The Calgary Hat Experience: Smithbilt Hats

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📍** Quick Facts**

• Type: Custom hat fitting experience
• Location: 914 11 St SE, Calgary, AB T2G 3E8
• Phone number: (403) 244-9131
• Best For: Cowboy Hats, Western Wear & Playing Dress-Up

We did a thing this week. We got ourselves some real Calgary hats.

It started with us wanting to pick up white hats for The Stampede, but we looked at those, and they kinda looked ‘cheapy’ unless we went with the felt hats…

…and if we were gonna splurge on a felt hat, did we really want a touristy white one? Or a hat off the shelf that was one-size-fits-all?

From there, we looked at Stetson and Rodeo King and loved them, but felt we should keep it close to home — and get a real Calgary hat.

Smithbilt Hats was founded in Calgary in 1910 and at first produced mostly dress hats with small brims, styles that were popular in Europe. In 1926, they began working with the Stampede Board to create western wear. They are the real deal. They ARE Calgary hats personified.

The parking lot at Smithbilt is small, but with a little patience, we found a spot without too much trouble. We were there the week before Stampede when it was incredibly busy and had no trouble finding one. Just give yourself a few extra minutes.

The minute you walk into Smithbilt, you realize you’ve walked into serious hat territory. There are hats everywhere. On the walls, on racks, stacked in displays and in more colours and styles than we knew existed. It’s warm and inviting, but there’s no mistaking what this place is about. Hats. Lots and lots of hats.

And then there are two whole floors of clothes. Rack after rack of western wear, row upon row of boots, buckles and belts, flowy dresses and dusters, jewellery and concho belts. It’s a whole cowboy world under one roof, and there is a LOT to look at. You could spend the entire day here playing dress-up, so much fun!

There’s also a display case filled with hats made for some of Smithbilt’s VIPs over the years. It’s one of those little things you might walk right past if you’re too busy looking at all the hats, but stop and have a peek. There are some pretty interesting heads represented in that case!

Also worth noting, they have so many signed hats that they can’t fit them all in the case, so they switch them out. Make sure to check and see what’s on display each time you’re in the store.

But we had come to buy a hat, not look at old ones… so it was time to get down to business!

And here’s a fun little Stampede fact: in a typical year, Smithbilt sells around 40,000 cowboy hats during the 10-day Calgary Stampede — about 10,000 felt hats and 30,000 straw hats. That’s a LOT of Calgary heads getting hatted! And when you’re in the shop right before Stampede and see all those white hats stacked up, you can suddenly understand where they’re all going.

We had an absolute hoot through the whole process: first they measure your head to ensure a good fit, then you pick your colour and hat level. The felt hats were what we were gunning for. They start with plain wool and go up in price depending on how much fur is added into the wool mix. Fur makes the hat more durable…and more expensive.

Next you pick your hat style. Geoff chose ‘Gus’, which originates from the character of the same name in Lonesome Dove. My choice was ‘The Gambler’ or telescopic top, which according to my hatter is the oldest style.

All the hats are blanks. You get to customize your own exactly how you want, and that includes ribbons, conchos, jewels and braids. You name it, they got it.

The last step is to head to the hatter. They steam and shape your hat to suit the style you pick out, then fit it exactly to your specifications. Then seamstresses attach your liner and finish the hat.

We really recommend the Smithbilt experience for anyone considering a quality hat. The service was impeccable from start to finish.

We had so much fun! Cowboy hats aren’t an everyday thing here in Alberta, but they sure come out when it’s time to dress up, and you can tell when Stampede is near…EVERYONE is wearing them. It’s a super fun way to show our love for our new Alberta home.

And yes, I know— we’re still just NLers in our Calgary hat.

📊** Scorecard**

• Calgary Character: 5/5
• Visual Impact: 5/5
• Experience: 5/5
• Photo-Worthiness: 4/5
• ⭐Overall Rating:** 5/5 Stars