A longtime craftsman hangs up his hat
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Gus Miller reflects on memorable hat shop customers over the years. Photos: Kristen Swilley/Axios
One of downtown Cincinnati's last old-school craftsmen is hanging up his hat.
Why it matters: Batsakes Hat Shop's planned closure in September will end nearly 120 years of local history and the career of owner Gus Miller, who has spent 76 years working in the family business and became one of the country's last traditional hatmakers.
- Over the decades, the little shop has attracted athletes, musicians and even presidents.
Flashback: Miller, now 93, started working at Batsakes in 1951 as a 17-year-old after emigrating from Greece.
- Uncles Pete and George Batsakes founded the business in 1907.
- Over the decades, Miller learned every part of the trade — restoring heirloom hats, blocking felt by hand and eventually crafting custom hats himself.
Long before social media, Batsakes built its reputation almost entirely through word of mouth.
- People brought in everything from century-old family hats to one-of-a-kind custom requests.
- "The people advertise for me," Miller tells Axios. "Bad news travels fast, but good work brings people back."
The intrigue: The clientele has included plenty of famous people.
- Former President George H.W. Bush, who purchased several Batsakes hats over the years, stopped by the downtown shop in 1994 for a shoeshine while visiting Cincinnati.
- Famed opera singer Luciano Pavarotti was also a customer, and invited Gus and his wife, Rita, to attend a Three Tenors concert in New York.
When Bush spotted him in the audience, Rita says the former president immediately recognized him.
- "He jumped up and said, 'Oh my gosh. It's Gus Miller from Cincinnati.'"
- Bush's next question wasn't about politics.
- He asked about Grady, the employee who had shined his shoes in Cincinnati. After learning the presidential pin he'd given had been stolen, Bush mailed Grady a replacement.
Zoom in: The store owner credits his longevity to never cutting corners.
- If Miller notices an imperfection while finishing a hat, he starts over.
- "You've got to watch what you're doing," he says. "The customer may find the spot that wasn't right."
The bottom line: That relentless attention to detail turned Batsakes into one of Cincinnati's most enduring small businesses. What replaces Batsakes remains to be seen, but replacing Gus Miller is another matter.
- "I'm proud of who he is and his absolute love for what he does," Rita says. "I was always impressed with the drive he had every single day."
