The Chapellerie Sire, a 156-year-old hat shop in Pamiers, in the Ariège department of southern France, is drawing tourists from around the world this summer as the country's largest hat store.
Jacqueline Balança-Sire, the shop's manager, said she had loyal customers who returned every year, buying both summer and winter hats in the same visit. She said it was rare for a hat shop to hold so much stock, which was why customers took advantage of the range on offer.
Tourists from around the world
Balança-Sire said international visitors seemed to be travelling from further afield each summer. She recalled serving a Japanese customer and shoppers from New Zealand on the same day. She said the Japanese visitor had come to see the statue of Gabriel Fauré and ended up buying something in the shop because she had never seen a store like it before.
Gabriel Fauré, the French composer known for his Requiem and Pavane, was born in Pamiers, and a statue of him stands in the town.
The shop's reputation also draws in local residents. Balança-Sire said that when people from Pamiers had family visiting, they brought them to see the Chapellerie.
Busy trade through the heatwaves
Summer is the busiest season for the shop, and taking time off is not an option. Balança-Sire said that if a hatter was not selling hats in summer and during heatwaves, something was wrong, and that for her business it was the ideal time of year. She said straw hats were the standout product in summer, worn to protect against the heat.
The shop's range includes cloth hats, caps, foldable hats for hiking, and Panama hats. Balança-Sire described the Panama as the quintessential summer hat, explaining that it is defined not by its shape but by the quality of its straw, the finest of which comes from Ecuador. She said it was a pleasant hat to wear in summer because it was light enough to forget it was even on your head.
Taking the shop beyond its walls
Balança-Sire said she tried to attend all of Ariège's biggest events to showcase the shop and draw people to Pamiers. She has recently appeared at the Manouch'Musik Festival in Mazères, as well as at local markets. The shop itself, on Rue Gabriel Péri, stays open almost year-round, with its large hat collection awaiting new customers from wherever they may come.
