Addressing the Hatless Era

Within the identical, cookie-cutter structure of buildings, rows, and blocks in downtown Traverse City hides the Diversions hat store. A store that, at first glance, appears to be just another store, owned and operated by a couple of old-timers. However, entering the confines of this hat store is more than just a brief taste of jazz-funk and a few minutes of trying on hats you would not dare to wear, it’s also succumbing, if only for a moment, to the physicality of a protest. Diversions is a place hoping to restore identity and individuality within society, to rid the world of the societal scaredy-cats we’ve become. Before the era of hatlessness, society was more willing to express themselves; for, no respectable man or woman would leave home without a hat to show the world who they are. Diversions is taking baby steps towards exposing the truth of what this hatless era means, and attempting to create a world of distinguishable people by selling a product that was once a wonderful way of self-expression.

Diversions is a humbly-sized store layered in hats of all categories from floor to ceiling, and, although hardly anyone dares to wear hats anymore, Diversions is brave enough to look past this revelation and say, “come on down and take one for a spin.” There is literally a hat for everyone, whether you're ballsy enough to wear it or not.

Everything about this store exhibits originality, with its obnoxious jazz on weekdays and smooth coffee house acoustic on weekends, the sections of western cowboy, newsboy tams, bold derby hats, roaring 20’s fascinators, cozy winter caps, and more. The store itself, along with every hat, is full of personality, but the people buying them are only those brave enough to be distinguished. Diversions is subtly, but effectively attempting to get a sense of identity and uniqueness back into society.

Join them at 104 East Front Street, Traverse City, MI 49684 :)