Martin's Hat Shop

Martin's Hat Shop. 312 Stewart Street. , Architectural Style: Vernacular Storefront, Martin's Hat Shop operated at this address in "Freetown" between circa 1942 and 2008. The history of the business goes back to 1915, when the hat shop was located at 115 W. Cypress Street, not far from the Jefferson Street underpass. John Martin opened the shop after training in New Orleans, learning the specialized art of crafting, cleaning, blocking, and restyling hats. The building on Cypress Street burned twice and John decided the business would be safer next door to his home. He moved the business to this location around 1942. John's son John Martin, Jr., and his wife, Thelma Goodie Martin, joined the business shortly after the move and they continued the business after John Sr.'s retirement in the early 1960s. Before 1960, hats were a necessary part of the everyday wardrobe and hat shops like Martin's were plentiful. By 1960, Martin's Hat Shop was the only shop of its kind between Houston and New Orleans. Customers from all over the U.S. shipped their hats to Martin's. After John Martin, Jr. died in 1976, Thelma continued the legacy of Martin's Hat Shop until her retirement in 2008. She often spoke fondly about the wonderful time she and her husband had throughout their lives, listening to music and dancing in the shop as they worked together at a craft they both loved.