Iconic Henry the Hatter store to close downtown Detroit spot after 65 years

DETROIT (WJBK) -
"We've been in this location since 1952 which would make that 65 years," said Owner Paul Wasserman at hat retailer Henry the Hatter.

It is a long time for the store, located on Broadway Street in downtown Detroit. The landmark will be closing its doors later this summer.

Wasserman lost his lease at the building; therefore August 5th will likely be the last day here.

As the oldest hat retailer in the nation, customers appreciate the rich history.

"It's great that they're building up Detroit, but it's sad when we squeeze out one of the companies that is been here for more than 100 or something years," long-time costumer Wayne Curto said.

"[It's] my favorite hat store in the world. This is a place where I get my hats, they're colorful, the quality is here, I just love it," fellow costumer, Judge Craig Strong said.

"When you come downtown you see all of the new development which is great for the City, but we can never forget that Henry the Hatter has been here when this area seemed more like a ghost town,"  Wasserman said. "I saw a lot of the downside, and I wish I would've liked to been here for some of the upside too."

A lot of celebrities have become customers over the years, including Kid Rock. "I knew kid rock before anyone knew his name," Wasserman recalled. "Jack White when he was in Detroit, Jeff Daniels has been in from time to time, Steve Harvey before became super famous."

This list goes on, but the tradition will always come back home.

"What has really kept us here over the years is a loyal core of Detroiters who have stayed with us through thick and thin," Wasserman said.

There is another location in Southfield that will remain open, and Wasserman is hoping to reopen in Downtown Detroit. "I keep looking - I'm a glass half full kind of guy - for a location that I can afford, that is meaningful, and that my customers can come to," he said.

Although, it's entirely too so to say for sure, the city is reaching to Wasserman to see if there is anything the city can do to help keep this landmark in the D, which would make many longtime customers and this owner very happy.