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February 2024 by Mark Mitchell
I purchased a western style panama hat remotely from Montecristi Custom Hat Works. The hat was expensive but, without question, it is the finest hat that I have purchased and worth the expense. My hat size is in-between sizes and Milton went above and beyond to make sure that I was satisfied and the hat fit perfectly. It is great to know that there are business owners out there that still do things the old-fashioned, right way and go the extra mile to make sure their customers walk away feeling like they got what they paid for and then some.
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January 2024 by Pika Chu
Really friendly service and lovely hats!
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January 2024 by Eric Schmitz
The Finest Hat maker in the Land ! Milton and his highly skilled staff are second to none. Their personal attention to detail and service are a pleasure. I recommend Montecristi Hats to everyone.
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November 2023 by William MacDonald
Been a hat lover for many years, but after a lifetime of Irish caps and Italian fedoras, the one hat that eluded me was a quality western hat. On our recent trip to Santa Fe we came upon the Santa Fe Hat Company and had the good fortune to meet Mike Baca, who took the time to educate me on several characteristics of a great western hat. Mike helped me select a straw Open Road with a soft pencil curl brim set and a horsehair hat band, but I came back a few days later for a custom hat built by their sister company, Montecristi Custom Hat Works.How often as adults do we get to do something that is joyful and fun? I enjoyed the process of selecting and getting measured for a custom hat. My new custom Cattleman with a dress western brim set arrived about a month after we returned home and I love it ... so much that I've already purchased a custom Open Road with a natural flange brim set and an Estrada rodeo band (hope to have it soon) and plan to return in the spring for a custom straw.Big shout out to Mike Baca for his assistance, as well as the team at Montecristi who built the hats, even though I didn't get to meet them face-to-face. It was an outstanding experience from start to finish.
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October 2023 by Alicia McCallen
My husband had made an appointment during our stay in Santa Fe. We really had no idea how the hat process worked so we were quite disappointed in hearing a hat typically takes about 5-6 weeks. That being said, the gentlemen working immediately grabbed the few hats that were available in store and to everyone’s surprise the exact color/style I had envisioned for myself was available and fit me perfectly. They kept saying how this never happens, so it was clearly meant to be. We had a great experience and felt very lucky. I’ve received numerous compliments on the hat.
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August 2023 by Eric S
We walked to this store from our nearby vacation rental. The woman who greeted us was superficially friendly, but rudely assumed we could not afford the hats, even after I informed her I was a repeat customer. She did not offer to show us the merchandise. I might have ordered a custom hat if I were not treated so badly. I will gladly give my business to my favorite hat shop at home.
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July 2023 by Jerry R
You get magnificent craftsmanship and super, friendly service here. I'm an avid hiker and have worn Western (cowboy) hats for about 12 years. I like the coverage, and they look great; I also often wear one walking around Salt Lake City. I've previously bought off-the-shelf beaver felt or straw hats and never thought about a custom hat. In Santa Fe for the first time, I came across Montecristi Custom Hat Works, and I was very impressed with the excellent examples of their work on display. I made an appointment to see Milton, the owner, and ordered a custom beaver felt hat. He and his staff are a real pleasure to work with. My hat arrived a few days ago: it's beautiful and fits perfectly.
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July 2023 by J. Jeffrey Richardson
If you’re heading to Santa Fe and wanting to buy a custom quality hat, head to Montechristi Custom Hat Works. Bought my first over 20 years ago. My newest hat from them, an Extra Fino Panama, is about to have its first anniversary; it has been a joy to own and wear. Their whole custom process — fitting, selecting the material and arriving at just the right style — was craftsmanship, expertise, and hospitality you can’t beat. Hats off to Milton, Synde, and Juan.
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January 2023 by Days O.
I was very impressed with the level of service I received at Montecristo. Juan is attentive and extremely knowledgeable. He measured my head and crafted the perfect hat for me. I have been on the hunt for a great hat for two years. I've visited other shops on the plaza that were dismissive and arrogant - to the point of not even asking if I needed help. On the day I picked up my new hat the owner Milton was there - he went out of his way to make sure the hat fit perfectly and that I left a very satisfied customer.
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November 2022 by pkbn2
J.D. gives excellent advice and crafts an excellent hat. With his Victorian era hat sizer contraption, you will achieve a perfect fit for a hat made with first class craftsmanship and materials. A must stop if you are near Santa Fe.
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October 2022 by Inspiration324912
I received an mail from Montecristi Custom Hat Works asking "generically" for me to counter the negative reviews they have been receiving by writing a good review. Unfortunately, this company does not follow up with good customer service. As you can read from the responses from Milton, the owner, the customer is always wrong when there is a problem. He never accepts that he (or his people) did anything wrong. I purchased a hat from them a number of years ago and when it arrived it was incorrectly shaped and my name was misspelled on the inside band. This was an $800 beaver felt "custom" hat. When I contacted them to see what could be done, they wanted me to pay for shipping and re-shaping to send the hat back to get the band corrected and the hat re-shaped. Why I would pay for the shipping/reshaping cost when it was their mistake was unacceptable to me. Telling them so simply made me "a bad customer". BEWARE when dealing with this company, they are extremely friendly until after the sale. If your hat does not turn out right, best of luck dealing with them to get it corrected! I simply took the hat to another hatter and had them correct the shape, however, the name on the band is still mispelled. I see that Milton has read this and other reviews submitted around the same day, but true to a lack of customer service for after the sell, no word from Milton on fixing my band. He did thank the reviews that were positive! Again, BEWARE of buying from this hatter, there are others to choose from in Santa Fe. October 4, 2022 - I just got off the phone with Mitlon and as I expected he was not really willing to resolve their mistake in misspelling my name on the hat band. His main concern was why did I have to write such a bad review, he was not happy about the review, however accurate is was. The offer he made me to fix the hat band was for me to pay for shipping back and forth and they would put on a new band (the same request he made when I first notified him of the problem). I asked that he simply send me a new hat band and enough money to cover having a local hatter replace the band (he refused this idea). I will let the reader decide which offer is more reasonable. Remember, it was their mistake! Again, my suggestion is to steer clear of this hatter, because Milton does not stand behind his hats when they make a mistake. You just become a "bad" customer. BTW, Milton, I don't apreciate being cused and hung up on when you asked me to call you so that you could resolve the problem. Solving the problem did not happen!
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October 2022 by David Rogers
I have been a customer of Montecristi Custom Hats for over twenty five years. The quality of their work, their customer service, and knowledgeable staff are unparalleled in my experience. I remember having a drink at a bar in Rosemary Beach, Florida. (Which is not exactly in the same neighborhood as Santa Fe) wearing a Montecristi Panama when another patron there commented “Milton Johnson must have made that hat for you.” Others take note of the hats any place I go and want to know where I got them. Montecristi will have my business exclusively and no visit to Santa Fe is complete without a visit to the shop, if for no other reason than to say hi. Milton, usted es El hombre.
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September 2022 by Randal Gescheidle
I’ve been wanting one of these hats since I saw the quality when I was stationed in New Mexico a few decades back. I contacted the sales office and spoke with JD. He explained the process and after some Q&A, I selected the straw hat, and band. I received the measurement kit within a couple of days, measured my head as per the instructions, called JD, with the size, and more Q&A aBout process, lead times, etc. I received two leather bands in the mail a few days later with instructions to call him advising him which band fit the best. He updated me on status of my selected hat’s availability, with estimated delivery date. I paid for the hate and within a few weeks took delivery. Tried it on right away to discover I had the best fitting hat I’ve ever owned—and at 66 I’ve owned a few (lol). Only regret; I should have ordered one sooner. I get compliments all the time. You won’t regret the time or expense—you won’t need another one.
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September 2022 by Bobby Feather
For nearly 40 years, Milton Johnson and the Monticristi Hat Team have been making special hats for my family. The team is made-up of true artist and craftsman. During the course of designing and ordering a new Beaver or Panama hat, the team shares their knowledge to educate the novice or the repeat customer. My experience has been they promise a lot but deliver a great deal more with each individual product. My wife and I will be heading back to Santa Fe soon to pick-up and design another unique hat.
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September 2022 by Lawrence Webster
I bought a hat from nine pipes museum in Montana, it was a old hat that somebody put up on consignment. I saw that it was a very unique cowboy hat, I wore it for about two weeks the leather on the inside feel apart. I looked inside of the hat and it had the name Montecristi Custom Hat maker.I googled the name and got there phone number. I had a very personal and professional conversation with the hat maker. Sent my hat off and had them clean and refitted with all that was necessary for my hat. Came to find out that the hat that I'd purchased was the hat to a very famous Montana writer. That Montecristi had custom made years ago, the hat become available because the previous own had passed away.Montecristi refitted refurbished my hat that my wife calls the most expensive hat that I will ever get to own, but I get to wear it to church and special occasions. I love my wife and her very expensive hat that she loves to see me wear.Thanks Montecristi..
