GARTH WATROUS

Built by Hand.
Worn for Life.

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From the Field

All Posts
Repeat Customers

RepeatCustomers

May 05, 2026Retention

What 50 Years of Repeat Buyers Taught Me About Retention

On the Floor

On theFloor

Apr 28, 2026Leadership

Run the Shop You Want to Work In

Selling Online

SellingOnline

Apr 21, 2026E Commerce

What I Got Wrong About Selling Online

The Long Game

The LongGame

Apr 14, 2026Mindset

Patience Is the Most Underrated Strategy

Building in Public

Buildingin Public

Apr 07, 2026Story

How a Station Wagon Became a Workshop

Gary Watrous, Founder

AMERICAN
HAT
MAKERS

50+ years. Over a million hats sold.

Established

American Hat Makers

Where it started.

The original line Garth built from the back of a station wagon. Cowboy, western, panama, leather, and felt. Fifty years of hat making, over a million hats sold, sourced from manufacturing partners around the world. Every hat carries its country of origin on the label.

Visit the Shop

Garth Watrous

BRIDGER

For those who carry the weight. The few who hold the line.

First Access Open

Bridger

Your First Cap in a Brand New Line.

After fifty years of making hats for everyone else, Garth Watrous is putting his own name on a cap. Designed by Dayna Lee Cornelius, the designer behind Melin. Built for people who actually wear their hats.

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My Story

How a station wagon salesman became the number one hat maker in the world...

His father Gary started the company in 1972 with $20 in leather and $20 in tools, selling from a Chevy station wagon. No investors. No business plan. Garth joined in 2005 and took over in 2018. He has doubled the business twice since.

50+

Years in business

1M+

Hats sold since 1972

16K+

Five-star reviews

Discover my story
Garth Watrous

Featured

In the Press

Podcasts, articles, and videos where Garth shares lessons from fifty years of running a hat company.

What This Is About

Built on the floor. Written from it.

Hat Making

50 years of knowing exactly what makes a great hat.

Garth grew up in this business. He knows materials, construction, fit, and what separates a hat that lasts from one that doesn't. That knowledge is what drives every product decision.

The Hat Bible →

Bridger

Garth's own cap line. Designed by Dayna Lee Cornelius.

After fifty years building AHM, Garth and Hannah are putting their name on something new. Bridger caps are designed by Dayna Lee Cornelius, the designer behind Melin. Built to a standard.

Learn More →

Field Notes

Fifty years of lessons, written down.

What he got wrong about ecommerce. What patience actually looks like in business. What he learned watching his father. One post a month. No fluff.

Read the Field Notes →