SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Some 110 years have passed since the business began, but passersby, tourists, celebrities and even presidents still gravitate to this 19th-century mansion nestled in the heart of Santiago, Chile. Behind discreet gray doors, visitors find racks of hats — black bowlers, safari styles, top hats and close-fitting cloth caps once worn by troops.
The musty store, called Where the Monkey Hits, is a surprising fashion hotspot in modern-day Chile given its tradition, claiming to be the oldest hat maker in South America.
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A customer walks out of the “Donde Golpea el Monito” hat shop and museum that preserves a hat-making tradition for more than a century, in Santiago, Chile, Saturday, April 5, 2025.(AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Enzo Restovic heads to an Old Fashioned Fest at a park in Santiago, Chile, Saturday, April 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
An employee waits for customers at the “Donde Golpea el Monito” hat shop and museum that preserves a hat-making tradition dating back to 1915, in Santiago, Chile, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Enzo Restovic attends an Old Fashioned Fest at a park in Santiago, Chile, Saturday, April 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Employees work together to store products on a top shelf at the “Donde Golpea el Monito” hat shop and museum that preserves a hat-making tradition dating back to 1915, in Santiago, Chile, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
A customer tries on a hat at the “Donde Golpea el Monito” hat shop and museum that preserves a hat-making tradition dating back to 1915, in Santiago, Chile, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Participants gather for an Old Fashioned Fest at a park in Santiago, Chile, Saturday, April 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
A customer tries on a hat at the “Donde Golpea el Monito” hat shop and museum that preserves a hat-making tradition dating back to 1915, in Santiago, Chile, Saturday, April 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
An employee arranges a display at the “Donde Golpea el Monito” hat shop and museum, which has preserved a hat-making tradition for more than a century, in Santiago, Chile, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Master Hatter Luis Araya shapes a hat at the “Donde Golpea el Monito” hat shop and museum that preserves a hat-making tradition dating back to 1915, in Santiago, Chile, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
An employee takes a work break at the "Donde Golpea el Monito" hat shop and museum, which preserves a hat-making tradition for more than a century, in Santiago, Chile, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Employees wait for customers to arrive at the “Donde Golpea el Monito” hat shop and museum, in Santiago, Chile, Thursday, April 3, 2025, that preserves a hat-making tradition dating back to 1915. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Enzo Restovic, reflected in a wall mirror on the right, takes a work break at “Donde Golpea el Monito” hat shop and museum, in Santiago, Chile, Thursday, April 3, 2025, that preserves a hat-making tradition dating back to 1915. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
A customer tries on a hat at “Donde Golpea el Monito” hat shop and museum, in Santiago, Chile, Friday, April 3, 2025, that preserves a hat-making tradition dating back to 1915. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Enzo Restovic steams a hat at “Donde Golpea el Monito” hat shop and museum, in Santiago, Chile, Saturday, April 5, 2025, which preserves a hat-making tradition dating back to 1915. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
The shop sees the hat as much a relic of Chile’s past as it is an accessory. It recently reopened after a long restoration and now hosts a modest museum showcasing other 19th-century treasures like opulent chandeliers and neoclassical furniture.
The artifacts tell the story of the imported European fashions of that era as immigrants crossed oceans to try their luck on the distant Pacific coast. Exhausted and full of hope, Spanish, Italian, French and German workers poured out of ships and trains, into the pulsing streets of a nascent Santiago.
“It was like what our airports are today,” store owner Roberto Lasen, a third-generation Spanish immigrant, told The Associated Press, gesturing toward the capital’s main avenue, which has recently seen businesses shutter as consumers flock to shopping malls. “The entire flow of foreigners entered through this street.”
A customer walks out of the “Donde Golpea el Monito” hat shop and museum that preserves a hat-making tradition for more than a century, in Santiago, Chile, Saturday, April 5, 2025.(AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Enzo Restovic heads to an Old Fashioned Fest at a park in Santiago, Chile, Saturday, April 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
An employee waits for customers at the “Donde Golpea el Monito” hat shop and museum that preserves a hat-making tradition dating back to 1915, in Santiago, Chile, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Enzo Restovic attends an Old Fashioned Fest at a park in Santiago, Chile, Saturday, April 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Employees work together to store products on a top shelf at the “Donde Golpea el Monito” hat shop and museum that preserves a hat-making tradition dating back to 1915, in Santiago, Chile, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
A customer tries on a hat at the “Donde Golpea el Monito” hat shop and museum that preserves a hat-making tradition dating back to 1915, in Santiago, Chile, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Participants gather for an Old Fashioned Fest at a park in Santiago, Chile, Saturday, April 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
A customer tries on a hat at the “Donde Golpea el Monito” hat shop and museum that preserves a hat-making tradition dating back to 1915, in Santiago, Chile, Saturday, April 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
An employee arranges a display at the “Donde Golpea el Monito” hat shop and museum, which has preserved a hat-making tradition for more than a century, in Santiago, Chile, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Master Hatter Luis Araya shapes a hat at the “Donde Golpea el Monito” hat shop and museum that preserves a hat-making tradition dating back to 1915, in Santiago, Chile, Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
An employee takes a work break at the "Donde Golpea el Monito" hat shop and museum, which preserves a hat-making tradition for more than a century, in Santiago, Chile, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Employees wait for customers to arrive at the “Donde Golpea el Monito” hat shop and museum, in Santiago, Chile, Thursday, April 3, 2025, that preserves a hat-making tradition dating back to 1915. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Enzo Restovic, reflected in a wall mirror on the right, takes a work break at “Donde Golpea el Monito” hat shop and museum, in Santiago, Chile, Thursday, April 3, 2025, that preserves a hat-making tradition dating back to 1915. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
A customer tries on a hat at “Donde Golpea el Monito” hat shop and museum, in Santiago, Chile, Friday, April 3, 2025, that preserves a hat-making tradition dating back to 1915. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Enzo Restovic steams a hat at “Donde Golpea el Monito” hat shop and museum, in Santiago, Chile, Saturday, April 5, 2025, which preserves a hat-making tradition dating back to 1915. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
