Hats are very trendy, and they are for everyone. If you’re walking up Frederick Douglas Boulevard on the uptown side of the street, you will notice the Flamekeepers Hat Club at 273 W. 121st in New York City, right on the corner. Last Wednesday was a brisk, cold day, and it felt warm to stop in at the Flamekeepers Hat Club and gaze at their fine collection of high-fashion men’s hats.
As soon as you enter this swank salon, Marc Williamson, a designer and the store’s owner, greets you with a warm smile. A native New Yorker, Williamson sports a top hat and looks very distinguished and style-conscious. Once inside the shop, you immediately realize that you could be anywhere in the world and are amazed to view such a masterful hat collection right here in Harlem.
The atmosphere is rich and luxurious, with a leather sofa and antique table and lamps. During the day, the light and dark shadows in the shop are reminiscent of the set of a 1940s movie. You are certainly looking for a man in a smoking jacket, smoking a cigar. This haute hat collection features colors including white, royal blue, red, burgundy, dark brown, beige, grey and black. During this interview, the customers who walked in were young men dressed in modern, fashionable attire.
The shop offers haute hat styles that include fedoras, driving caps, newsboy caps, French berets, Greek fisherman caps, top hats and the famous Panama straw hats. Prices range from $85 to $700.
Williamson introduced his lovely sister, Mia Williamson, who helps out at the shop. She usually likes to show off several of the Flamekeepers Hat Club’s models.
“Women like to wear men’s hats, too,” mentioned Marc Williamson, who started in the hat business about 25 years ago. “I was looking for a job and remember having three interviews. The company that hired me as a stock boy was a hat firm. For years, I watched, listened and studied the hat business and learned how to design hats. Fourteen years ago, I began to design my own hat collection.”
Be sure to look in a mirror when purchasing your hat. As for fit, your hat shouldn’t leave a line on your forehead, and it shouldn’t blow off your head. Choose a hat that offers you a balance between the crown (top of the hat) and your jaw line. The Flamekeeper’s Hat Club will also clean and block your hat as a service for a fee. To store your hat, keeping it in a box is best.
The company’s goal is to pass along good taste from one generation to the next.
Store hours are Sunday to Wednesday, 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday to Sunday, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.; and Saturday, 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. Stop by and tell them you read about them in the New York Amsterdam News!