William Carlton Workshop

Great craftsman. Great service. Fast and eager to help. Im shocked to see the other reviews. These might be folks wanting the ebay-​instant shipping. But steves work is custom. Work can take hours or weeks to complete for todays craftsmen.
…anyhow, i have given steve hundreds of dollars and have not had a problem. He has been amiable, open and honest in all my dealings with him. Thanks wcworkshops. Oh, and good luck with your new upcoming roomy factory. Your doing great!

I have filed a claim with the federal trade commission and urge all others that have been burned the same way to do the same. I just cannot believe he is still in business and this happened.

Update: it has been 3 months since This «businessman» has stolen my money. He has not had the decency to respond to any more of my messages, asking him to give me my money back.
Can anyone possibly defend a businessperson who steals your money and shuts you out? There is no excuse for this. Do not give this man your money. He is the definition of scum.

First, I would take Gregory P.‘s glowing praise with a chunk of salt, way more salt than he suggests Unilocalers take with the comments of what he refers to as the 6÷10÷15 «cohort» of negative reviewers.
I suspect Gregory is either a personal friend of Steve’s or someone Steve has asked to do him a solid to mollify prospective customers.
Anyway, as far as my experience goes, this «cohort» has already nailed everything that I came here to say. I just wish I’d had the forethought to check Unilocal before dropping the $ 50 I paid for a hat that has yet to show up. I paid Steve in person cash-​in-​hand on the 27^th of June, trusting him to make and mail the hat, as he assured me he would, that following Monday. In fact, I actually paid him $ 60 to cover the postage since I live in CA and had gotten a good vibe from the guy and liked his story of going into business for himself. However, I have little respect for shysters of the sort he seems to be.
Ultimately, I’m hoping the hat I paid for comes soon, otherwise I’ll be making some contacts with Boston’s better business bureau to lodge a complaint before Steve and his partners have a chance to sucker more folks.
When and if I receive that hat I will happily revise this post…
Until then – caveat emptor! Buyer beware!

Well looks like I’m just another victim. «Only» out $ 60. Glad I ddn’t pay for the full price of the belt. Seemed like cool guys. Maybe they are. Hopefully I’ll hear from them. Not hopeful given their phone mail box is full and they have not responded to my e-​mail either. I’ll update if things get better. For now, hope you read this before leaving them any $$.

We visited the William Carlton Workshop during our visit to Boston in May 2015. We went back a second time since we decided to buy a cap. We paid $ 50 for the cap plus $ 10 shipping fees. We were told the cap would arrive in a week. A week later, when the cap didn’t arrive, we called and left a voice mail message. No response. Thereafter, we made 6 calls over the course of 4 weeks and have not received a response or the cap. If you happen to look on their website, the caps are up to $ 175 for online purchases. But in all fairness, what they seem to excel in is RIPPING PEOPLE OFF!!! We have already lodged a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. So Steve and Max, if you are reading this…

I am lucky enough to own a one-​of-​a-​kind, hand made hat from William Carlton Workshop and am even luckier to have gotten to know Steve since he opened the shop. My hat was a gift so I’m not sure exactly how long it took to make, but stopping in to this shop on a regular basis just to chat, I’ve begun to understand a little bit of the process. It definitely takes time, but that’s what you’re paying for — the care and craftsmanship that the guys at William Carlton pour into their products. If you want a hat in 2 days or less, log on to amazon or go to another hat store. You will not find anything close to a William Carlton hat.
The point of getting a custom hat from William Carlton & Steve and having such an awesome shop is to GO THERE — to visit the shop, have the correct measurements taken, check out fabric samples and designs, hang out with Bentley, and then return when your hat is done. Again, you want to walk out of a store with a generic hat? You should probably shop somewhere else. Do you want a hat that is custom made to fit you and your style with everything picked by you and made by someone who cares about what they produce? Visit William Carlton Workshop.
Thank you to Steve, Max, and Bentley for being a great addition to the North End & my wardrobe. I will undoubtedly and without hesitation purchase more products — hats, belts, leather goods, any and everything — from William Carlton Workshop.
As you might deduce from the reviews all dated 6÷10÷15, each of those 1 star reviews are cohorts, many of whom admittedly haven’t even purchased a hat from W.C. Workshop and probably have never even been by the shop. I would even guess they haven’t recently visited Boston. If they had done ANY of those three things, instead of just giving a 1 star review because their friend asked them to, there’s no way they could rightfully give Steve & the guys the reviews they did.

This place is the definition of classic American craftsmanship, and it’s a popular place. This is a real labor of love for the guys that run the shop. Steve sources his fabric from crazy places, his machines are authentic, his craftsmanship is top notch. His hats are gorgeous, I’ve recommended many a friend and family member to this place, they’ve all been thrilled, and Steve puts so much passion into his work, he makes sure everything is perfect, and is so excited to finally hand off his final product. He’s a total class act, and his has become a real staple in the north end… Bentley too!

I ordered a custom hat, paid for it and received nothing. He stopped responding to me altogether. This is really freaking upsetting. And reading the other reviews, it looks like he does this often. DO NOT GIVE HIM ANY MONEY UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

Steve and crew are an absolute pleasure to have in the neighborhood. They make the highest quality hats ENTIRELY from scratch, each one made with exquisite attention to detail and, most importantly, passion. Steve is often at the shop until 2am or later grinding away on one of his many antique sewing machines which he finds and restores himself, and this work ethic and love for his craft shows in the final product. Steve custom-​made a hat for my friend’s wedding and it was a huge hit. I highly recommend shopping at William Carlton — especially over other local hat shops which are merely just resellers/​distributors — if you’re in the market for a hat, or even just to stop in for a conversation. Wishing them the best of luck and excited for the inevitable growth of their business!

I was visiting Boston and stumbled upon this shop. A large dog named Bentley was resting in the doorway ready to greet customers. Steve, the owner, was working on a hat in the middle of the workshop with some serious-​looking machinery. The workshop has a really cool vibe to it; as if everything cool about pre 1950 America was crammed into this place.
I noticed a pair of selvage denim jeans in the window display and asked about purchasing a pair. Steve and I then had a pretty in depth conversation about different kinds of denim and jean-​making techniques. This guy knows his stuff. I know this workshop also produces custom hats, leather products, and some vintage bikes. I handled some hats. They looked awesome and felt well-​made (the kind of stuff that lasts a lifetime), but I was only interested in the jeans. Unfortunately, Steve told me he isn’t really ready to produce selvage denim for sale just yet, but the samples he let me inspect were amazing. It’s definitely on par with the Iron Heart jeans I’ve gotten my hands on. Everything he makes is made to last and with a true «workwear» quality. I’ll be back for when the jeans are ready. Steve and his workshop seem to be stuck in the past, but only the best parts of the past.