‘Making women feel beautiful'
From Hilary Clinton to Courtney Love, Nova Scotia women’s hats worn all over the world
For Anna Shoub, it all started 25 years ago with a pink, felt hat.
“I just fell in love,” says Shoub, a milliner and owner of The Hat Junkie in Lunenburg.
At the time, Shoub was visiting her aunt, who took her to a boutique in Montreal where she saw the pink hat that would shape her future. After an internal debate, included being worried about the cost, she bought it.
“I don’t think I can put it in words, but there is a universal response to hats,” she says. “When I was 19 and I had that hat, I was intimidated to wear it … but then I was blown away by the reaction; people would smile when they saw it.”
From there, her collection only grew. It wasn’t until seven years later that she changed from a “hat addict” to a hat maker. She walked into a hat shop and saw an in-progress hat being made and knew this was what she wanted to do with her life.
After being told by the shop owner the first thing she needed to know was how to sew, Shoub set to work.
She never took a millinery course. Instead, asked a neighbour to help her sew, took apart old hats and read everything she could on the subject.
“It wasn’t particularly skillful, but it had charm to it,” she says about her first hat, which had about a “million different colour combinations.”
Shoub’s designs, and skills, have evolved over the years. Some of her more recent designs include colourful 1930s-style masie style hats, flapper hats, straw hats, and even a headband or two.
One of her more frequent customers is Halifax’s Randi
Warne, who discovered Hat Junkie at Halifax’ Brewery Market soon after Shoub and her family moved to Lunenburg in 2008.
“Her hats attracted me because it gets cold and she had winter hats you could put on your head and still look really great,” says Warne. “They were stylish, they were very cozy and you looked better with them on than without - and that is rare for a winter hat.”
Warne also liked that many Shoub’s hats have a retro look, which is one reason she now owns about 20 Hat Junkie hats.
“I can’t stop by myself; I buy new ones and I’ve given some away,” says Warne.
Shoub’s hats have been sold and worn all over the world. Some famous Hat Junkie hat recipients include singer Courtney Love and former presidential candidate and First Lady Hilary Clinton.
But, Shoub is humble. It’s not the famous customers that make it worthwhile. It’s that personable connection, like a woman in Denmark who told Shoub her hat made her feel “beautiful” while picking up her kids from school.
“That’s exactly what I strive for, making women feel
HATS
beautiful while going about their everyday lives,” says Shoub.
Shoub is also glad to play a small role in bringing the joy of wearing hats to others.
“I think it's about the theatricality,” she says. “When you put a hat on, you take on a personality. They're playful; it's like dress up.”
Shoub's hats can be found on hatjunkie.com, Lady Luck Boutique in the Hydrostone market and her own shop in Lunenburg (111 Lawrence St.) by chance or appointment year-round. She'll also be at the Lunenburg Farmers Market a few dates through the winter.