The Hat Shop

Specialties

The Hat Shop in Leavenworth has a hat for everyone for ALL occasions. A visit to Leavenworth is not complete until you’ve «experienced» the Hat Shop!

History

Established in 1987.

The late John and Karen Rieke started the Hat Shop in the rear of 725 Front Street in the summer of 1987. The couple had already established the well known Wood Shop toy store in Leavenworth before the idea of a store devoted just to hats was born. When John and Karen attended trade shows across the country for the Wood Shop, John noticed that many vendors carried hats. John reasoned, «Since everyone has a head, why not open a hat store?» The concept work well from the beginning as many visitors to Leavenworth found they needed a hat for the seasonal weather. The need for a hat has grown beyond a functional purpose especially during the festival seasons. Festive and Comedy hats have become common place during Oktoberfest and Christmas Lighting weekends. Leavenworth is the only town in America where normally rational people will walk down the street with a hamburger hat, jester hat or viking horns on their head and not feel out of place. The store continues to be family owned.