Win - Better Health Joan Endyke: The importance of a healthy diet when pregnant Hiking Biking Faith Religion Briefs Religion Briefs Religion Briefs Religion Briefs Milestones and Achievements Engagement Wedding: Potter-Hazel Wedding: Martin-Berg Wedding: Hale-Lombardi Wedding: Henderson-Carroll Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Patty Griffin plays the Historic Ashland Armory Puss 'N' Boots Costume Ball and Auction Southern Oregon Repertory Singers present harmonious voices, dissonant notes Beekeepers Ball is one sweet soiree Scottish music duo plays highland magic Theater Review: Funny 'Lion in Winter' roars to life at Camelot Theatre Camelot presents 'The Lion in Winter' 'Carnage' is short, smart, darkly funny Music Patty Griffin plays the Historic Ashland Armory Live Music in Local Clubs Southern Oregon Repertory Singers present harmonious voices, dissonant notes Beekeepers Ball is one sweet soiree Scottish music duo plays highland magic Community Events Puss 'N' Boots Costume Ball and Auction Theater's haunted house not for faint of heart Third Fridays in downtown Medford Works in progress Southern Oregon Pride Festival celebrates diversity Dining Back Porch Bar & Grill Yu's Yummy Yan's offers great take-out Agave offers tasty tacos Asian cuisine for all seasons at Misoya Bistro Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Shots fired into Medford home ... Wind pushes tree over onto Grants Pass woman's car ... Our View: Cost is a poor excuse for local pot tax ... Shots fired into Medford home ... Wind pushes tree over onto Grants Pass woman's car ... Our View: Cost is a poor excuse for local pot tax ... LOCAL BUSINESS Old-fashioned hat maker Some of the finest felts are created here in the Rogue Valley Art Fawcett makes hats the same way it was done a century ago — and much of his equipment is that old. "I decided to only make 10 of any one design, because I didn’t want to (merely) be a hat factory,” Fawcett said. "I showed the first design to a group of online friends, and the first design sold out in 36 hours." By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 23, 2014 @ 5:00 pm Updated Oct 24, 2014 at 9:49 AM By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 23, 2014 @ 5:00 pm Updated Oct 24, 2014 at 9:49 AM » RELATED CONTENT Business Card --> Name: VS Custom Hats Service: Hat manufacturer and retailer Owner: Art Fawcett Jr. Location: 3534 N. Pacific Hwy., Medford Hours: 10 a.m. ... » Read more X Business Card Name: VS Custom Hats Service: Hat manufacturer and retailer Owner: Art Fawcett Jr. Location: 3534 N. Pacific Hwy., Medford Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday Phone: 888-270-3984 or 541-499-0391 Website: vintagesilhouettes.com   • Hatter, Art Fawcett Jr. » Social News Only a handful of people in North America make hats the way Art Fawcett does. There might be 200 who answer to the call of Western hatters, but there may not even be a dozen who make dress hats. It's an exacting craft, one that by its very nature roots out poor performers or low-cost competitors. Fawcett, a stone mason by trade, entered the world of hat making in an online chat room in the late 1980s. He began commercial production and selling his products online in 2006 after selling his business and moving to a ranch outside Butte Falls. He makes hats the same way it was done a century ago — and much of his equipment is that old. "I decided to only make 10 of any one design, because I didn’t want to (merely) be a hat factory,” Fawcett said. "I showed the first design to a group of online friends, and the first design sold out in 36 hours." An online business — VS Custom Hats — was born. The majority of Fawcett's work is felt hats, although his resume includes Panama hats, one of which sold for $15,000, and going forward he sees opportunity in Western hats.  Hat making is neither rocket science nor heart surgery, but anything less than perfection is basically failure. "When you're working on a Panama hat, your heart is in your throat the whole time, you have to be absolutely perfect," Fawcett said. "I have some very demanding clients." His clients range from Hong Kong, India and China to South Africa, Dubai and all of Europe. Fawcett's felt hats start at $275 and run up to $1,149. Panama hats are decidedly more expensive. "There are Stetson Montecristi hats with 200 weaves per square inch." he said. "The hat that sold for $15,000 had 3,000 weaves per square inch." The body of the hat, woven in Ecuador, took more than a year. "It took me three weeks just to block the hat," he said. Typically, it takes him four to 12 hours per felt hat. The fabric is soaked and steamed, and then it takes several days to dry. "I do about 20 hats per month, that is all I can do," Fawcett said. "I could probably do more, but the maximum would be two a day, and that's really hard to do that." He sends first-time customers a kit enabling them to not just size hats right but to fit the shape of their head, as well. VS Custom Hats occupies 1,500 square feet in the former American Prospector mining supply store next to Dilligafs bar and grill on North Pacifc Highway. There's nothing fancy about the digs, but when a divorce forced him to leave the ranch, Fawcett said he wasn't picky.  "It was an affordable location," he said. "There are few hat makers in the country, and it's a tough way to make a living. But as long as I can pay the bills, I'm good to go." He is apprenticing 42-year-old Eagle Point resident David Gibson in cooperation with the Cowboy Corral, a Western hat maker in Grants Pass. "I had a hard time deciding whether to be (brick-and-mortar) when 99 percent of my business was online; I didn't need walk in," he said. "But once I accepted an apprentice, it changed things economically." Fawcett was born in Oakland, Calif., and was a stone mason in his early years. He worked on floors throughout the country, including Washington, D.C., and the World Trade Center in 1972. "I had some success early in my career," he said. "I've always been an artist, but I'm doing hats now instead of stone; it's so much easier on the knees." For nearly 20 years, Fawcett said, his world swirled between his masonry business, a vintage clothing business his former wife operated, and a company that put on vintage fashion shows. "We sold out the vintage fashion and exposition businesses in 2005 and moved to Butte Falls," he said. "Before that, I didn't take a day off for 17 years." During that period, the Fedora Lounge online chat room provided both an escape and window into his future. "In 2003, it had 50 members," he said. "Now, after several rounds of purges, it has 30,000 followers." Granted, the breadth of conversation has expanded beyond hats, but that remains a driving force. One thing he learned is that men's heads are bigger than they were a century ago. Another is the dearth of manuals explaining how to make men's hats.  "There are bazillions for women's hats," Fawcett said. "But there is one instructional book out there for men's hats and it was written in 1919; I still have a copy of it." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GregMTBusiness, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/greg.stiles.31, and read his blog at www.mailtribune.com/Economic Edge.         By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted Oct. 23, 2014 @ 5:00 pm Updated Oct 24, 2014 at 9:49 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501