Against heritage brick walls of The Flack Block on West Hastings Street, wooden beams and barked tree trunks hold up a vast array of hats. Walk into Hastings Hattery and you will be transported to a woodland of accessories: strong, masculine shapes on one side; bright, imaginative creations on the other.
This forest of hats is a design vision from creative entrepreneur and Hastings Hattery owner, Rachel Cashato, as are many of the designs perched on metal branches throughout the shop. Opening the Gastown location in May 2014, Rachelle expanded her millinery empire from The Granville Island Hat shop that she has owned for four years to include this secondary retail space and workshop.
Part boutique, part practical design and repair station, the majority of the Hattery’s work is in restoration; 40 per cent is new hat purchases, Rachelle estimates, including custom hats for weddings or special occasions. Each product is ethically sourced and of the highest possible quality. “We focus on Canadian brands,” explains Rachelle, “and because I’m a small business, I want to look myself in the mirror. I want to know the origins of every item we sell. It’s important that everything we source is from ethical production.”
Quality materials are not just seen in the hats: large, solid wood workbenches and highly effective antique milliner’s tools in the work studio demonstrate a full dedication to using the finest to create an unusual, long-lasting product.
