The Best Place To Buy A Killer Hat For Derby Day

By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on May 3, 2012 7:00PM

I love a good hat. It was a passion that was handed down to me by my family—being a single man in his 40s—will likely die with me. My closets are filled with Stetsons, fedoras, newsboy hats, Greek fishermen’s hats, fitted hats, Kangol caps, a patchwork wool Big Apple cap that is a winter standby caps and even a couple of straw hats I can’t bring myself to wear anymore because Jason Mraz and Billy Dec ruined the style for me.

I don’t know what I’m going to pull out for the Derby yet, but it isn’t going to be something stupid looking; it will be something that I can wear any other day of the year. When choosing a hat, practicality is key. And that starts with finding the right store.

Which is why I make the trek from Bridgeport to my childhood Northwest Side stomping grounds to Hats Plus. This Portage Park mainstay, just east of Six Corners, is my mainstay. They have thousands of hats in a variety of styles. The staff will measure your head in a pinch to get your size right. A person can spend hours just browsing their inventory. If you have an old hat that needs a touchup, cleaning or need the brim re-blocked, they can do that for you as well. I’ve taken hats to Hats Plus I thought were near death and they’ve either breathed new life into them or given them the proper burial they deserved.

Hats Plus, 4706 W. Irving Park Rd., 773-286-5577. Open 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday - Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. Thursday and 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sunday.