Roberta Glennon has been self-employed since finishing high school and giving people immersive hat shopping experiences for 30 years.
What started as making hats for herself and friends as a hobby would turn into the matchless RobertaB次元官网网址檚 Hats offering funky and zany chapeaux from around the world. Glennon and her husband Brian made the move away from their Vancouver home in 1992, seeking out business spaces around Victoria in anticipation of the Commonwealth Games happening there two years later.
B次元官网网址淲hen you start up a business, you never know what direction itB次元官网网址檚 going to take,B次元官网网址� Glennon said.
Settling in at 1318 Government St., she couldnB次元官网网址檛 have picked a better and more successful location.
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RobertaB次元官网网址檚 reached its 30-year milestone in April, until which point itB次元官网网址檚 seen the changing of many businesses around it. Glennon pointed to a former Gap and Halloween store across the street, saying the toy vendor next door and adjacent souvenir shop are the only other spots that remain unchanged. For three decades, RobertaB次元官网网址檚 has stayed timeless.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e lucky to have a nice, capable boss,B次元官网网址� said sales associate Michelle Nesbitt.
B次元官网网址淓ven last summer without the cruise ships, we were really busy.B次元官网网址�
Due to the nature of the business, Glennon faces minimal competition downtown and said a city the size of Victoria offers little room for more than one hat store anyway. So, whatB次元官网网址檚 the secret to running a successful hat shop? According to her, itB次元官网网址檚 about showing up.
B次元官网网址淭ime management has to be one of your tools in your toolbox,B次元官网网址� she said on running a small business.
She emphasized the need to keep up with trends, which her staff has a knack for. Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, bucket, cowboy and flat-brimmed hats are currently hot sellers among shoppers.
B次元官网网址淣ow they want to get out and do things, try things on and talk to people.B次元官网网址�
Knowing how to lay out the store is equally vital and comes naturally from GlennonB次元官网网址檚 past experience in retail merchandising.
B次元官网网址淵ouB次元官网网址檝e got to give people room to move around. You have to give them an escape route if they want to leave.B次元官网网址�
The building, formerly owned by a vintage clothing store and home furniture business, has had its original brick walls exposed and its concrete floor replaced with Mexican tiles, which only account for part of the decor.
RobertaB次元官网网址檚 shies away from shelves, racks, slat walls and fluorescent lights and favours a more eclectic and shabby-chic look, with antique furniture and fabric ceiling. Wooden ironing boards, antique hat blocks and the shopB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址渇amousB次元官网网址� fish tank lie to the right of the checkout.
Visitors to RobertaB次元官网网址檚 can find Panama hats from Ecuador, Basque berets from France, Italian-made caps, Bailey of Hollywood hats from Adamstown, Pa., and many brands supplied from within Canada, including Lillie and Cohoe in Nelson, B.C.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 lots of online platforms for ordering now too for businesses, where you just log in, they assign you a password and youB次元官网网址檙e able to buy things from all over the place,B次元官网网址� Glennon explained.
She said itB次元官网网址檚 important to grab stock while you can, adding theyB次元官网网址檝e had to accommodate their growing menB次元官网网址檚 hat selection especially.
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RobertaB次元官网网址檚 even sells hats for children and fascinators for people attending weddings, but itB次元官网网址檚 the classics that Glennon likes most: Fedoras, fascinators and top hats of the steampunk era.
B次元官网网址淢usic festivals are going to be back B次元官网网址� hats are huge for music festivals, especially cowboy hats and fedoras and wide-brimmed hats.B次元官网网址�
With no children to pass RobertaB次元官网网址檚 on to, Glennon, 58, says sheB次元官网网址檒l likely keep running the business for the fun it brings her. SheB次元官网网址檚 grateful for the six-person B次元官网网址渁ll-girl showB次元官网网址� staff she has on hand in the meantime.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 just nice that here is kind of a good news story - a women-operated small business thatB次元官网网址檚 still going strong for 30 years.B次元官网网址�
As Glennon put it, who knows what the next few years will bring for VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 most prominent hat store?
Do you have a story tip? Email: evert.lindquist@blackpress.ca.
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