Dallas - Buyers of Western wear are not topping off their outfits like they used to, forcing noted American hatmaker Stetson to close a major factory in Missouri, a company spokesperson said on Friday.
Due to declining sales, Stetson will close its factory that produces high end, fur-felt cowboy hats and other headwear in St Joseph, Missouri at the end of June, eliminating 110 jobs, said Al Luiz, a vice president of marketing for Garland, Texas-based parent Hatco.
Luiz said the company has been hurt by the economic downturn after the September 11, 2001, attacks and a drop in sales of cowboy hats.
"People who buy Western wear tend to be very conservative in their buying," Luiz said, "and they hunkered down after September 11." He said the work of the Missouri factory will be consolidated into the company's Garland plant.
The Stetson Hat Company started in 1865 and the brand name is synonymous with the West. Stetson hats have been the favourites of cowboys, cowgirls and even former US President Lyndon Johnson.