HOUSTON – About 15 years ago, Houstonian Domingo Gonzales wanted a new cowboy hat. The problem was, he couldn’t find the exact style he wanted, or the perfect fit. So he took matters into his own hands and decided to try making his own. That’s when he hit the next hurdle: nobody was willing to teach him how to do it.
“The true hat maker is very secretive; nobody wants to tell you the secrets,” said Gonzales, who explained that many hat makers won’t even sell their unused equipment after they’ve retired.
Eventually, Gonzales found a hat maker in Utah who was willing to mentor him. After a bit of trial and error, his first hat was complete…