SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Some 110 years have passed since the business began, but passersby, tourists, celebrities and even presidents still gravitate to this 19th-century mansion nestled in the heart of Santiago, Chile. Behind discreet gray doors, visitors find racks of hats — black bowlers, safari styles, top hats and close-fitting cloth caps once worn by troops.
The musty store, called Where the Monkey Hits, is a surprising fashion hotspot in modern-day Chile given its tradition, claiming to be the oldest hat maker in South America.
The shop sees the hat as much a relic of Chile’s past as it is an accessory. It recently reopened after a long restoration and now hosts a modest museum showcasing other 19th-century treasures like opulent chandeliers and neoclassical furniture.
The artifacts tell the story of the imported European fashions of that era as immigrants crossed oceans to try their luck on the distant Pacific coast. Exhausted and full of hope, Spanish, Italian, French and German workers poured out of ships and trains, into the pulsing streets of a nascent Santiago.
“It was like what our airports are today,” store owner Roberto Lasen, a third-generation Spanish immigrant, told The Associated Press, gesturing toward the capital’s main avenue, which has recently seen businesses shutter as consumers flock to shopping malls. “The entire flow of foreigners entered through this street.”