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Paul Wasserman & Joe Renkiewicz | Henry the Hatter
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Glimpse inside the nation’s oldest hat retailer and one of Detroit’s most iconic shops.
This 127-year-old hatter has outfitted the likes of Steve Harvey, LL Cool J, the notorious Purple Gang, Jimmy Kimmel, and President Dwight Eisenhower, who wore a hat from the shop at his second inauguration in 1957.
But just a few years ago, that legacy was threatened when Renkiewicz’s longtime boss and mentor Paul Wasserman, lost the lease to the hatter’s downtown location on Broadway. Without a home, Wasserman was about ready to throw in his figurative hat, shut down the flagship Detroit location for good, and sell his Southfield location to his protege.
But Detroit stepped up to save a beloved retail institution.
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“If you go to any other city and you see somebody with a hat on, they will say, that guy's from Detroit. Well, how can you tell? Look at his hat, look at his shoes... Just the way he's dressed. There is a sort of Detroit swagger.”
Joe Renkiewicz, owner, aka Henry V
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YOU ARE NOT ALONE
Find additional stories of resilience, resourcefulness, and inspiration as Shannon Cason, In Good Co. Detroit storyteller + podcaster, connects with small businesses grinding it out.
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