Flipside Hats recently moved one door down within the same building, taking over 7848 SE Stark Street from a previous tenant. The hat company relocated to Montavilla from SE Belmont Street in November 2021 after an extensive remodel of the building. Endure Vintage Furniture rented the smaller retail space at the hat-maker-owned building in February 2023 but closed the business last April. Flipside Hats and its related brands moved their operations out of the building two years ago, relocating to Tucson, Arizona, while maintaining Portland-based production. Since then, the company only used the showroom space on SE Stark Street. Flipping storefronts in the building allowed the owners to rent to a new furniture company, Storied Vintage, which could use the expanded floor space as they increase capacity.
Kori Giudici and Jacob Wollner co-own Flipside Hats and have had strong ties to Portland. The couple bought the Montavilla building at the beginning of 2021 and renovated it to serve as a showroom, warehouse, and design shop. However, after a year, circumstances changed, and they needed to move out of the state. “We moved most of our operations like our offices and our warehouse and our design to Arizona,” explained Wollner, adding, “We still have our production in Portland.”
When the last tenant vacated, Giudici and Wollner had the opportunity to consider leasing out the smaller space again or switching locations based on interest from prospective tenants. They found Storied Vintage looking for dedicated showroom space with a backroom workspace, prompting the change in locations. Wollner said the last occupants left significant repair work, so they would have already needed to invest in that space, further incentivizing the storefront swap. They have also seen a decrease in foot traffic walking into the shop and saw this as a way to update operations.
The new storefront space will have slightly reduced operating hours but offer an increased product selection. “We are planning to expand our specialty item offerings from the shop, making it more interesting and engaging for people based on what they want,” said Wollner. The store will carry more items produced by maker partners, offering jewelry, cards, and other small craft items complementary to the hats on display. Flipside Hats will also expand its apparel lines and have a specialty line of Portland hats. They expect these changes will bring more people into the shop and keep their four store employees busy with guests seeking the right accessory.
Flipside Hats is open from noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the weekends. They are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Customers can shop for the current hat collections online or in the store. The shop has unique items that are not always available online.
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