By Kalena Reynolds | Staff Writer
“Everyone can leave with a hat” is the motto of the owner of Rancher Hat Bar, Shantelle Girard.
Rancher Hat Bar originally started out of a vintage camper trailer in 2023 and quickly gained popularity across the United States. It currently has six locations open, with the newest one in Waco.
There are various other locations in places like California, Arizona, Colorado and Dallas. However, Girard felt Hotel Herringbone was the perfect place for her newest location due to its proximity to Dallas and Austin.
“We’re super excited to be a part of that small town [Waco], just because we think there’s so much there,” Girard said. “So we thought it would be fun to bring this type of experience to Waco and the surrounding cities like we have one in Dallas as well. We just wanted to take Rancher everywhere, and we’re excited to be in all these different parts of Texas.”
The store is known for its customizable cowboy hats, which come in a variety of colors, including olive, mint, pink, baby blue and cherry red. It is also the first bolo tie bar in America. In addition to cowboy hats, the store also carries customizable flat-brim hats, called rancher hats, and trucker hats.
Waco store manager McKenzie Cole said there are an array of charms, patches, chains and other accessories to choose from when decorating the hats.
“Our trucker hat bar is insane,” Cole said. “It’s so cool. We have tons of different patches you can choose from. We have trucker chains, so it’s almost like a little necklace for your hat. You can put a chain between the brim and the crown … It’s truly like a very personal experience because you’re never gonna leave with the exact same hat as someone else. It’s definitely 100% you.”
Rancher Hat Bar prioritizes unique customizations and offers a variety of services to complement these modifications.
“We customize our hats there, and you can burn them, you can brand them,” Cole said. “We have ribbons. We do stitching, charms, chains, feathers, cards, matches — you name it. We can definitely deck out a cowboy hat.”
The store’s main concept is to provide something for everyone and ensure every customer finds something that suits their vision, no matter the price range or style, Cole said.
“We want everyone to be able to have the Rancher experience,” Girard said. “We believe that we can make a hat within anyone’s budget. We have hats that range anywhere from $20 and go all the way up to a couple hundred dollars, but everyone who comes in can leave with a hat. We work within everybody’s budget, and we have hats in every price point.”
In addition to in-store inventory, Rancher Hat Bar can custom order any size they don’t carry. They can also steam and shape hats to a customer’s liking.
“We can shape a hat and steam fit,” Cole said. “We can add spacers if it’s a little too loose. We really make sure that it’s the perfect hat for them. From there, they can look at all the different accessories and embellishments that we have, and they can choose anything they like.”
Beyond Rancher Hat Bar, Girard is also starting a podcast with her husband called “Rancher Chat” to help people get to know their brand and the company’s backstory. The podcast will feature store employees as well as guest hosts.
Girard said she also wants the podcast to serve as a source of advice for local business owners.
While the store offers walk-ins, customers are asked to call or email ahead of time to schedule an appointment.
The store is located at 319 S 4th St, Suite 8, Waco, TX 76701.
