SLO County hat company opens first store — in a converted shipping container
A Cayucos company that sells handcrafted hats has opened its first brick-and-mortar shop — in a converted steel shipping container.
Located at 6090 El Camino Real in Atascadero’s Block Shops building development, Stellar + Sun Hat Co. offers felt and straw hats in a variety of colors and styles.
The store, which had a soft launch in early July, joins two other businesses at the Block Shops, a 1,900-square-foot development made out of seven shipping containers and built by Z Villages.
Ancient Owl Beer Garden and Bottle Shoppe, which opened in June, is located in the complex’s courtyard.
Negranti Creamery, a Paso Robles-based company known for its sheep’s milk ice cream, opened its third scoop shop next door to Stellar + Sun Hat Co. in late July.
The hat company specializes in felt hats made out of American rabbit and beaver felt, and straw hats handwoven in Ecuador.
According to business owner Sabreena Urness, most hats sold in the United States are made out of sheep’s wool, which doesn’t last as long as rabbit or beaver felt.
“I know that when someone buys a hat from me that they’re going to have it forever,” Urness said. “A lot of times, hats will outlive the wearer and will be passed down.”
At Stellar + Sun Hat Co., straw hats cost about $400 and felt hats cost upward of $700. Customized felt hats cost about $850 to $1,000.
According to Urness, a person’s hat used to be one of the most important items they owned. She hopes to continue this tradition by creating long-lasting, treasured hats for the Central Coast.
“This material I use is pretty precious, being that it comes from animals,” Urness said. “It’s an honor and a privilege to wear a hat like this.”
The craft of hatmaking runs in Urness’ family. Her stepfather was a hatmaker in Orange County and made hats for cowboys in Southern California.
Urness moved to the Central Coast in 2015 and created her first hat. Once Urness made a hat for herself, she crafted one for her husband, who is a winemaker.
From there, her hat-making hobby “snowballed,” she said, as locals began to take notice of her headgear and asked Urness to create pieces for them.
“This is the place on the Central Coast where people have ranches and they ride horses,” Urness said. “They need a good, solid hat.”
Urness begins the hatmaking process by meeting each client for an appointment to brainstorm the type of hat they want. She said her pieces are both functional and fashionable.
Next, Urness uses a tool called a conformer to measure the person’s head for its shape. Afterwards, she begins to shape the hat by steaming, blocking, ironing and sanding the felt.
Urness said once the sanding process is complete, the felt is “velvety soft.”
She then sews in the hat’s leather sweatband by hand, and may decorate the hat with vintage ribbons.
It takes Urness about one to two weeks to make each hat. However, if a customer wants their hat to be a color that she does not have in stock, the process can take one to three months.
If customers see hats at Stellar + Sun Hat Co. that they want, Urness said she can make adjustments to make the hats look custom.
Urness said the name of her business reflects her family ties. Her initials growing up spelled “sun,” and she sources inspiration from her grandmother Stella.
“You wear hats under the stars and the sun,” Urness said. “Whether it’s day or night, it’s always good to have a hat on your head.”
To book an appointment, call or text Stellar + Sun Hat Co. at 805-538-9380.
