Canada's oldest hat store still going strong after 90 years
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Until 16 years ago, Francis Bissonnette-Gilker didn't know much about hats, but during a resume run in the city's Latin Quarter, a friend dared him to apply to Henri Henri.
"I guess they liked the cut of my jib since they told me to get a suit and come back tomorrow," he said.
Now, he has an encyclopedic knowledge of hats and uses it to help customers find their perfect match.
"We also look at what people like, what they wear and we try to find the best style, the best balance," he said.
The store was founded by hat salesmen Jean-Maurice Lefebvre and Honorius Henri in 1932.
At first they only specialized in a few brands and styles, but over the years their collection and clientele expanded.
Today, many celebrities, musicians and hockey players stop by Henri Henri when they're in Montreal.
Shows like Yellowstone and Peaky Blinders have also created more hat interest in young people.
But it's also the old-school glamour that attracts them, according Bissonnette-Gilker.
"They like the fact that we have the same furniture for 90 years and that we have the same cash register," he said. "They love that we still serve them kind of old school."
The hats aren't cheap, but they are made to last.
The store also offers cleaning, reshaping and repair services.
Sylvain Labbe is one of the few hatters or "chapeliers" in the country.
Trained in France, and having spent 18 years with Cirque du Soleil, he does all his work by hand.
"It's an ancient art," he said. "The tools and methods haven't changed much."
The throughline at Henri Henri is tradition.
The business has always been family fun, and today, father and son duo Joel and Yannig Plunier are at the helm.
Lately, Joel has been working on taking Henri Henri to a wider audience.
"We're putting a lot of energy in our e-commerce," he said. "that's the future."
Their stockrooms are filled with the latest bowlers, porkpies, Stetsons and even kangaroo-leather caps, but the most prized is a Borsalino panama hat.
Each one takes three months to weave and costs $1,400.
"They are more than just fashion accessories," Bissonnette-Gilker said. "Yes, they look good. But they also serve a purpose, especially if you're balding."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
This type of screen time has the worst effect on kids: experts
According to some experts, there is one type of screen time that is continuously excessive, and it's having a severe effect on our children.
Grayson Murray, two-time PGA Tour winner, dead at 30
Two-time PGA Tour winner Grayson Murray died Saturday morning at age 30, one day after he withdrew from the Charles Schwab Cup Challenge at Colonial.
Family of toddler found dead at small-town Ont. daycare no closer to answers after year of investigation
A year has passed since two-year-old Vienna Irwin was found on the property of a home-based daycare in small-town Ontario, but her family says they are no closer to answers of what happened that day.
Fatal plane crash reported near Squamish, B.C.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has confirmed it is working with local Mounties and the BC Coroners Service after a plane crash near Squamish, B.C. Friday night.
Humboldt Broncos crash victims and families react to decision to deport truck driver
The family of one of the victims of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in 2018 says they are 'thankful' for a decision by a Calgary immigration board to deport the driver of the truck involved.
'God forgives but we don’t': Loud outburst from stabbing victim’s family during sentencing hearing
An emotional outburst in a London, Ont. courtroom Friday disrupted the sentencing hearing of a woman who pleaded guilty for her part in the death of 29-year-old Mohammed Abdallah.
Three dead after vehicle plunged down a 100-foot embankment in Shediac, N.B.
Three people have died after a vehicle veered off the road in Shediac N.B., Friday morning.
Chiefs' Harrison Butker has no regrets about expressing his beliefs in speech
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker has no regrets about expressing his beliefs in a recent commencement speech and he said he has received support as well as “a shocking level of hate” from others.
Community mourns victims of fatal boat crash near Kingston, Ont.
The three people killed in last weekend's tragic collision between a speedboat and a fishing boat north of Kingston are being remembered Friday.