It's a mad, mad, mad hatter's world at Byrnie Utz Hats

I find men who wear hats to be quite dashing. Not the trendy trucker hats that an Ashton Kutcher would wear, but a suave dress hat or a classic newsboy cap that polishes the outfit of an Eric Bana, a Heath Ledger or a George Clooney. The kind of hat one could find at Byrnie Utz Hats.

Since 1934, Byrnie Utz has provided Northwest locals and visitors with well-designed, stylish hats to complete their looks or simply to keep their heads warm. This family-owned and family-operated hat shop, still in the same location where Byrnie Utz first set up shop 72 years ago -- Union Street and Third Avenue - continues the old-fashioned traditions established by its founder.

"The store has always been running the same way," says Shawn Ferry, 26, vice-president of Byrnie Utz Hats and a headgear aficionado. "We like what we do."

If you've been looking for an absolute hat shop to find the style that suits you, Byrnie Utz is just the place to go. The shop is well stocked with roughly 20,000 hats neatly displayed on the shelves and stashed inside the commemorative Stetson hatboxes lined up against the wall. This storied downtown Seattle boutique carries a comprehensive selection of headgear -- including the fedora, cowboy/western hat, beret, bowler hat, visor, newsboy cap, straw hat and the Panama hat, among other popular styles.

You won't find any trucker hats in this place. No disrespect is intended to those who wear them, says Ferry -- it's just that trucker hats and baseball caps are too common. "We try to carry hats that you can't get any place else," he says.

Ferry comes from a line of hat purveyors, beginning with his parents Paul and Bev, owners of the shop. His father Paul was working for Byrnie Utz's in-laws back in the1970s; they had bought the store from Utz in the 1960s, and sold the shop to the Ferrys a couple of decades later.

"My dad has worked here since 1975 and has never worked anywhere else," says the younger Ferry, who is poised to continue the family business.

Byrnie Utz claims to have the largest selection of hats on the West Coast, offering such distinguished brands as Stetson ($115-$160), Beaver Brand ($60-$100) and Kangol ($30-$55). The shop also carries Borsalino ($150-$450 and up), which is considered higher-end, and the preferred choice of fashion-conscious cool cats.

JOANN NATALIA AQUINO/ SPECIAL TO NWSOURCE

Shawn Ferry, vice-president of Byrnie Utz Hats, stretches a hat for a good fit.

This beloved hat shop draws loyal clients of all ages, from the hipsters shopping for the latest headgear to an older generation that has been loyal from the beginning. "We have a huge range of customers," says Ferry. "The younger party guys come here looking for Kangols and then we also have the older golfers. Some of the folks who have been coming here since the 1940s still stop by."

Though some may consider wearing hats as very "old-school," the sporting of hats has now evolved into a form of pure fashion.

"Wearing hats for the younger crowd is more about keeping up with the trends," Ferry says. "While for the older folks, it used to be that you couldn't leave the house without a hat on."

While Kangols are popular amongst younger fashionistas, Stetson's "The Temple"- named after the 1984 movie, "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom"- remains the hottest selling model. Harrison Ford's bullwhip-toting, fedora-wearing character started a timeless trend. "The Temple" ($115), usually worn as a classic dress hat, is available in black, brown, gray, green and tawny colors.

While nearly 90 percent of the stock is geared to men, Ferry says that women also buy the men's hats for themselves. "We sell a lot of men's hats to women," says Ferry, "because they come in various sizes and are usually better quality than most hats made for women."

Celebrated by its patrons for its old-fashioned ways, Byrnie Utz Hats will always remain rooted in chivalry: Courteously welcoming their customers with "ma'am" and "sir," offering exceptional personalized services such as the steaming and stretching of the hats, and providing their customers a pack of stylin' hat feathers for added flair, absolutely gratis. This old-timer shop functions quite fine without a computer, fax and e-mail, and Byrnie Utz doesn't even have a website - it's best to try on the handmade hats in person, for a good fit.

"I suppose we're very old-fashioned that way," says Ferry. "In fact, we still write the receipts by hand."

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