A customer calls us the other day and started in with a story that is unreal. He’s a customer that ordered a hat six years ago and after placing his order he gets in a serious Horse wreck. Now he can't remember who he is when he wakes up every morning. Six years later his wife was cleaning out the guest room and was getting ready to throw away his old rand hat box when she saw the box and remembered they had a hat on order. Of course we had modified his hats somewhere along the line during the past years but, we had his hat intact still waiting for him…..Only in Montana.
 
                                                                    Ritch

Brad Barkemeyer

 

Update

Dear Hat Fans and Customers,

What a busy few weeks we have had here in Billings.  We’ve had even more tornado warnings, and a lot of rain in the middle of the day. It’s still summer here and the horses are enjoying the summer pasture. Since Montana had a record spring rain fall and winter snow pack, the rivers have finally gone down to normal levels. The county has finally, about two weeks ago, removed the sand bags from the side of our Bridges. 

Our friends from Switzerland at Western Art Outfitters came for their annual hat buying visit. Kurt and his family, always have a big smile on their faces and bring a lot of stories to our shop. They stayed in Montana for a week this time. We enjoyed the time they spent in our shop. They want to have a street party in 2012 at his store. He would invite 200 of his closest friends. Kudos to our friend Kurt and his Store.

Our friends from Reis Ranch in California were in Billings for a two day horse training seminar. Be sure to catch his no dust tour. RFD TV and all the rest is on his web site at reisranch.com. His summer clinics are everywhere. I personally have attended his clinic's for 20 years and always learn something new. Any horse and any problem, Dennis is on it.

The first week of this month, August, we were helping all the PBR customers for a big PBR event in Billings. This draws a huge crowd from all over the Planet. Rand's worked a lot of days in a row to take care of a huge crowd for this event.

Next week we are hosting a private party in Napa, California for the stomp wine growers. Myself and one other staff member will be in St Helena, California at the range mercantile for a opening event, also in San Francisco for a private event. We are being hosted by the Napa wine company on Friday night for a private show in Yountville. If anybody needs to be fitted call my store and we will try to meet up with you while we’re in your area.

We will Be in Denver for the market at the Denver Merchandise Mart on Sept. 9th, 10^th, and 11th  So if you need a private fitting call us.

We are working with a new account in the Seattle area for new designs and stock hats. We will update you on this store as we go.

Watch for our hats in the new JL Powell USA catalog coming out in the next few weeks for fall  Great sporting hats www.jlpowellusa.com 

Watch for a special addition hat in the Schaefer Ranchwear Catalog in the fall www.schaefer-ranchwear.com 

Last but not least we are shipping some custom hats to ORVIS for the made in USA store. I will update everyone on this in the next couple of weeks. ORVIS wanted some Rand's hats custom made for a project on the East Coast.

I will be in Park city Utah for the fall. I will update everyone on that also. See our hats a Burns cowboy shop in Park city. 
Ask for Jake or Stephanie and they will make sure you are taken care of.

Send in some real pictures so we can post them and let everyone see our friends on the road.

Thanks to Dave, Austin, Terri, Chely, Katie, Randy, Luke, Josh, Jorge, Kelly, Steve, Yank and our new trainee Cathy. You will meet some of these people in our store and on the road. All of our friends and employee's are a great support staff for Rand's to bring you the customer the best hat on the planet.

From Montana at the Ranch 

Ritch R.       

KVRE Radio

Dear Ritch,


You did a great job on the hat:  It looks great and fits perfectly.


I'll be going to the Memphis Film Festival next week in Olive Branch, Mississippi. It's a gathering of western fans from all over the country. I'll be proudly wearing my new hat and I'm sure to get some compliments on it. If you'll send me a few of your business cards I'll be happy to pass them out. I leave on June 1st.


Yours truly,


Tom Nichols, Owner
KVRE Radio

  Friends and Family,

 We were in Bishop California for Mules Days and oh my, you should have seen the 20 mule team pulling the old freight wagons. This is a wonderful sight if you ever have the chance. You will remember this like watching the Budweiser horses perform.  It’s amazing to see the Mules at this level. We also had a lot of customers from all over California, and Nevada. Some brought us treats, thanks for that! Of course we had a great time and fitted lots of friends for some new hats. 

Oh my Diesel was $5.29 a Gallon there. It almost pushed me over the edge. I really was trying to figure out how to be more like Fred Flintstone.

We have a lot of new designs; Low Safari, Rancho Deluxe, a new Drover for the outdoor enthusiast. You can see these on our new postcards and watch our new video on the web site.

We are involved with some exciting new hats for Burns cowboy shop in Park city Utah, and Carmel by the Sea California.

We will be in Napa Valley, California later this summer. We will update everyone as we get closer.

I will be in Denver at the Old west show and auction June 25th, 26th, and 27^th, at the Denver Merchandise Mart on exit 58th right off the interstate. Rand's has a showroom #4543 there. We’ll have a lot of hat samples, it will be easy to fit and show anyone our hats. If anyone would like to visit just e-mail me for an appointment and you can stop, get fitted, and try on samples. 

We have so much Rain in Montana that it is flooding everywhere, and 200% above normal snow pack. There will be lots of hay for the horses.

That’s all for now

Calls us 1-800-346-9815

Happy Trails from Montana

Ritch Rand

Customer Letter

Just got back home from Billings and from acquiring my new hat.

Words cannot express my satisfaction with one of the best buying experiences in my 74 years. The professional way I was treated and the service I received was beyond compare.

I especially want to thank Randy, Luke and Chely for making me feel welcome and for providing just the help I needed. To find out that I was able to walk out with just the hat I was looking for was a super experience.

Please thank these folks for being just what any customer could ever hope for.

I surely will be a continued customer because of a great product and of even greater assistance from your employees.

Thanks again.

Cheers.... Ell & Carol Bennett

Customer Letter

Greetings you lucky mountain folks,

Randy,


        The UPS guy just dropped it off minutes before I left for lunch.  WOW.....What a hat.  Ya' done good pod'na.  It's a beauty, snake bonz n' all.  Wore her to town for lunch and everybody noticed I had a new hat.  Since I'm only one of two guys around town that wear western hats, I guess I stick out in the crowd.


She fits like a million bucks too.  Don't throw that gizmo fitting machine away, that things priceless. When you stuck that old thing on my head I wasn't sure, but I can tell you right now, this baby fits so perfect it's a fifty-mile an hour hat. No need for a stampede string on this rascal.

When I mount up on my 17h Percheron Draft Mule (black w/ nice points) in this hat at the Memorial Day Parade....No plain old quarter horse outfit will beat us.  Hee-hee   Awe...ya' know us broom-tail guys....always brag'n.

Randy....I can't thank you enough.  You made it just as you told me, and as I pictured it.  This has moved into first place as my favorite of some twenty some hats I own. Although I must tell you.  The old hat you restored for me and made into a "Festus Hagen" hat has brought me the most complements of all my hats.  Everywhere I go they ask where I got the good look'n hat.  I purchased that old hat from Rod's Western Wear in Columbus, Ohio during the Quarter Horse Congress some twelve years ago.  My wife's been wanting to throw it away for years, but you gave it a second life and as I said, I've gotten more complements on that old hat since you "restyled her."  Just perfect for an old wanna-be Festus muleskinner like me.

I'm telling you.  You should think about adding a "Festus" to your Gus, Tom Mix, and Tom Horn hat line.  Just try a couple and see.  I was in Columbus right after you sent it back to me buying cars at the auction and stopped by Rod's on the way home.  As I walked by the hat department the manager said, "Nice hat, where'd ya' get it."  I laughed and said, "Right here."  He said, "No way."  Then I told him how you had restored my old hat.  Even he liked the style, so you guys might want to think about hang'n one on the wall there just to see if it draws flies or a customer.

Speaking of Rod's.  You should contact them to be a dealer, for he's the largest vender at the Quarter Horse Congress.  It's one heck of a horse show, the largest in the world and lasts 28 days.  Shorty has a booth there every year so she must sell a few hats there.  Rod stocks a lot of hats but only a few high end hats, and nothing like yours.  I'll be more than happy to demo (show-off) my new hat to them if you think you'd want to make him a dealer.  You need somebody in Ohio, and Columbuswould be perfect.

Well it's snowing like crazy, got over 13" last night, (lake effect snow from Lake Erie) so I'm heading down to the barn to hitch up my mule girls to the sleigh.  I'll be able to give this hat a forty mile an hour test by sunset.

Randy....Thanks so much from "Rooster" the one-eyed fat man of Medina, Ohio. 

Tim Godard