Hats off

As downtown Oakland transitions, specialty hat shops uphold tradition.

By Chellis Ying

IT WAS A quiet Saturday afternoon on Broadway in Oakland, near the 19th Street BART station, and the office dwellers were long gone, enjoying their weekend away. Mayor Jerry Brown's 10K Initiative to foster the building of 10,000 new residential units in downtown Oakland, essentially doubling the number of residents in the area, came with promises of revitalization. But the streets are still predominantly empty, the buildings tall and bland. I was about to give the neighborhood a "needs improvement" grade when I discovered a hidden gem: hats.

Within two blocks there are four stores that offer specialty hats: the Hat Library (1946 Broadway. 510-465-6523, www.thehatlibrary.com), the Hat Guys (1764 Broadway. 510-834-6868, www.hatguys.com), J. Malnick (1901 Broadway. 510-808-0308, www.jmalnick.com), and Rocsil's Footwear and Accessories (1701 Telegraph. 510-832-1373).

These shops, which typically serve Oakland's African American Baptist community, sell hats for all occasions, ranging in price from $20 to $500. They maintain a vital cultural tradition in this small but growing community of diverse shopkeepers. Places where you can get your hair braided and gold plate your teeth operate in the same vicinity as the hip art deco bar Café Van Kleef (1621 Telegraph. 510-763-7711, www.cafevankleef.com) and the upscale hip-hop and reggae nightclub @seventeenth (510 17th St. 510-433-0577). And Fox Theatres will soon open nearby.

While the streets may not be crammed with coffee shops and art galleries just yet, the quality hat shops and new bars reveal a collective optimism: Downtown Oakland is about to bloom.

Some, however, may think it's about to be trampled by yuppies. The Uptown Housing Project, which is one of the few 10K Initiative projects that is city-funded and will include affordable housing, allots 20 percent of its 700 units for affordable housing – the rest will be market rate. Most will be one- to two-bedroom condominiums targeting young professionals instead of families.

Whatever the perceptions of Brown's plan, downtown Oakland's hat purveyors welcome change. The pioneers of Oakland's hat shops, the Hat Guys, have been at their Broadway and 17th Street location since 1988 and have the largest selection of hats – which includes collapsible top hats, leather caps, cowboy hats, and Kangols – on the West Coast. In the past, the Hat Guys were predominantly a destination stop, with their mostly male patrons coming in to the neighborhood specifically to look for hats. Ken Orange, son of owner Corrie Orange, says, "The neighborhood is changing for the better. It used to be a ghost town." With 1,600 units now available, a clientele of neighborhood residents might develop.

Perhaps with hopes that the increase in residents will bode well for sales, other hat stores have moved into the neighborhood. With true community spirit, the Hat Guys refer customers to these neighborhood newcomers, like the Hat Library, famed for its flamboyant one-of-kind hats for women.

The Hat Library's owner, May L. Henderson, decided to move her store downtown in January because she wanted to be surrounded by other specialty hat shops.

Her museumlike shop offers collectors' hats with delicate beads and feathers to wear on Sunday morning, and everyday hats for going to the market.

"I come from a long line of hat wearers," says the proud owner, who has a personal collection of 200 hats, which she displays in an adjoining room. "My grandma would not leave the house without a hat on her head."

Henderson admits that it's been slow since she opened, but she believes the city's residential initiative will bring in more business. Change might take time, as many condo projects aren't scheduled for completion for another three years.

Warren Malnick of J. Malnick, a women's clothing store across the street, agrees with Henderson's optimism.

Established in 1918 and open for business downtown since spring 2004, J. Malnick also shares a similar interest in millinery attire for the churchgoing African American community and often puts on fashion shows at places like the Allen Temple (www.allen-temple.org).

"I've been through many of these transitions," Malnick says, "and it's on the way up." He has noticed that not only have sales of his church attire remained strong, but also demand for sportswear and accessories has increased, which he attributes to his new demographic of women shoppers.

While the changes seem to appeal to most of the neighborhood business owners, Fred Brown, owner of Rocsil's Footwear and Accessories, remains skeptical about promised improvements. He has been in the building for 50 years and understands that changes in the past have not always worked.

At the same time, he sees potential in the area. "Downtown Oakland is the heart of the Bay. I love the weather; I love the diversity. We have excellent transportation, freeways, BART, and buses."

And, let us not forget, hats.