We recently connected with Angel Coe and have shared our conversation below.
Angel, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the decision of whether to donate a percentage of sales to an organization or cause – we’d love to hear the backstory of how you thought through this.
When I started designing hats, I really just wanted to gift them and share them. Not sell them. An organization I was involved with at the time was having a silent auction and I thought, “Hey! Maybe they’d like a hat!” I’ve donated many since then. It is one of the most gratifying aspects of designing hats for me. It makes my heart so happy when I can provide an avenue for organizations to raise money. The very first one I donated was to Make a Wish and I literally cried (happy tears) when I saw how much money the hat raised. Had my friend not sent me the video for the last hat I donated (to Tough Enough to Wear Pink), I would not have believed the amount it garnered. And, yes, I cried when I saw that, too.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
Well I never really ‘set out’ to design hats. It started as a creative outlet and a way to thank people on my rodeo committee for their service. Then it became a way to give to charitable organizations. As people began seeing my hats, they asked to buy them. It all just evolved from there. But, even more than the creative outlet, I love watching someone fall in love with a hat. It’s funny because people usually don’t just ‘browse’ through the hats and end up picking one like you would pick a t-shirt…they walk in and one will just jump out at them. And that is the reward for me. When someone buys a hat because it speaks to them, they feel great in it, and they love it as much as I do, I feel like my mission is accomplished.
I’ve made a few hats for some wonderful women who have fought and survived cancer and, hands down, those are my favorite hats because they ‘do’ something for someone. They make them feel special…in a good way. If there is anything I can do, in whatever small way, to put a smile on their face and help them feel pretty, I’ll make hats till the cows come home.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Because I consider my hats ‘art’, I had a really hard time wrapping my head around selling them, initially. That felt like offering your dog for sale to me. It felt so foreign and I guess, partially, because I couldn’t believe that people liked my hats as much as I did.
It’s funny, because I absolutely dreaded my first show. Had it not been for a good cause (I was a vendor at a fundraiser and I was donating a portion of the sales), I might not have even done the show. I ended up having the best time ever! Watching people walk out of the booth beaming and happy with their new hats just got my motor going. Now I’m hooked and can’t wait until the next one!
Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?
I’m not sure I will ever forget the feeling I had when a special friend received the first hatband I ever made. She had lost her daughter and I was so touched when I heard her story. I designed a band with angel’s wings, eternity symbols, linked hearts, and butterflies. She texted me when she received it and said she couldn’t even drive home when she picked up the hatband because she was crying so hard. Being able to touch someone’s heart at that depth is very special. Being able to give someone or sell someone something that matters to them is a privilege I am grateful for. Sure, they’re ‘just hats’ or ‘just hatbands’. But when a little thing can mean so much to someone, that’s a win in my book.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.radhatterofaustin.com
- Instagram: @radhatterofaustin
- Other: [email protected]
Image Credits
Courtney Greer Photography