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Twin sisters Marcia, left, and Carla Press at Meshugenah Hats in Peterborough. -
Marcia Press, one of the founders of Meshugenah Hats, with a display of pillows and bags, including a cat-shaped photo pillow. -
Meshugenah Hats has moved into the space behind Alice Blue and next to the Peterborough Community Theatre.
A visitor walking into Meshugenah Hats just off Depot Square in Peterborough is greeted with a display of hats, pillow, bags and all manner of handmade textile products in a rainbow of colors, shapes, textures and patterns.
The name of the company, “Meshugenah,” comes from a Yiddish word which means “woman who is crazy in the head,” according to co-owner Marcia Press.
“If you’re not from New York, you may not know what the term means. It did refer specifically to women, originally, although it’s been in common use as a gender-neutral term for a long time. A lot of people ask us about it. But that’s us; we’re the ‘crazy hat ladies,’ ” Press said.
Press and her identical twin sister, Carla, started making hats to stay busy in their retirement. They started out creating hats out of their Peterborough home, but as the business grew, they wanted more space.
“I just looked at Carla one day and said, ‘Carla, I just can’t stand living where we’re working, and I think we need to consider finding a space,’” Marcia said. “Then a few days later, Carla called me and said she had found a space for our studio, and that the best part was, we could have a store there, too.”
Marcia said she and Carla love being off Depot Square and adjacent to the Peterborough Community Theatre.
“When we moved in, we realized we would not be able to fill this whole space with our hats, so we said, ‘Now what we we going to do?’ So we put our heads together, and we realized, the reason we got into making hats in the first place is because we love fiber and pattern and design, and we like uniqueness. So we’ve expanded,” Marcia said.
Meshugenah offers custom items such as pillows, draperies and shower curtains, in addition to hats.
“We try to keep our prices in an affordable range. We’re really on the low end of mass-market stuff,” Marcia said.
Both Marcia, who formerly worked in the textile industry in New York City, and Carla, who was an elementary school teacher in Jaffrey, have been surprised by the success of their business.
“We had no idea it would take off like it did,” Clara said. “We really just love what we do. We love working with people.”
The sisters say they were inspired by their mother, a woman with a legendary flair for fashion who always wore unique hats.
Both sisters say making personal connections are the biggest reward of the business.
“People often leave with a photo with us, or a group photo, or a hug. It happens all the time at the craft fairs, and so far it has happened at the shop, too, although we’ve only been here for two weeks,” Marcia said.
“The best thing is when a woman puts on a hat, and she just smiles,” Carla said.
Carla is the designer of the two, creating original designs often inspired by vintage hats and fashion.
“My favorite thing to do is deconstruct other hats. I see something I like, and the I think, ‘What if I did this, or what if I did that?’” Carla said. “I may like a brim from one hat, and a shape from another, and I take them apart come up with my own inspiration.”
Meshugenah’s fabric hats are all reversible, but according to Marcia, “people don’t really reverse them.”
“People usually choose a side and stick with it,” Marcia said.
Meshugenah Hat Company sells all original designs.
“Carla starts with one, and then she just comes up with more and more designs,” Marcia said. “For example, she’ll start with a beret, but then pretty soon, it’s 12 feet wide, and has a brim.”
After Carla constructs the hat, Marcia handles the trimming. Marcia also takes care of the administrative end of the business.
The Press sisters started Meshugenah Hat Company 10 years ago, as a way to stay active and have reasons to travel.
“We were very humble in our efforts starting out. We basically just put things together and sold them for the cost of what we made them for, because we didn’t know what to charge. But suddenly, it just kind of took off,” Marcia said. “We started getting accepted to high-end craft fairs, and we became members of the League of NH Craftsmen, and its just kind of taken off from there.”
“People love hats,” Carla said.
Meshugenah Hats can be reached at meshugenahhatco@gmail.com. The shop is open Thursday through Sunday from approximately 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.