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Not every business is struggling. In fact, some are indeed flourishing during these trying times. True, Optimo Hats may not be a household name, but you've definitely seen their products: The Beverly ...

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. Dave Hoekstra talks with Graham Thompson, ...

For Graham Thompson, who has always been drawn to “old-world, well-made things,” watching classic film noir with his dad sparked a fascination with hats. At 16, the Chicago native was introduced to ...

Finding bespoke men’s hats has become as rare as spotting a banker in a bowler. No wonder people travel from as far as London to visit Optimo Hat Company. “We have a lot of customers flying into ...

Bluesmen to bankers to billboard names–Buddy Guy, Tiger Woods, John Lee Hooker, Jay Leno–all have put their heads in the hands of Graham Thompson, proprietor of 12-year-old Optimo Hat Co. on the South ...

The hats worn by the stars in the new film, "Public Enemies" are the definition of 1930s style. One Chicago man made sure of it. Thompson owns Optimo Hats where he sells hand-made men's hats in ...

When I bought my beautiful brown-felt fedora from him a few years ago, Optimo owner Graham Thompson was still operating out of a combination storefront and factory on Western Avenue in Beverly, where ...

People dream of writing the Great American Novel or winning an Olympic gold medal, but the dream Graham Thompson nurtured for years was a little more offbeat. He wanted to make a hat for blues legend ...

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. The Fedora, the Porkpie, the Homburg, the ...