How did Merle Haggard help Hatman Jack? And 105 years of other stories

“Hatman” Jack Kellogg is celebrating 105 years on Saturday, and he admits “it’s kind of strange math” that gets him to that number.

Kellogg is turning 60, and he’s celebrating 45 years in the hat trade.

His Hatman Jack’s Wichita Hat Works in Delano — which he says is one of less than a dozen similar businesses nationally — won’t officially turn 45 until 2021. However, Kellogg has been shaping hats since he was 15.

So why celebrate 45 years now?

“Heck, you know, I like to celebrate. Why not do it twice?”

What did you grow up thinking you might do?

“I grew up thinking I wanted to be an auctioneer. ... And then I decided I wanted to get a van and go all over Kansas and do things like sharpen knives and paint numbers on curbs. It would have been a way for me to see Kansas. It would give me a chance to see every small town in Kansas. I love Kansas. I love the history. My favorite thing is when someone comes in from some small town in Kansas, and I get to ask them ... ‘How many acres does it take to feed one head of cattle ... this year?’ and ‘How deep do you have to drill your well to get water?’ ... Or, ‘If you were to recommend one thing that’s your favorite in your county, what would it be?’ ”

Surely no one has ever had the same job goal, do you think?

“It was kind of a strange goal. ... I thought, ‘What kind of jobs would it take for me to travel Kansas and make a living?’ ... I was fascinated with this lifestyle idea.”

Instead, you stay in one spot selling hats. Why?

“I started wearing hats. I love vintage clothes, and I love vintage hats, and I met this guy who knew how to work on them and kind of caught the bug.”

Did you start calling yourself “Hatman”?

“I started out as Wichita Hat Works. Then a buddy of mine started calling me ‘Hatman,’ and it just really kind of stuck. You gotta admit, it just kind of rolls off your tongue: Hatman Jack’s.”

As much as you’re associated with hats, you have another true love, don’t you?

“Although some people call me Hatman, it is true that my greatest collection is of antique western boots.”

Lots of people tried to dissuade you from the hat business. Has it been as hard as all that?

“It’s sure presented challenges. No question about it. ... It’s a bit of school of hard knocks. ... I worked third shift to make money and then came in here during the day ... and I also took some classes at Wichita State all at the same time. I love this business enough to really push it. I just wouldn’t accept that this business was not going to work for me.”

What did you learn along the way?

“I’ve made many mistakes and luckily learned from them. Like one time I entertained the idea I could borrow money to finance inventory. I quickly realized it wasn’t the most profitable thing to do. You kind of have to use both sides of your brain. ... You’ve got to really hone some business skills, and on the other side there’s the creative aspect to shaping and fitting. ... The business side of it was a little slower to blossom.”

So how well are you doing?

“I’m really happy with how business is. I’ve had the best May and June this year that I’ve had in years. For bricks-and-mortar retail, I’m satisfied with the business.”

Do you do much online?

“No, not much. ... It drives a lot of people our way, however.”

So who have been some of your favorite customers?

“It’s so hard to limit, because hat people have more personality as a general rule than anyone else. It takes a little courage to wear a hat, and the people who do so, they’re full of personality. Everybody who walks in that door is ... a big personality.”

Let’s talk really big personalities. Who are the famous people you’ve served?

“(Luciano) Pavarotti was a great one. Just a real personality. A very commanding individual. ... Merle Haggard was probably one of my favorites just because I learned so much from him. He kind of intrinsically understood what a hat needs to look like when a person’s on stage. When you were in person with him, the hats looked huge. Way too tall.”

And then on stage?

“These hats were absolutely perfect. He gave me this perspective for what a hat should look like on stage that just helped me fine-tune my skills.”

Did your least-favorite customers help you fine-tune in another way?

“People have very preconceived notions of what is really going to look best. I really get the fact that people have personal taste and a certain shape, (but) it really boils down to sometimes that doesn’t always translate into looking great. I used to say ... I wouldn’t recommend that shape for you, but I’ll go ahead and do it. But if anybody asks where you got it, go ahead and tell them you got it at Sheplers.”

What gives your hats their signature look?

“There are certain principles to why a shape works and why it doesn’t.”

For instance?

“The wrong shape of a crown ... accentuates the length of the face or the fullness. The challenge is to bring out the best part of the shape and (make sure) that the color is complimentary and the fit is perfect.”

So you’re entering your sixth decade. Any thoughts of retirement?

“It’s never seemed like work, and I love the business enough not to want to retire. Have I made plans for that? Yes. I have. ... I can’t stand the idea of actually doing it, but ...”

Will your shop live on? Will you crown a new Hatman?

“As a matter of fact, I have a very passionate staff, and a few people who work at the store are very interested in the business. ... I would hope that ... their ability to pursue this business will happen.”

Do you have a favorite hat?

“Oh, I have a dozen favorite hats, and it all depends on the mood. I love western hats. I love wide-brimmed fedoras. It’s such a chance for you to be whoever you want to be when you pick up a fedora like Humphrey Bogart wore or a western hat ... that Roy Rogers or, you know, Haggard may have worn. ... Hats match a mood. Sometimes I may feel a little bold and want a big western hat, and sometimes I just want to lay low and ... not make a big statement. It’s kind of a hat for all occasions.”

Do you ever not wear a hat?

“Yes. Sometimes I don’t want to be Hatman Jack. Sometimes I just kind of want to blend in.”

You usually sport one at the store, but sometimes not. Why?

“My dad always told me when I was young, ‘Take your hat off in the house!’ I wear hats at work, but when I don’t, it’s often because I hear my father’s ringing statement.”

Aren’t hats often kind of hot?

“Winter hats retain heat, and summer hats help to disperse heat. ... Dermatologists are my biggest referrals in the summer.”

Isn’t it true that some people simply don’t look good in hats?

“I’ve found so few people that we haven’t been able to fit for one reason or another. There’s some real complicated face shapes. ... Generally speaking, they’ve just never been coached. It’s possible to find a shape that works.”

Even for, say, a small chin and big nose?

“That’s a toughie, but it can be done.”

Except you would never acknowledge a big nose, right?

“No one has a big nose. It’s always the hat that’s at fault.”

This story was originally published July 24, 2018 at 11:12 AM.