Meet the Owners:

Clay and KeAnn Hayes own and operate Dogwood Hat Co. together alongside our two kids. We both have grown up in the western industry and continue to rope and train horses as well as compete at rodeos nationwide. Clay’s passion for hats started as a kid and he has pursued that interest for years now, shaping and working on hats. He has always wanted to have a hat shop and deliver a custom shaped quality cowboy hat to every customer. At Dogwood Hat Co. we redefine tradition by offering custom shaped cowboy hats that blend timeless craftsmanship with personal expression. Even more than that, we hope to deliver a personal message to each and every customer about our brand and the meaning behind it. We believe that faith in God and perseverance are the key virtues that will get us through all the storms of life and help us to fulfill our calling.

Explanation of the logo

First there is a lot going on, but for good reason. There are 3 main characters in this story- the cowboy, God (Dogwood flower), and the challenges we face in life (steer). There’s one extra detail in it that makes it even more special and we’ll save that for last. Let’s start with the COWBOY, he represents just that and we all know cowboys are known to be tough with a “no back down” mentality, wild in some aspects, but always up for the challenge. Next is the STEER which represents all the challenges we face in this life and as you can see it seems that the cowboy has roped a stray or renegade and somehow gotten the slack up under his horse’s tail- which is a recipe for disaster and getting the rope out from underneath a horse’s tail when it’s clinched down that tight is nearly impossible. The challenges the steer might represent could be health related, financial, addictions, past mistakes, or anything that seems to constantly wear us down in this life, but this is where that beautiful dogwood flower comes in to play. The DOGWOOD FLOWER represents new birth in Christ, it represents strong faith and durability to withstand those challenges of life. It’s up to each of us to know God and love him and to know that we can go to Him in all that we go through in life whether we’re happy and thankful, angry, sad, depressed, lonely-no matter what- He is the firm foundation that we can stand and count on! The last detail of the picture is very important to us- it’s the BRAND on the hip of the horse. That’s not our personal brand, but it was the brand of Clay’s dad who passed away too soon. He was Clay’s role model and best friend that, to this day, is still deeply missed. That brand represents those angels that we have watching over us that still hold a major part of our hearts. We know that if we seek God’s word daily and live it out we will see those angels again in Heaven for eternity. So many times in those very tragic or deeply challenging moments of life we want to be angry with God and ask Him how and why He would allow that to happen, it may seem wrong to us, but that’s what God wants to happen. He wants us to cry out to Him in desperation and that’s when the healing and transforming truly begins. He changes our heart and draws us closer to Him whether we want to or not- He is there to comfort us when it seems like everyone else is so far away. Those challenges and tragic moments of life are where our faith really grows and we become followers of Jesus and disciples for Him. That’s why we chose to include the Bible verse from the book of James:

 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” James 1:2-6 NIV 

And also why our slogan is to “Grit your teeth and have faith”. We look forward to hearing your story and visiting with you, thank you for your support!