The Texas-based hat manufacturer has expanded wholesale ordering through its B2B portal, giving hat bar operators, western boutiques and corporate event buyers self-service access to cowboy hats, felt and straw styles, and hat bar accessories with no order minimums.
American Hat Makers, a family-owned hat manufacturer based in Emory, Texas, has expanded the wholesale ordering options available through its business-to-business portal at wholesale.americanhatmakers.com. The expansion targets three groups of buyers that now account for a growing share of the company’s wholesale volume: hat bar operators, western
apparel boutiques, and organizations sourcing headwear in bulk for corporate events and brand activations.
Self-Service Ordering Through the B2B Portal
The portal gives approved wholesale accounts continuous access to wholesale pricing, live inventory levels and reordering without waiting on a representative. Wholesale rates are visible once an account is approved rather than published publicly, and applications are submitted directly through the portal. Retailers who prefer a guided approach can still work with a sales representative to assemble an opening order.
Western Remains the Strongest Wholesale Category
American Hat Makers carries wholesale cowboy hats in wool felt, straw, Toquilla palm, Mexican palm and leather, in both men’s and women’s silhouettes, alongside outback, fedora and sun styles. The breadth of materials allows a retailer to cover an entry price tier and a premium tier from a single account rather than sourcing across several suppliers.
No Minimums for Hat Bar Operators
At a hat bar, a customer selects a blank hat and personalizes it on-site with bands, feathers, pins, patches and shaping, and the resulting piece is priced well above a ready-made hat. The format has moved from novelty to a standard offering at boutiques, and traveling versions now appear at weddings and corporate activations.
Operators running that model need variety over depth, which is why American Hat Makers applies no minimums to open-stock wholesale orders. Accounts can order individual units across many styles rather than committing to case packs of a single item. Hat bands, pins, feathers and care products are available on the same account, so the consumable side of a hat bar reorders alongside the hats.
Guidance for First-Time Hat Bar Buyers
Representatives work with new hat bar accounts by phone to cover:
- Which materials hold up to shaping and branding
- How to size an opening order and size run
- Which accessory mix to stock and how fast it turns
- How to price a finished hat to support margin
American Hat Makers supplies hats and accessories only and does not operate hat bars, staff events or apply customization.
“Most people opening a hat bar have never bought hats at wholesale before, and the mistakes are predictable,” said Garth Watrous, owner of American Hat Makers. “They buy too deep on one style, they run out of bands and feathers halfway through a weekend, or they pick a felt that won’t take a brand cleanly. We have been making hats since 1972, so we would rather spend twenty minutes on the phone getting that order right than watch someone learn it the hard way.”
Bulk Supply for Corporate Events
The company supplies bulk hats for corporate events, conferences, brand activations and private functions across cowboy, straw, felt, fedora, sun and bucket styles. Representatives help size the assortment to headcount and cover men’s and women’s fits along with extended sizes to reduce post-event exchanges. That program is wholesale supply and does not include logo application or on-site customization.
Fulfillment and Company Background
Wholesale orders ship from the company’s distribution center in Emory, Texas, and in-stock items ship within one business day. American Hat Makers hats are sold by retailers throughout the United States and Canada and have been exported to markets including Australia, Germany, Japan, China and Nepal.
The company has been manufacturing hats since 1972, when Gary Watrous began producing leather goods in Watsonville, California, and began supplying retailers at wholesale in 1977. The business remains family owned and is now run by the second generation. Products carry a
fifty-year craftsmanship guarantee against defects in materials and workmanship. Selected assortments are also listed on Faire for buyers who manage open-to-buy through that platform.
Retailers, hat bar operators and event buyers can apply for a wholesale hat supplier account at wholesale.americanhatmakers.com or contact the wholesale team directly.
Contact
American Hat Makers Garth Watrous, Owner
831-722-3324
201 Prosperity Parkway, Emory, TX 75440
https://wholesale.americanhatmakers.com
United States
