hat maker >>> ericka kirkpatrick

By Mark La Rowe

Tucked away deep in southwest Montana, in the small town of Twin Bridges, Ericka Kirkpatrick carries on a long running family tradition as a hatter. Ericka runs Montana Mad Hatters in the same building that her mother, Cowgirl Hall of Fame member Sheila Kirkpatrick, created hats for 40 years. Ericka re-opened the business in 2017, after years of tutelage, and operates much the same way as her mother, Sheila, before her. With a continued focus on using the highest quality felts, she utilizes time-tested methods and tools to create a final product that reflects and flatters the person for whom it was created. Ericka states, “I am very passionate about keeping the original ways of hat making alive. Most of the equipment I use to make my hats is antique and I use a lot of methods that hat makers used long ago. I want to keep the history of the craftsmanship alive while keeping up with our ever-changing world. My goal and vision is to make sure these skills are passed down to future generations. It's a balancing act to keep up and grow with this fast-paced world without losing the quality, personal touch, craftsmanship and history.” Ericka’s upbringing most certainly had a huge impact on her hat-making style and commitment to the “old way”. Raised on a cattle ranch near Wisdom in Montana’s Big Hole Valley her family was very traditional with the methods they used to perform their daily ranch chores. For example, they fed cattle with a team of draft horses pulling a wagon or sleigh loaded with hay and pitched it to the animals by hand. They preferred the use of horses much more often than motorized equipment. Hard work, perseverance and dedication were necessary ingredients in her daily life.

As the youngest in the family Ericka would often make the trip into the hat shop with her mom where she watched Sheila create countless hats for celebrities and working cowboys alike. One thing that made a big impression on the young Ericka was the time and effort her mother took with each hat, personalizing it to the client. “My mother treated everyone the same. It didn’t matter if they were a working cowboy spending their last-hard earned dollar on a hat or a celebrity desiring a custom-made piece of Montana”, Ericka recalls.

Ericka’s work ethic and personal touch remains evident in her attitude and work product. This has made her one of Montana’s most sought after hatters. Humbly, Ericka hesitates to call her hats “art”. She prefers to view them as a functional piece of equipment that is a necessary component of a cowboy or cowgirls gear list. While she does make hats for people of all occupations, Ericka tries to keep each hat as unique as the person who will wear it, while also making sure it is still a piece of attire that will protect them from the sun, rain or snow. “We are all unique individuals so it is important to me to make sure the hat reflects that. I want it to complement and show off their best attributes. When a customer puts on a hat and his or her face lights up because they look and feel their best, that is very rewarding for me”, says a beaming Ericka. She loves receiving hats in the shop that need to be cleaned, especially if they are dirty and beaten up, because she knows the owner loves the hat and wears it almost everyday.

With regard to future plans, Ericka doesn’t have too many specific goals in mind other than to continue making quality hats. She does push herself to try new designs and is always looking to improve her craftsmanship and final product. Ericka concludes by saying, “If we don't try to continually improve, and mistakenly believe that we have learned all there is to know, we then risk missing out on our true and full potential. I hope to keep sharing my love for the old ways of making hats and keep a legacy of integrity and quality alive.” On your next trip through southwest Montana as you are passing through Twin Bridges, make a stop at Montana Mad Hatters. You might just walk out the door with your own little piece of Montana on your head.