WWhen Margareta Horn moved to Memphis from Sweden, she got the idea to turn her hobby into a business. The hobby was knitting, and she founded a hat business using her name, with the idea of creating a line of children’s hats.
The hats, sold under the brand Margareta Horn Design, are made to order. The production has a craft feel, but with the consistency of an actual brand. Horn exhibits at the Atlanta trade shows, managing to merge the need for a consistent product with the challenges of home production. She exhibits at the Summer Place Showroom at America’s Mart.
The hats are made in Colorado and Michigan, using cotton from Greece. Horn reports that she usually works with about 10 full-time knitters.
The brand is unique because it does what old “brands” used to do, which is to trade under the name of the owner, and manage all production in house.
The hats are available online as well as through boutiques. The line includes a range of patterns and designs, from stripes and florals to fruits, vegetables, sports and other whimsical themes.
Pictured here at Jack Tar Togs and The Tide in Boca Grande, Fla.
The hats have almost 30 years of stories in many magazines that are no longer, including McCall’s. They were even featured in The New York Times Magazine in 1994. The genesis came when she sold her first hat at the Women’s Exchange in Memphis. Across the nation, the Women’s Exchanges were a 1930s movement to provide a place for women to launch home businesses. Many survive across the U.S.
Price point is not inexpensive (around $50 at retail) but they are keepsake sort of items for small children and as such, can command a premium.
J. Garland Pollard IV is editor/publisher of BrandlandUSA. Since 2006, the website BrandlandUSA.com has chronicled the history and business of America’s great brands.
