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From which store did our Easter hats often emanate? "Rhythm Hats," 43 Orchard St., its entire street long gone due to Tarrytown's Urban Renewal. But I have little doubt that--using GPS--a techno-sleuth could determine where it once sat. Easter shopping must have been the peak season for such a store.
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The basic choice at Rhythm Hats was between felt and straw, a hat made of the latter material generally being more expensive - because it was often imported. Also available were handbags, gloves, hosiery, decorative pins, and costume jewelry. An actual hat factory reportedly sat behind the store, accessible via the alley.
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Coincidentally, at about the time of Urban Renewal, hat stores for women began a general decline across multiple states. As our local Historical Society authors, MaryAnn Marshall & Sara Mascia, have published: "At the same time that the buildings were torn down, exclusive hat stores for women were going out of style."
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