Adventurebilt not taking new orders?

Modern Jones · Post by **Modern Jones** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 4:41 pm

It's amazing to see the demand increase so sharply and we have so long to wait for the film!

Steve, good for you for all the success, and actually wanting a life to top it off!!!

This also just reinforces the quality and time spent in making these hats and how special COW members are to you. Thanks.

Regards,

MJ

Ken-Obi Wanabi · Post by **Ken-Obi Wanabi** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 7:01 pm

Thanks for the update Steve and thanks a BUNCH for how you run your business - if only more vendors and fans were like you! People like you are why it's great to be part of the prop/costuming community.

And I'm really excited that my hat should be ready by May. Now I just have to assemble the rest of the costume by then...

whipwarrior · Post by **whipwarrior** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 7:09 pm

I'm still a little confused. So, does this mean that everyone will have to pay $350 after the new site comes back online, or is that just the non-COW member price?

I am loyal to my old customers. If you cancelled your order because of impatience, or you have trashed me on other boards, don't ever expect me to make you a hat at ANY price. I refuse to do so. I will not put all of my heart into making a hat for those guys. Those names have a note in red on their original order forms. That is HOW I conduct business.

P.S.- What if we place an order due to increasing demand, and are more than happy to wait patiently because we know that Adventurebilt makes the best Indy fedoras in the world?

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 9:44 pm

I'm glade to hear that you'll have some time for yourself. You deserve it my freind. The increase is still way under what your hats are worth. thanks again for all the work you put into bringing "indy's" fedora back to it's glory.

Johnny Fedora · Post by **Johnny Fedora** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 10:01 pm

I second everything John said and more. A great craftsman needs rest and the simplicity of play, lest his art becomes tedious work. Enjoy the breather sir. You and Mark have earned it!

Johnny
Loving his AB/IM/HJ while still pinching pennies for an AB...and the pennies are loving it! $\:D/$

airforceindy · Post by **airforceindy** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 12:58 am

Outstanding, Steve, simply outstanding. I've yet to run across another person with such integrity in their business dealings, and loyalty to old/repeat customers. My 'hat' is off to you.

$350 is still not even peeking over the top stair of the bargain basement, when compared with other hatters out there. There are only two operations I plan on ever taking an order to, one of whom is Steve, the other works on a similar ethic from what I gather. We are all very fortunate to be the focus of Steve's generosity.

Steve, what is the word with your other 'non-Indy' offerings? I assume they will be on hold as well, but will they carry the same pricing as the original ABs? Or, because of the more 'custom' nature (ie: color, bashing, etc.) of these new creations, will they be a bit pricier? OR.... is it simply too early to tell?

Regards, Andy

Chewbacca Jones · Post by **Chewbacca Jones** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 1:05 am

$350 ain't so bad. Oh, no. I'm already waiting on two AB's and now I'm tempted to get another. Somebody tie me down! Hurry!

OK, I'm alright right now. I think.
Thanks for the update, Steve. Not that I needed one, but it's nice to see you still have time to comfort the little people.

Canada Jones · Post by **Canada Jones** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 1:05 am

Fedora wrote:
When we got the contract, I was told to charge more for what I made. I would have none of that. My site price IS my price, no matter whom is buying. I could have easily gotten the going rate for pure beaver hats that I sold to the production company. But, that is not the way I do business. I would never take advantage of ANYONE, even if that ANYONE would gladly pay more than my regular price. Some would call me stupid. I call it something else. Being honest........and stupid. But, it is hard to change my spots.

The good news is, if you are one of my existing customers, you will get a price break on additional hats that you may want to buy over the years. I know who has bought from me, as I keep records.

Steve, it is high standards like these that make me proud to wear one of your hats. I have always appreciated people like yourself, who are excellent at what they do and who are also a pleasure to do business with. Thanks for your high standards and incredibly fair policies.

Your offer of a discount for existing customers is very generous of you. have you decided what the price will be?
highest regards
Canada

airforceindy · Post by **airforceindy** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 1:15 am

Okay... I was waiting for somebody to say something, but I DID catch myself asking a stupid question - or two. Just checked the AB site, ordering and pricing and what not; it would be really neat to see a larger sampling of some of the other 'non-Indy' chapeaus you've done, Steve. Just a suggestion, as I've only really seen your Indy hats and the new pics on the main page of your revamped site.

Only 5 months longer to wait on my new lid!!!!! I should be going to bed right now, but I'm jumping up and down with excitement after reading thru Steve's most recent posts!

VP · Post by VP » Thu Dec 13, 2007 4:52 am

Yeah some closeups would be mighty nice.

rebelgtp · Post by **rebelgtp** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 12:24 pm

I really like the look of the new site. Like it was said before it is nice to see some of the other hats that you have made. I can't wait to see the AB on the big screen!

Fedora · Post by **Fedora** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 1:13 pm

The COW discount price will be good thru May 22. But only for existing COW members. Too many folks have joined to get the discount, and were never heard from again.

But, you must bypass the paypal link, and go directly to paypal and use my email address as the one you are paying. Follow it up with an email, with your specs, etc. If you need to talk via phone, email me a time and a number to reach you. Hopefully, later on, I will be alot easier to talk to by telephone. But, I currently can literally spend 1/2 of each day on the phone, which of course hurts hatmaking. And not necessarily due to long winded customers, but to my incessant blabbing.

As some here know!

The discount that I will always offer my old customers will not be advertised here, by me. I will just say, you will be very pleased. And, I do it as a thank you for trusting me with your hard earned money, and for making AB a huge success, which contributed to us supplying Indy's last film hat. All of those postive reports surely did not hurt us, and more than likely helped a good bit. So, I am not the type of guy who forgets my good customers, prior to us getting this film gig. And I will prove it by always giving my customers a really nice price savings. It's the least that I can do. Thanks for the very generous comments. Now, back to the shop. Still have 12 hours to work!!

But at least, it is something I really love doing. And seen in that light, I really can't call it WORK. But, it still tires me out.

Fedora

Risu · Post by **Risu** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 2:23 pm

So can the members here who already ordered a hat get the COW discount? I had no idea there was one until just now.

JulianK · Post by **JulianK** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 2:26 pm

The discount that I will always offer my old customers will not be advertised here

Ok Steve, I've been trying to e-mail you for some time now just to get an idea of how much to Paypal you to get my order in the que. I know, I know, you're inundated with e-mail and I understand that. Now I think I remember the old price. If I Paypal you that amount plus the 20 bucks for international shipping, will that get me in line? Man, I've never tried harder to get rid of my money!!!

The Pilot · Post by **The Pilot** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 2:34 pm

Risu wrote:So can the members here who already ordered a hat get the COW discount? I had no idea there was one until just now.

It seems like it would be a real hassle to go back and find out who-was-a-member-when, and whether they joined COW just to get the discount or if they're still active and posting, and whether they bought at the COW discount or at retail , and so on. Perhaps a discount on the next hat instead of a refund? Or just say we bought at a price we were willing to pay? (Of course, I'm not a student.

)

Fedora · Post by **Fedora** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 3:40 pm

I am afraid if you ordered from the site, you are stuck with that amount. It is too much trouble and time consuming to correct all of this.

I did tell everyone about this early on, and it has been known by the older members. So, the info was out there, but would require a search to find it.

The deal was, if you knew about it, you were free to utilize it, but since this is not a vendor website per se, I could not make continuous posts regarding it. That would be out of line with the purpose of this site.

I made the offer, many read it and used it, but it was not something everyone was constantly reminded of. So, many of the new guys here lost out, but that can't be all of my fault. And it has come up many times over the last three years in many fedora posts. But once you use the site to order, it is a done deal, I am afraid. It pays to read the old posts I guess, and it could have saved a few guys 25 bucks who were not aware of it. But, I can't retro it, but for any new orders, I am advising once again what you are eligible for, IF you ASK prior to paying me. Thanks. Fedora

Indiana · Post by **Indiana** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 4:27 pm

Guys like Steve are what makes COW wonderful! I wished I had been able to order a long time before I actually did, but financial reasons kept me from doing so. June 2007 is when I finally ordered, about a day or two after I found out about Steve making the hats for the movie. Thank goodness I was able to scrounge the money then, I knew what was coming!!!

One day I'm going to be getting in touch and have you make a custom hat for me, not Indy style. From the AB's I've handled (and from mine, when I get it, I hope) I think you will be the only hatter I ever turn to. Can't beat a good old hand made hat made by a good old guy!

Argonaut · Post by **Argonaut** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 9:47 pm

Discount you say?

I like the sound of that. I too am a cash-strapped teenager and the Adventurebilt is the holy grail.

Indiana Snipes · Post by **Indiana Snipes** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 4:13 pm

Well I ordered mine the beginning of July...so if I'm getting it before the film releases I'm happy. After getting it I might just have to order a Raiders style before the price increase...that should do me.

raider 57 · Post by **raider 57** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 4:37 pm

Risu wrote:So can the members here who already ordered a hat get the COW discount? I had no idea there was one until just now.

I also realized after my order,about the COW discount. Even so, Steve's normal price is definately a bargain nonethless.

Fedora · Post by **Fedora** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 10:07 am

Now I was always curious since I am a fedora noob, why does it take so long? Is there a "how the hat is made" sorta article floating around somewhere? I know custom stuff takes long times, and I'm not saying you should be able to pump them out quicker at all, but I'm just curious to see how the hat's made.

VP of course got it right. When I first started making hats, I was trying to move away from the mass produced hats, and offer a hat that was made like the small custom hatters used to make them. No machinery involved, just a boxfull of vintage hatmaking hand tools. I was even heating my cast iron hat irons up on hotplates, and if the power was off, I could use my small wood heater in my old shop.

At the time, I figured I would make the pre orders that consisted of a dozen hats or so, and then figured if I was lucky, I would sell maybe one hat a month. But, AB started off with a big bang, and I was covered up with business from the get-go.

I have had several opportunities to buy mass producing hat making equipment, but honestly, if I have to use those contraptions to make hats, I would just as soon NOT make hats. I am attracted to the very old, and traditional techniques of hatmaking. Plus, you can take any monkey off the streets, teach him which button to mash, and he can make hats. But, handmaking hats is indeed a art and craft, that EVERYONE cannot do, and turn out nice, well made hats. I wanted to be a REAL hatter and not just a guy who cranked up the machinery.

Most so called Master Hatters today, don't even touch the hats they sell under that moniker. They have hourly employess make the hats, using that high volume machinery, that in the 30's was only seen in the huge hat factories that turned out thousands of hats each day. If I were to spend the big bucks for a Master Hatter's hat, I expect the hatter to do the work, instead of sitting in his office playing on the pc, or taking expensive trips to Europe while his hourly employess keep him rich.

So, Marc and I handmake our hats, which requires lead times, and out of good conscience, would never do it any other way. But what you get is accurate to the period that the fictional character Indy live in. And to the both of us, this is VERY IMPORTANT.

I make few errors these days, in making a hat, but just over the weekend. the hat I had just finished, did not pass my inspection, and I started over, and remade the hat. My goofs, add to lead times.

What also adds to lead times is Marc and I do this artificial aging process that will allow the hat to go longer between reblocks. The aging takes 3 days minimum, although we are smart enough to have several hats on blocks at any one time, in various stages of ageing, so as not to slow down the production. But, we are both guilty of really spending alot of time on making each single hat. We are both perfectionists, and it can be a curse. But, we have a very discerning crowd to please. We can't get away with what some other hatters get away with. And would not do it anyways. Fedora

Bufflehead Jones · Post by **Bufflehead Jones** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 10:49 am

With Adventurebilt hats the old axiom that you get what you pay for, is not really true. In case of the Adventurebilt, you get MORE than what you pay for.

Indiana Johnson · Post by **Indiana Johnson** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 12:22 pm

Steve, you are an artist and a gentleman. I am so exited to think you are going to be getting to my name on the list soon. I have bought some high quality garments the last few years, but I don't think any hold up to the attention to detail you put into each and every hat you make. I look forward to years of enjoyment from my Adventurebilt.

ydam · Post by **ydam** » Tue Dec 25, 2007 2:58 am

Old Price or New Price...it's worth EVERY penny and more!!! My first AB, a hand me down from someone on the cairo bazzar here, has daily grown on me. Steve has converted an HJ lover as my HJ has found a nice spot in a box on the shelf. Bottom line...these hats are worth MUCH more then either price and i wouldnt hesitate a second to pay full price for another one and looking forward to seeing the ones i have on order currently with Marc and Steve.

MisterJones · Post by **MisterJones** » Wed Dec 26, 2007 2:45 pm

You are a real gentlemen, Steve, still counting on real values, which ... sometimes ... seem to vanish in these modern times. I am still waiting for my AB, but I am sure it will be worth of it. I hope - regardless of turn around times or the price - you will continue to make hat for a long time. Cheers and Merry Christmas.

Fedora · Post by **Fedora** » Wed Dec 26, 2007 3:52 pm

To clear up things. I have recieved several emails from distressed folks here who THINK I am no longer taking orders, from COW members. THIS IS NOT TRUE. The COW discount price is good thru May 22nd. At that time, the only discount that I will give will be for my existing customer base. That is, folks who have bought hats from me, and folks that I have given hats to as gifts.

I don't figure there are many here who wanted an AB, and doesn't already have one or more already. But, if you never bought one, you can still do it, and get the discount.

I don't know how the rumor got started, as I cannot see it anywhere here on this board, but somehow that idea was out there.

Never again will you be able to buy an AB for 225.00, or any other pure beaver hat, and certainly not one that was made by the guy who made the film hats. My new site price is now 350.00, but that is for non COW folks. The new price slowed down orders, which is what I wanted, but has not cut them out. So far, it is working out well.

All hats ordered now will be sent AFTER the film comes out, and if I have figured correctly, I should have all orders through Nov.20 07 mailed by May 22 2008. Dec thru April were light months for orders, so those will not take long to get out of the way, which will shorten current lead times due to less hats being sold during those months. That is one thing that will shorten lead times once I get those light months out of the way. All of those orders will be shipped in Jan, so the folks that ordered in April will wait only 9 months instead of a year. So, it is about to get better lead time wise. I look forward to the day when the max lead time is 3 months! And it will eventually get there, although this is no help to the current guys waiting.

Regards, Fedora

Indiana · Post by **Indiana** » Wed Dec 26, 2007 11:36 pm

I'm fine and dandy waiting on my order, but when should June orders be expected? From the way I figure it, March would be apprx. for the June orders.

And out of curiosity, and if you feel alright answering, on average, about how many orders did you get per month before you raised the prices?

Fedora · Post by **Fedora** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 11:11 am

I just found out where this came from. Namebrand had posted it on my site, when he had it down, doing the changes!!

The bad thing is, when I got back from TN. I saw it, and then promptly forgot about it.

So, my fault for NOT remembering. Sorry about that! Fedora