You Can Leave Your Hat On

I’m a dude. And we dude’s need help when it comes to getting the best gift for our ladies. I went into a local proprietor’s clothing shop and was rudely told to leave because the owner, a young woman, was on the phone and couldn’t give me customer service by hanging up phone. Apparently my business wasn’t important to her. No worries — I’ll give her a 1 star in another review. So I stood there befuddled and thought — hey I’ll go to the Hat Shop — just up the street and around the corner in downtown Oregon City.
I should have started at the hat shop.
I was greeted with a friendly hello, a pleasant aroma of sweet perfume and of course the fantastical array of hats. I had a limited spending amount and yet I found the best scarf that my wife adores. She gets so many compliments on it and that pleases me. I also found lotion, delectable chocolate truffles and hand woven woolen accessories. It was the best gift for my wife and I’m glad for the excellent customer service, the kindness and helpfulness of the proprietor.
If you need a genuine experience plus a professional to meet your gift buying needs for all things hats and more, visit You Can Leave Your Hat On Hat Shop. And for the record, I’m a dude, like I said, and I own 3 hats from this shop — a felt fedora, a herringbone cap and a herringbone cap with flaps.

This is a fun and vogue hat shop! She offers a variety of styles of hats, from vintage style, classic, classy to modern chic. She even has hats for people going through chemo who need the perfect hat, with an area for privacy to try them on if one prefers. The owner is genuine, kind and helpful.
Every woman looks beautiful in the right hat, we should all own at least one hat we adore.
Love it!

A cute little hat shop with a bevvy of options. And you get a chocolate with purchase!
I’m not really a hat person, but I was walking around on a day off, saw the cute sign, and had just gotten paid… and so I purchased one anyway. Honestly, I didn’t wear it for a month. Then I got busy and didn’t have time to flat iron all of my hair. Omg! This hat has saved my fashion image. And I get a lot of compliments on the color and fit. The quality is high, the hat’s liner doesn’t pull at my hair, so that $ 30+ was well worth it.
I will return for another investment piece.

Amazing amazing! Never did I think I could spend nearly 3 hours in a hat store but I did! I wasn’t even a hat wearer till now!
The store owner is fun and helpful and creative and will show you a great time trying hats on as well!
This shop has everything you can imagine!
Ladies grab a friend and your wallets and run! Very very reasonable prices and better hats then you’ll ever find at bargain end stores!

The owner Sandy will help you find the hat that will ‘make you dance’! And if her husband is in, he will give his stamp of approval (or a ‘that’s not quite right’ look). Friendly, knowledgeable and amazing selection! No matter what occasion you need a hat for, from Derby to practical to winter fun, it’s here!

What a fun little independent shop! It’s a playground for your noggin! I had a blast trying on all sorts of hats from sophisticated, to whimsical handmade felted, and everything in between. In addition to a vast selection, you also get service like you don’t see unless you’re in a high end boutique. I’ve been their twice, not intending to buy anything either time and walked out with hat in hand (actually, I was wearing it but it’s more fun to say it that way!). They took hats down for me to try, brought out similar items for me to choose from and overall made the experience what I think shopping should be, pleasant and fun!
In addition to fabulous hats of all types, she also has beautiful leather bags, shoes, scarves, and delightful umbrellas that would make an winter in Portland something to look forward to! I know that you think I’m exaggerating, but I’m not! I highly recommend this place, in fact I asked about having a get-​together there and was told that they do just that. They’ll host after hours parties. That would be way more fun than a candle party, let me assure you!
Stop in, you won’t regret it, but bring cash or a check as she doesn’t take credit.
One final note, I marked moderate on the price range because I think the prices are fair, but it’s not inexpensive. I mean, I don’t know what to compare it to, some are handmade here in Oregon and the prices are just what I’d expect to pay if I bought from the artisan. You’ll never find these hats at Target.

We were so fortunate to find this hidden gem of a store. My wife was on a mission! Her mission was to find the «perfect» hat for one of our closest friends. There was an excellent selection of good quality, good valued hats. The owner was engaging and informative. She was also very smart. She offered me a dark chocolate, salted caramel while my wife shopped for a hat. Very smart!
When we went to pay with a credit card we were informed that it was cash or check only. My wife, the consummate shopper just happened to have one check left. While she was searching for the check, the store owner said, if you can’t find it just send me one in the mail. Seriously, this is excellence in customer service. We will be back! I just happen to have a thing for hats!

I love this store, and I love this store’s owner, Sandra. While true that this shop caters mostly to its female clientele, there is a section of men’s hats that is kept up to date with the latest fashions. I enjoy checking back every week or so to see all the new items that have been added.
What I enjoy the most about this store is its «home-​y» feel. It’s comfortable, it’s clean, and more often than not, her iPod is playing some mid-​20^th century jazz music that matches the overall feel of the store perfectly. I feel as though I am stepping back into time, and I love that!
FYI: This store now accepts debit/​credit card payments. I respect the fact that Sandra passes along her savings by not marking up her inventory. I always get a good deal on the quality hats here. Shop around, you’ll see.
At the end of the day, it all boils down to the customer experience. Sandra is such a kind, hilarious woman with top-​notch customer service. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, she’ll call her distributor on the phone with you standing right there. She’ll even let you thumb through her catalogs and place special orders.
Oregon City needs a place like this, and I am grateful that You Can Leave Your Hat On is here.

This store is a true jewel, as is the owner. It has inventory that surpasses the John Helmer store for men’s hats downtown, but You Can Leave Your Hat On caters to women. The first time I went to the store was near Christmas. I planned to just pop in and pop out, but wound up staying awhile, trying on dozens of hats. I bought the one that looked the least enticing on the display, because when I put it on my head it blossomed just for me! Yesterday was the first day of summer, but I woke up feeling low. For no particular reason, I remembered the happy feeling that the winter hat gave me, and I went back to see if there would be a better one for this season. There was.
Although the store definitely has some hats that could go to the Ascot or the British Royal wedding, it also has many hats that are very casual and make a much more subtle statement. Those are the ones I gravitate toward. The selection is far far beyond Nordstrom, and the hats are unique and brought in from all over the world. While I was trying on unstructured knock around hats, another woman was there trying on cowboy type hats the owner recently bought in Madrid. She found a dark blue cowboy hat with geometric stitched accents that looked perfect on her, and bought it.
It is true that the owner does not accept credit cards — only cash and checks. She explained that she could keep the prices of her hats a fraction of what they are in department stores by not paying the fees to the credit card companies. But if you find the perfect hat, and don’t have quite enough, she will accept two installment payments, or a mail payment to help you out, so you can wear the hat out that day. Who does that anymore?!
There is a room in the back of the store with incredible vintage historical hats, which are also for sale. It is really fun to play dress up with them. But the best thing about this store is the owner and the other customers. Trying on hats just seems to makes women friendly. You want to see how each other looks and help each other find the one that sings on them. It makes you regress a little to when you sat in a room as a child playing tea party or movie star. You are not hidden in a dressing room, trying to decide yourself what looks good. You are out in the open, with the hats all around you, calling your inner child out to play. It’s an uplifting experience. Sandra, the owner, is the perfect combination of warm and respectful. Shopping here is always a happy event, and buying here doesn’t break your budget!

The reason I kept passing this store was because of the name and the signage.
My two best guesses were a meeting place for the Red Hat Society ladies OR a place for ladies to see men remove well… everything. The later because I kept singing the song from The Full Monty. Kind of a fun little tune as you are strolling the streets of Oregon City. So I was quite surprised, and perhaps a little disappointed, that it is just a nice little hat store. They also carry gloves, scarves and some extravagant pins for your coat.
When you arrive, first time customers are offered chocolate from Michele’s Truffles in Clackamas to enjoy while they shop. (
). Very nice touch.
The service was very friendly, but on my first visit approached the uncomfortable stage that you sometimes feel when shopping in a small business. I don’t know how long they’ve been in Oregon City, but due to the store’s location and the interminable closure of the Arch Bridge between West Linn and Oregon City, the small businesses in downtown Oregon City have certainly felt the pinch. Who knew West Linners had that much of an effect on the O.C. economy? I think both communities will rejoice when the bridge reopens later this year.
The hats are lovely and a nice mix of styles from vintage to contemporary. If I was having a viewing party for My Fair Lady, I’d do my shopping here. Realistically, my mother would be more likely to be a customer, because she grew up in a time when ladies regularly wore hats. I just never got the knack for rocking a stylish chapeau.
My favorite part of the store, aside from the truffle, was a really stunning photo of Marilyn Monroe. As I girl, I know I’m supposed to be on Team Jackie O (who has a smaller portrait on the opposing wall), but there is something about Marilyn. You really should take a moment to look at the photos. It is a mix of historic moments (Reagan and Gorbachev embracing at the end of the Cold War) and stylish women throughout history in their hats from Mae West to Kate Middleton.
They also have a funny collection of Hat Quotes, including this one by Margaret Atwood, «I myself have 12 hats, and each one represents a different personality. Why just be yourself?»
There were are a good selection of sale items: 50% off OR make your best offer. On a transactional note, no credit cards accepted. Just cash or check.