Sunday, September 8, 2013

JJ Hat Borsalino Hat Center

Huh, I wonder if we will find anything here at all...it is just a hat store..not like the big Stetson store that was once on Fifth Avenue (not sure it is still there)

Surprise--except for one sour apple, rave reviews

JJ Hat Center

4.5 star rating
30 reviews Rating Details
310 5th Ave
(between 31st St & 32nd St)
New York, NY 10001
Neighborhoods: Midtown West, Koreatown, Midtown East
(212) 239-4368
Nearest Transit Station:
28 St. (N, R)
33 St. (4, 6, 6X)
34 St. - Herald Sq (B, D, F, M, N, Q, R)
Price Range:
$$$
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
Parking:
Street
Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes
9.0 Miles from JJ Hat Center
EZ Pawn Corp is the NYC go-to pawnshop. We help hundreds of customers on a daily basis receive loans for their jewelry, electronics, watches, musical… read more »

Review Highlights   What's this?

  • "Brought my first fedora today, and I'm very happy I got it here." In 6 reviews
  • "...a hat here yesterday for my man (Ken) to wear on our wedding day." In 7 reviews
  • "The gentlemen there are courteous, professional and super..." In 3 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
Sort by: Yelp Sort | Date | Rating | Elites' | Facebook Friends'

30 reviews in English

  • Review from

    • 4 friends
    • 36 reviews
    Astoria, NY
    7/1/2013
    Always courteous, always professional whether you bought the hat here or not. Came in to get a new hat band and, although they didn't have what I wanted, they gave me some recommendations on where to find one and even called to see if they were open.

    Great service by a staff that knows what they are talking about and cares more about the customer than they do about making a sale.
  • Review from

    • 2 friends
    • 3 reviews
    Flushing, NY
    2/25/2013
    I have only recently taken an interest in wearing real, adult hats. I feel too old to wear a baseball cap to work but want something to keep the elements from my big bald head. JJ Hat Center and their Porkpie Hatters locations in the East Village and Williamsburg, Brooklyn have been very helpful. They are too knowledgeable and helpful and have too good a selection of hats to be dismissed as ironic hipster profiteers. Their selection is excellent and the staff could not be more helpful. I have been very happy with the hats I bought. They were nice enough to hold a hat for me at their East Village location that they didn't have in stock at their other locations.

    I've been too all three of their locations and the one in Midtown is the largest and has the most extensive collection. Make a plan to get there during regular business hours though; they close at 6 p.m. in Midtown and stay open at 8 at the latest in Williamsburg. They are closed on Mondays.
  • Review from

    Manhattan, NY
    6/26/2013 1 check-in here
    Stopped in to help the boyfriend find a hat. WOW I've never been to a hat shop like this. Service and a designated area to try on hats. I felt like I was stepping into the 1940s walking into this shop. So cool. Definitely for men, but they do have a couple ladies hats in the back.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 3 reviews
    Bronxville, NY
    12/16/2012
    Anything HAT in New York, this is the place! service is so not New York....
    Ask for Gabriel, a true angel of courtesy and service.
  • Review from

    • 33 friends
    • 3 reviews
    West New York, NJ
    4/3/2013
    Love them!  Just bought my second Western hat there.  I had been looking for a Stetson crushable, looked all through Nashville and couldn't find the one I wanted, and then I found it right down the street here at JJ.  Went back today and bought a white ranch-style.  Brought a picture of how I wanted it shaped, and they were more than happy to shape it for me as well.  Their prices are not at all steep - right in line with the quality hats they sell.  Maybe a fedora next??
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 1 review
    Brooklyn, NY
    3/12/2013
    I am super disappointed in the service I received from JJ Hat Center.

    I brought in a hat to have a simple cleaning and band replacement and was told I could pick up the hat in a week. After about 10 days passed, I called to check on it since I hadn't heard from them. The salesman I'd left the hat with remembered it but couldn't find it anywhere and had to look for it while I was basically having a heart attack thinking this hat was lost! When it was finally found, they hadn't even done any work on it  because they were "busy" (I suspect because it had been lost) so I had to wait another few days. I had them ship it to me which would have really convenient but they charged me twice for the same amount.

    It's sad to see such a cute place with such a lack of service. I'm not going back.
  • Review from

    • 49 friends
    • 90 reviews
    Flushing, NY
    11/20/2009 1 photo
    JJ Hat Center has been on my bookmark on yelp for a while before I stepped foot through their fabled doors. I had a an ole' wide brim hat that  needed to get blocked and its band fixed.Can't remember when nor why I bought the fedora.

    Maybe 'cause hats like these were an anachronism. Maybe I wanted to be unique and different. Maybe I was enamored of Rick of Casablanca fame in which he tells Elsa:

    "We'll always have Paris. We didn't have, we, we lost it until you came to Casablanca. We got it back last night."

    Well, I got mine last night. My hat in good shape that is. The best thing about. It cost me nothing. Not one cent.

    Do you know how valuable that free service is? Priceless.

    [JJ Hat Center] I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

    Check out my profile picture http://static2.px.yelp.c…
    • Neon lights of JJ Hat Center
  • Review from

    Manhattan, NY
    Updated - 1/15/2011
    They still get 5 stars, but . . .

    If you go shopping for a warm cap in January, their selection is pretty picked-over.  I found one I was happy with, but it wouldn't have been my first choice if they had others in stock.

    Also, there's a cranky old dude who tends to lecture you about what hat to buy.  I wanted an Irish beret, and he flat-out told me it made me look like a girl.  And, that would be bad, because I'd make a very ugly girl.

    Lastly, they have wool caps for around $40 on their website, but every time I go to the store, all I ever see are the $100 caps.  Me confused . . . and $100 poorer.

    1 Previous Review: Show all »

    • 4/7/2008
      This is a very cool store with a very helpful staff.  They have hats for every budget and they won't… Read more »
  • Review from

    • 28 friends
    • 332 reviews
    New York, NY
    1/2/2008 First to Review
    You can go from 5th Avenue to 1920 in one step through the doors of JJ Hat Center.  You may think, "Hey doesn't Lidz sell hats, why would I need to come here?"  Well if you want to remain wearing ball caps, you need not come here.  If you want to transform your image to one of class and elegance, come here.  The hats that are sold here are not ball caps, but derby's, fedora's, riding caps, and even cowboy hats.  And many sub-styles and regional variations.  Think "Newsies" not Thug Life for head gear.

    The guys working here could not be more friendly or more patient with the customers regardless of experience with hat wear.  I tried on 30-40 caps before I chose one (incidentally it was the same one Andre 3000 recently bought from them too) that fit my body type and style.  I have been wearing it almost non-stop since I walked out the door with it, and have received many compliments on it.  Now these are not inexpensive investments mind you, there will be a little sticker shock, so beware, but the quality of them will make up for it.

    If you want to step up your curb appeal with an interesting piece of head gear, you owe it to yourself to step into JJ Hat Center.
  • Review from

    • 15 friends
    • 35 reviews
    New York, NY
    11/24/2012
    hat heaven!!!
    if i could i would give them a 10 plus!
    ole school
    there hats are top top quality
    i could not be a happier camper
    prices are reasonable if you are looking for a quality hat
    they know hats inside n out
    if you are looking for a quality hat check out j&j
    there sister shop is on 9th st {between 1st n ave a
    i will be spreading the j&j word out!!!!!!
  • Review from

    • 3 friends
    • 16 reviews
    New York, NY
    8/24/2010
    I have bought hats here for more than 20 years. Straw for Spring and Summer, Felt, wool and cashmere for Winter. The gentlemen who work there are professionals, which is to say patient. They're in no hurry to sell you anything and don't resent your trying on a dozen hats and leaving without one. (They know you'll return when you're ready.) Hats have become fashionable again, which men like me find a little disturbing, but this has led to many new and fine hats to pick from, so I suppose this "fashion" is a mixed blessing.  What's more it keeps the shop in business. (I do miss the original Worth & Worth, and don't believe the current shop by that name is worth a visit.)

    There was a time, when you bought a pair of pants  or a jacket and the salesman knew by looking at you as you approached what size trousers or jacket would not just fit but flatter. Few of these men are alive today, the salesmen at J&J know, and at a glance. Go. The City needs more men in real hats made in England, Italy and South America and not spun by machine in China.
  • Review from

    • 15 friends
    • 26 reviews
    Astoria, NY
    4/13/2011
    Gentlemen's hats, for gentlemen, and run by gentleman.

    I had been looking for a nice hat for a while, and had been looking in places like Macy's, Lord & Taylor, Kenneth Cole.  Those places would have 1 or 2 ugly looking hats, and a bunch of other crap...  luggage, lady's perfume, spatulas, shoes, shirts?  No thanks.  Finally did it up right and stepped into JJ Hat.  This place sells hats.  Lots of hats.  For men.  FINALLY!

    I stepped up to the counter and the super knowledgeable and debonair Rod helped me out.  I had a vague idea of what  I wanted and probably did a crappy job verbalizing it, but somehow Rod brought me the EXACT hat I wanted.  The man knows his stuff.  I tried the hat on (a Borsalino cap) and loved it to death.  He brought me a ton of other options, and was patient, funny, and affable.  I ended up going with the Borsalino.  It was a sweet hat and seemed to fit not only my large dome, but also my face.  It also looked a lot like a hat my grandfather used to wear.  I happily forked over the cash money and walked out with a fine hat and a smile.

    Befitting of a small specialty store, these guys also support their product.  Rod told me anytime I wanted them to steam up or brush the cap off, that I should just come in and they'd take care of it, free of charge.

    If you are a man who you wants a hat, skip the department stores and trendy clothing stores and get down to JJ Hat.  Ask for Rod.
  • Review from

    • 36 friends
    • 275 reviews
    Albany, NY
    6/24/2011
    I love JJ Hat Center, as evidenced by my 5-star review.

    This isn't for baseball caps that the kiddies wear. JJ Hat Center is the real deal, selling classy hats for men. Whether it's a pork pie, fedora, derby, or whatever else, this is the place to go.

    The staff here is always great. They know their stuff. Because of this, it's the perfect place to go to if you're a "beginner" buying your very first real hat. The guys at JJ know what works and can help you find a look that you can pull off, even if you're not sure what you're looking for.

    Expect to spend some money here. Depending on specifically what sort of hat you're looking at, anticipate spending at least $50. Nicer hats will easily run you a couple hundred.

    They're worth it. These aren't junk WalMart hats that feel cheap, lose their shape and fall apart in a couple weeks. These are quality hats that last.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Please leave a comment-- or suggestions, particularly of topics and places you'd like to see covered