Welcome to What A Great Hat store in Fairlawn near Akron.
- Open: Hours are by appointment only
- Location: (Map It) 2855 West Market Street, Suite 202 in Fairlawn, Ohio
- Phone: 330-592-2295
- Web: www.whatagreathat.com
What A Great Hat: Dedicated hat wearers never tire of the smiles and comments they receive when wearing a great hat. Singleton had always admired hats on others but didn’t wear them herself until she purchased her first handmade hat at the 2004 Ann Arbor Art Fair. She knew she had stumbled onto something special when complete strangers said they loved the hat.
That first handmade hat changed Singleton’s life. She rushed home and made some hats on her own but soon realized that she wanted to learn more. She took millinery courses at Virginia Marti College in Lakewood, Ohio, and has completed workshops with Chicago’s Eia Radosavljevic. She has been producing one-of-a-kind hats out of straw, sinamay, wool felt, handmade felt, fabric and all sorts of vintage and handmade trimmings ever since.
Singleton markets her hats through Northeast Ohio art festivals, shows and boutiques and sees clients by appointment in her millinery studio and showroom in Akron, Ohio. Customers appreciate their artistry as much as their functionality.
Singleton hand blocks and sews wool and felt hats from scratch, creates sewn fabric soft hats and hand knitted and felted wool hats. Her hats are designed to be worn any time – a special occasion is not the only time to wear them.
Singleton won the judges’ choice award in 2010 for the Kentucky Derby hat contest and her hat was on display in the Kentucky Derby Museum for a year. Another hat submitted in 2011 is also on display in the museum.