Gold Standard
Handcrafted hats at Simon and Company, Dunsmuir…
Tucked into downtown Dunsmuir, Simon and Company is equal parts workshop and curated space. “My wife, Chelsea Simon and I, are equal partners and owners of the business,” says hatter Shawn Simon. After nearly a decade of him making custom hats under New West and her running the vintage boutique side of their shop Gold Stitch, they’re in the process of rebranding themselves in a shift to bring their shared vision under a single name.
Shawn’s path into hat-making began with felt. “I was introduced to felt from a woman who is teaching a hands-on workshop where we felted wool that was directly sheared from her sheep. And at that point, under her guidance, I made my first primitive hat. But the process gave me insight and inspiration into what felt is and what it can become. So from that point I pursued hand felting and felt exploration.”
Thus, what started as “a materials study” eventually evolved into crafting refined western hats, from sourcing to shaping. “I also developed an interest in botanical dyeing because I was wanting a deeper connection to the colors I was offering. Plus, that process becomes a really nice way to get out into the natural world and translate plants and minerals into color.”
Shawn’s craftsmanship extends down to the tools he selects. “Hatting tools are really hard to come by,” he says, noting the scarcity of traditional equipment. “It’s led me to actually start making most of my own tools.” Drawing on an early interest in metalwork and welding, he now fabricates what he needs. He’s also taught himself woodworking. “Woodworking has really kind of emerged as a new discipline, allowing me to carve hat blocks and flanges.”
A lot of Shawn’s work is custom. “When I sit down with a client, the general bones are there for what the hat will be. We go through material selection, colors, design and any special kind of personal incorporations that they want, like maybe they’ve got some heirloom bolo tie that they want to use as a hat band,” says Shawn. But then, he says, something “esoteric” happens during the final stages of creation that resists careful planning. “After steaming the felt it becomes very pliable, and that’s when I hand shape every part of the hat. It’s also kind of where the impression of the person and the style that they want all meshes and I kind of just let it happen. That’s the magic part.”
On the other side of the shop, Chelsea brings her extensive art and design background to bear. “I’ve been collecting clothing for a really long time and this is a culmination of all that collecting,” Chelsea says with a laugh. A graduate of Chico State University, she focuses less on labels and more on form. “I love different structural elements in clothing, and textures, patterns and colors. But more than anything for me, it’s about the uniqueness of a piece.” The racks reflect that approach, from “work wear and ranch wear” to “’80s button-ups.”
Their business itself came together naturally. “We didn’t really expect to fall into working together,” Chelsea says. “But Shawn was looking at a shop, and I realized I had all these clothes, too.” According to Shawn, the result is “a very complementary business arrangement.”
Both are Northern California natives, drawn to Dunsmuir years before moving. “There was something so charming about it that we both paid attention to it, and it really fits our work and our pace. It’s a wonderful place to be making something.”
The duo is also active in the community, with Shawn having recently become president of the local Chamber of Commerce. “We’re heavily invested in seeing the success of downtown and are happy to contribute however we can,” Shawn says. The feeling seems mutual, with Shawn noting the positive response their shop has gotten from locals and visitors alike. “I ‘hat’ a lot of people who have never had a ‘hat’ before, so getting used to wearing one can be uncomfortable or new for some people. But I believe there’s a hat for every person out there. They just haven’t found it yet.” •
Simon and Company • www.thesimonandco.com
