Hat Store Tops Off Vintage Square

The recent opening of Goorin Brothers—a hat shop located at 43 Brattle Street—brings back a vintage feel to historic Harvard Square.

The new Square location is Goorin Brothers’ 20th store and only the second store on the east coast, following the opening of the Newbury Street store in January.

“After the success of that store was apparent, the company saw that Boston was the place to be,” said Chanelle K. John, the Harvard Square branch’s shopkeeper. “Cambridge has a classic feel and history that suits Goorin’s history.”

John chooses store-featured hats based on local trends. Popular styles in Harvard Square include stingy brim fedoras and straw sun hats, she said.

“[Merchants] talk to designers about what sells, and they listen,” John said. “The designers asked me if there’s something that Harvard wants, and we’ll look out for that.”

The store features new products every few weeks and has collections for each season in both classic and modern styles. Their product lines include Heritage, which are handmade in Pittsburgh, PA, and Panama, which are handwoven in Ecuador. Modern style limited edition baseball caps in the Minna collection are designed by tattoo and graffiti artists from San Francisco.

“Hats are such a great accessory that people can forget about,” said Stephanie D. Vedus, a 22-year-old merchant, who attended Emerson College. “It’s cool to see how much more personality people will have when they’re wearing a hat.”

Each hat features the company’s castle logo inspired by founder Cassel Goorin, who sold hats from a horse cart in Pittsburgh starting in 1895.

The interior design of the store also speaks to the brand, according to John, with a staircase in the center, antique props from the early 1900s, and pictures of the Goorin family, which has continued to manage the business for four generations since its founding. John said she plans to add a library ladder and handmade paintings on the windows.

The San Francisco-based company started opening retail stores seven years ago. Previously they sold hats wholesale through their catalogue.

“We’re known on the west coast as a brand, but we have a strong family vibe,” John said. “Every shopkeeper knows each other, and we connect to each community.”

The store will host hat parties, poetry readings, and charity events throughout the year, starting with a grand opening in October and a food drive in the winter.

John said she treats customers as family and friends and wants their experiences to be fun and educational.

“As a hatter, I want to be able to fit everyone in a hat,” she said. “We want you to walk out feeling confident and excited about the experience.”

—Staff writer Kerry M. Flynn can be reached at kflynn@college.harvard.edu.