Nestled in the quaint community of Old Town Spring, Martha Gene Boutique offers the most wonderful hidden gem. The Hat Bar is a place to get Rodeo ready - its a place for friends to gather, couples to meet and for budding designers and western fashionistas to express their artistic flair.
The first step is to select your hat from the huge selection of cowboy hats lining the walls, there’s a magnificent selection in all shapes, sizes and styles, bright, neutral and pastel in color, made from a range of materials including vegan leather, felt and straw, all sporting a variety of different brims.
Next, personalize your hat! Choose your favorite accents and trims from the many fabulous boxes of charms, findings, feathers, leather laces and bands, chiffons, braided trim and ribbons, as well as some quirky antique matchbooks and playing cards featuring armadillos, jackalopes, there’s even an ace of spades with a bullet hole in the center!
Boutique and hat bar owner Krysta Miles and best friend Brittany Carbajol are on hand to advise and assemble your choices, making your design a reality. Upon completion of your design, they offer services such as singeing the edges with a burner for an antiqued look. They specialize in freehand scrollwork, and can burn designs and drawings, patterns, emblems and monograms, special quotes and words onto the surface. The result is a classy western look with an artistic twist. “We can do just about anything on a hat” Krysta tells me.
The Martha Gene Boutique and Hat Bar is in its fourth year of business, Krysta was raised by her grandparents, Martha and Gene and chose to honor them with her company name. Martha being a crafty lady who could turn her hand to anything, was a terrific inspiration.
The clothing boutique came first, and Krysta thought the Hat Bar experience would be a fun addition to the store. If you’re unable to visit the Old Town Spring location, there are opportunities to attend numerous pop-up events or even design your own hat virtually, and it will be shipped to you. “There’s not another hat bar where you can come in and get freehand burning done, we are the only one in greater Houston, we were nominated for The Houston Chronicles Best of the Best in Western Stores this year.”
Martha Gene Designs is on the up and up and looking to expand this year with a second location. You can reserve your space at the Hat Bar and find out more via https://marthagene.com/
