Arlington business puts the lid on your ensemble

Published 1:30 am Saturday, June 6, 2026

EVERETT — Whether you’re on the hunt for a classic cowboy hat, a custom-made magician’s top hat or a replica of your grandfather’s fedora, this Arlington shop can make it and much more.

Nestled into Arlington’s downtown strip, FauxyFurr Vintage + Handmade offers a variety of western-inspired clothing and accessories. Much of what lines the shelves is handcrafted by hat maker Jac Cash, her sister Jen Boede and the shop’s in-house seamstress, Matti Birdsong.

The eclectic western shop, owned by Cash and her wife, Jill Cash, moved into the 100-year-old building at 105 North Olympic Avenue three years ago, but Cash has been selling her vintage and upcycled finds at markets and rodeos since 2001.

Everything she bought sold fast, Cash said, even when she wasn’t trying to sell it.

“I’ve sold like 25 of my own hats off of my head,” she said.

In 2008, she graduated from Seattle Central Community College with her technical degree in apparel design. After which, she spent 10 years making custom car upholstery. In 2021, studied under a Seattle milliner, otherwise known as a woman’s hat maker.

It’s been a winding road that brought Cash to her first brick-and-mortar location, a 500-square-foot store within a store, and now to FauxyFurr’s current space. The around 4,500 square foot shop is split between the retail portion and a workshop full of hats in various stages of production.

“Hat wearers are like no other client I’ve ever had before,” she said. “You’re already kind of 1% of the population anymore, and then to also be not only a hat wearer but seek out a custom hat experience, that’s a very unique individual.”

It’s not just career hat wearers who find their way to FauxyFurr. Customers come from across the state, some with requests to recreate a hat from social media, and others with a more complicated plea.

“They say to me, ‘I want a hat. I don’t look good in hats. Please help me,’” Cash said.

A lot goes into the hat-making process, including making a wooden reference of someone’s head. Cash looks at a person’s face shape, complexion and learns about the activities the hat will be worn for. All this adds up to a truly custom hat, from the color to the type of felt.

Further customization can be found at the hat bar, such as hat bands, feather trims and branding irons for letter or symbol details. Customers wait up to 16 weeks to get their hats.

When Nancy Lewis picked out a hat from FauxyFurr’s selection, she chose a vintage silk tie as the hat’s band.

“It was just a nice, clean look, and she has so many different options,” Lewis said. “But that just appealed to me, probably because it was fabric, and I’m into fabric.”

Around Christmas 2024, Lewis became one of the creators whose work is available for purchase at FauxyFurr. Her collection of robes and housecoats is made from upcycled quilts and named after her mother’s friends.

“I’ve always liked to sew,” she said. “I like to repurpose things and make them pretty again.”

Not a hat person, but want a face-framing accessory? FauxyFurr also stocks feather earrings that Boede small batch dyes and cuts.

Boede will get hackles, the portion of a bird’s neck adorned with long feathers, and search for one with interesting designs. The process of picking what feathers look good is like an impulse, Boede said.

“Every time I get a new hackle, it’s kind of like a kid in a candy store,” she said.

Bayleigh Ivester, who has worked at the shop for three years, said the earrings are among her favorites.

“They’re a great first-time buy,” she said. “I literally wear them every day.”

Boede also upcycles cowboy boots into ankle boots and makes bands to wrap around them.

They say necessity breeds innovation, but in the case of FauxyFurr’s detachable boot bands, it was complaining husbands.

“Every once and awhile, I’d hear a husband go, ‘Well, you know, those feathers could get ruined, and then the boot ruined,’” Cash said. “I thought, ‘Oh no, we can’t be killing business like this.’ So I made the feathers removable.”

Instead of attaching the embellishments to the boots, boot bands with feathers and other adornments offer further footwear customization.

FauxyFurr also carries clothes, including men’s clothing line Prison Blues, belts and other fashion necessities. For Cash, it’s about prioritizing natural fibers as she tries to “sidestep anything that would be considered fast fashion.”

Much of the clothing is repurposed fabrics, whether that’s an old quilt, transforming a pair of jeans or mending something for a customer, the store’s seamstress Birdsong said in a message.

“I would recommend any handmade items in the store,” she said. “There are skilled and hardworking craftspeople behind every piece!”

If you go

If you’re looking for a custom hat, you can book an appointment on the shop’s website, fauxyfurr.com. The shop is open Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Jenna Millikan: 425-339-3035; jenna.millikan@heraldnet.com; X: @JennaMillikan