Idaho couple own business that makes Western hats

Allie Triepke, KIVI

MERIDIAN (KIVI) — “When I make a civilization hat, it’s civilization each nan measurement through, it fits 1 person,” said AJ Townley, co-owner of Whiskey Ranch Hats successful Meridian.

Townley and his fiance, Ashley, create one-of-a-kind Western hats pinch shaping, branding and decorating. While Ashley burns designs into level brim hats, AJ steams and shapes.

“After getting into it, I realized that chapeau making is benignant of a dying trade. A value chapeau is thing that tin beryllium passed down. It’s an heirloom. I’ve sewage group who bring successful their grandfather’s hat, and we reblock it, remake it, and make it fresh them,” said Townley while moving connected a civilization hat.

“After astir a year, we benignant of conscionable jumped, and opened our first store. That was successful Nampa. It was a mini 13×13 room. All we had were level brims,” Townley said.

For nan past fewer years, nan duo person built their section business by vending astatine summertime rodeos, organization events and hosting ‘Build your ain Hat’ events.

“We’ve sewage cloth scraps, playing cards, we person assortment of chains, twine, feathers, charms, each sorts of stuff. If personification wants to travel successful and decorate a hat, they tin do that. They tin take from thing successful nan shop aliases they tin bring their ain chapeau and we tin do that arsenic well,” said Townley.

Whether it’s felt aliases straw, nan mates is hoping these value hats will bring much to customers than conscionable shadiness from nan sun.

“I was successful building before, and I had benignant of nan aforesaid philosophy, for illustration if I was going to build something, I was gonna build thing that was gonna beryllium present for arsenic agelong arsenic humanly possible.”

Whiskey Ranch Hats’ successful shop inventory tin alteration depending connected rodeos and events happening successful nan community. Check retired its Facebook page for nan latest updates.