By Jessica Hudgins
SDUN Reporter
Not surprisingly, Fred Belinsky, owner and founder of The Village Hat Shop in Hillcrest, is an eager participant in that long-standing tradition. In fact, he said women should begin at the top when choosing their Opening Day outfit.
“Start with the hat,” he said.
In his 30th year running the company—which includes locations in Seaport Village, Long Beach and Sacramento as well as a bustling online store— Belinsky said his business booms when racing season is just around the turn.
“The hat event of the year in this town is Opening Day,” Belinsky said. “It is Christmas, Easter and Hanukah all rolled into one.”
While he encourages shoppers to build their ensembles around a hat, Belinsky said his stores are prepared to assist last-minute shoppers.
“A lot of women will come in as late as the day of the race,” he said. “They’ll have their dress on and then go directly to Del Mar.”
Waiting until the stretch run could mean the merchandise has been picked over, and it might be harder to find a specific color to match the right shade of a dress, he said. But an in-store supply of ribbon, silk flowers and faux fruit allows staffers to customize a hat that’s just right for a photo finish.
“We are very much a customer-service oriented company,” Belinsky said. “There’s no way in the world we would have survived 30 years if we weren’t good at responding to the needs of customers.”
The first Village Hat Shop opened May 2, 1980, in Seaport Village. Shortly after, the second store opened in Horton Plaza. In 1997 that store was relocated to its Fourth Avenue spot in Hillcrest.
When the Internet took off in the ’90s, Belinsky tentatively decided to tap into the e-commerce business.
“We didn’t think it was a really good fit for our shop, as far as trying the hats on, seeing how they fit, how they look,” he said. “We were wrong. People responded very nicely to our site.”
Online purchases at villagehatshop.com generate a significant portion of the company’s income, Belinsky said. Internet fulfillment is such a big part of what they do at the Hillcrest location that he is thinking of expanding his operation. Nothing is firm yet, but Belinsky is in the process of securing a new building solely for online purchases, freeing up space at the Hillcrest location for what could be a hat superstore.
“There wouldn’t be a bigger hat store in the country if we go through with this,” Belinsky said.
Until that happens, The Village Hat Shop continues to provide a wide variety of inventory. With more than 50 brands and 1,000 different styles from which to choose at price points starting at $15 and climbing to several hundred dollars, there’s something for everyone.
“The way we differentiate ourselves from a lot of other people who sell hats is the breadth of our selection,” Belinsky said. “Anything that goes on a head is fair game.”
Spring marks the busy season for The Village Hat Shop. While foot traffic picks up around Easter, it is Del Mar Opening Day that captures the store’s focus. This year, both San Diego stores are gearing up for the first race by hosting two major trunk shows featuring two of the nation’s most innovative hat designers.
On July 10, the Hillcrest store will host Arturo Rios’ inaugural trunk show.
“He’s a head turner,” Belinsky said. “If women want to look different at the races, they will have one of Arturo’s pieces on.”
Rios, who describes himself as “an ordinary guy who designs out of the ordinary hats,” began his millinery career in 2001. All of his hats are handcrafted in the United States one piece at a time. His work has been featured in high-fashion magazines and has been worn by celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Daisy Fuentes, Jaime King and Lindsay Lohan.
Rios will travel from his Los Angeles office for this trunk show, his first ever.
“To get him down here was a real coup because he’s one of those guys that doesn’t leave his studio,” Belinsky said.
The Village Hat Shop has had a relationship with Rios since early in his career.
“I decided to have the trunk show [in Hillcrest] because The Village Hat Shop is one of my best customers,” Rios said.
Rios’ line of couture pieces has always been among the top sellers during racing season, said Bernadette Ramirez, a buyer’s assistant at The Village Hat Shop.
“For Opening Day, women are leaning more toward the cocktail pieces with feathers, more colorful fabric and flower detail like on Arturo’s hats,” she said. “We are so honored that he is partnering up with us for his first trunk show.”
Rios’ hats aren’t plain Jane, blend-in-the-crowd types of pieces. They exhibit everything from exotic feathers and butterflies to birds’ nests and ice cream cones.
“My signature is to be different,” Rios said. “I try to make different stuff for customers so they have a hat that nobody else has.”
Some of his creations are outrageous enough that a certain pop star might even find them a worthy crown.
“One of the hats I’m bringing to the trunk show was made for Lady Gaga’s style,” Rios said. “We’re trying to find a way she can wear it because, for her, it would be perfect.”
A week after the Rios show, The Village Hat Shop will team with one of the oldest and most popular millinery companies in the country—Betmar Hats. On July 17, Betmar’s head designer, Natalya Nikitina, will arrive from New York City to showcase the 75-year-old company’s hats at the 6th Annual Pre-Race Day Trunk Show at The Village Hat Shop in Seaport Village.
Just as Arturo Rios has had a relationship with The Village Hat Shop since he became a designer, Betmar has been supplying product to the store since it opened in 1980.
“It’s a real honor,” Nikitina said. “It’s great to go to the trunk show and actually help the customers piece their outfit together.”
The Betmar trunk show will give customers the opportunity to see hats outside of The Village Hat Shop’s stock and a chance to preview next year’s spring line. And for a few lucky shoppers, perhaps even a one-of-a-kind chapeau.
“Some of what she’ll sell they’ve decided not to include in their line,” Belinsky said. “So someone might be buying a hat that is the only example of it that will ever exist.”
As with Belinsky’s staff, Nikitina is eager to assist race-goers looking for an eye-catching hat.
“In the world of casual dressing, the races give women the opportunity to embrace her elegance, and the hat can provide a sense of individuality,” she said. “The hat creates the whole outfit.”
Fred Belinsky agrees. “There’s something about the fact that you echo the past when you get dressed to the nines and go to the races,” he said. “And you can’t dress to the nines without a hat.”
As for Arturo Rios, he’s confident his hats will shine bright in the winner’s circle.
“You have to be secure with yourself to wear my hats because you will be getting a lot of attention when you wear them,” Rios said.
For some, the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about the races might be Secretariat, Seabiscuit or Barbaro. But for others, it’s not about placing the bet; it’s all about wearing the hat. Move over, Zenyatta—you won’t be the only lady stealing the limelight at the track this year.
