Appalachian Hat Co. Owner Amy Pate Finds Her Perfect Fit Through Custom Hat-Making
By meg hale brunton
Photo Credit: Meg Hale Brunton
Originally from a small farm community in Southern New Jersey, Appalachian Hat Company owner and hatmaker Amy Pate was never given the choice of becoming a professional artist as a child. “No one ever said to me, ‘You can make a career of art,’ it was like saying you want to be a rockstar,” she explains.
Amy spent two years in nursing school, but left to move to Florida. While there, she took a job running a contractor’s office. Her grandfather had taught her basic carpentry. The contractor she worked for gave her the opportunity to design one of his model homes, and the response she received from her interior design work was overwhelming. So, she decided to go back to college and major in Interior Design. Amy also earned a second degree in Graphic Design, and then earned her contractor’s license.
She partnered with one of her contracting clients to open a furniture store where she imported unique pieces from all over the world. Through this business, she was able to travel to countries like Indonesia, Thailand and all across Europe. At the same time, she was also learning to make hats. “Throughout this varied career, I’ve always, for some bizarre reason, loved hats, and would, in my spare time, make hats,” she says.
When Amy first arrived in Black Mountain for a vacation from the hot Florida summer, she knew it was unlike any place she’d ever been. “When I came here, I knew I was home. I knew that I had to be here,” she says of the town. She bought her home in 2018 and then bought a business location on Cherry Street in 2019. Appalachian Hat Company was all set to open its doors when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Amy and her partner Hance McCain who is also an artist, decided to reconvert it to an AirBnB, a decision which saved them financially. Amy continued to sell her hats on Etsy. Appalachian Hat Co. was first presented to the community at a tent show hosted by Oak & Grist. They sold $1,200 worth of hats at the event, making Amy think, “We need to open that gallery.”
After making some renovations to the shop, Amy and Hance finally opened their gallery. “The response since we opened in August has just been awesome! I got so many orders for customer hats; it almost puts me in tears thinking about it,” Amy says. She also makes jewelry, wall art, sculptures, and paintings in a wide range of mediums. All types of her work can be seen and purchased at the shop.
Primarily, Amy makes custom hats out of fur felt or wool felt. She fits the hat to the size of the customer’s head with a measuring ring called a conformateur. She decorates the hats with designs and adornments in a variety of styles and methods, from painting, to metal smithing, to pottery, to laser work. “Where I think I’m different from most hatmakers is I do everything that’s on my hats. I pride myself on that,” she explains.
In the future, Amy hopes to get the opportunity to teach art to children. In Florida, she helped a friend who ran a charity teaching art classes out of a repurposed bus to underprivileged and displaced youth. Throughout her life and career, Amy says she has done “very well,” but she has also been at “the very bottom.” During the real estate market crash, she lost her home in Florida, leaving her to have to sleep in her car for several weeks. “I’m a survivor and I believe you just keep on keeping on,” she says with conviction. “I’m a risk-taker, which can be good and can be bad. I’m super happy that I have made it to this point and that I get to do what I love and share it with other people.”
To find out more about Appalachian Hat Company and to have your own custom hat designed, visit their website: www.appalachianhatco.com
