October 18, 2023 • 45 mins
Ever wondered what it takes to make the perfect custom hat? Well, prepare to be amazed as we journey into the world of hat-making with Mary Landrum Pyron, a Mississippi-based custom hat maker with an intriguing story. From an intern at Senator Cochran's office to a stint at a guest ranch in Wyoming, Mary Landrum's path towards becoming a renowned hat maker is nothing short of inspiring. We dive into her struggles, her inspirations, and the meticulous process of creating each unique hat that truly reflects her artistic prowess.
Mary Landrum opens up about her life and business back in Mississippi. She gets real about the struggles of managing her custom hat business, ML Provisions, in the face of a high cost of living. Offering an intimate tour of her hat-making process, Mary Landrum shares the importance of nurturing personal connections with her clientele, explaining how this has contributed to the growth of her business. If you're curious about what happens when art and business intersect, you'll want to hear her story.
But wait, there's more! Mary Landrum's life is not all work and no play. She takes us through her adventures, including vacations and Cape Buffalo hunts, and how she manages to incorporate her hats into her travels. Towards the end, she shares her profound love for Mississippi and her desire to help her generation tell their own stories. So, buckle up and get ready for an enlightening conversation that beautifully captures the magic of art and passion, all through the lens of a hat maker.
ML PROVISIONS OFFICIAL WEBSITE: https://mlprovisions.com/
ML PROVISIONS INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/mlprovisions/
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(0:06) Custom Hat Making and Motivation
(7:03) Moving West, Cost of Living
(12:18) Journey of a Custom Hat Maker
(20:58) Custom Hat Business in Mississippi
(25:50) Hats, Vacations, and Cape Buffalo Hunts
(35:32) Mississippi's Special Appeal and Business Connections
(43:11) Hat Shop Collaboration With Philadelphia Visitors
Modern-day politics discussion and analysis. Conservative Political Commentator Ryan...
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Mary Lendrum Pyron.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Lee Carl.
What's up?
Speaker 1 (00:09):
and Elizabeth Pyron yes, first and foremost, I'd
like to say thank y'all forhaving me at Cherry Grove here
in Crystal Springs, mississippi,the one and only location in
Mississippi where these customhats are handmade.
Is that correct?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Yes, we take a raw felt.
It takes about eight hours.
It's a beaver and rabbit blendand you've been seeing us kind
of work through the hats.
We constantly keep these thingsrolling.
It's a typically a oneappointment process and we don't
ship hats, so people travel infrom all over the world to this
little one horse town.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
So you don't do any shipping whatsoever.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
I realized after my first Christmas it was really
stressing me out.
Nobody was measuring theirheads right and for a custom hat
to truly fit you the way itshould.
It's me seeming it, blocking it, sanding it with you right in
front of me.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
So what issues were you running into when people
were sizing themselves?
Speaker 2 (01:11):
They were just they were.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
The hats were getting back and they weren't fitting.
They weren't fitting correctly.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
They didn't measure correctly.
You could either be around oralong oval and depending on what
you are, it's going to affectthe comfort of the hat.
She's around.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
I'm along oval and when you steam a hat before she
hands it back to the person,like the final go, she gets it
really moist.
So when you put it on, it formsto your head and some people
have a crooked nose, uneven ears, so she kind of tweaks each hat
for that person, whereas if shewas shipping it off she
wouldn't know about thesefeatures of a person.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
We all.
Pull your mics a little closerto you, please.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Yes, sir.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Or you can scoot up either way.
So, first and foremost, let'stalk about the motivation behind
the hat making process and whatultimately initially led you
into this field.
How did you become interestedin it?
Speaker 2 (02:07):
So let's rewind a good bit.
I knew growing up that I wantedto major in hospitality
management.
I had a lot of people, a lot ofinfluential people in my life,
tell me no, you don't need to dothat.
You should get like a realmajor at Ole Miss.
It's kind of considered a MRSdegree.
I knew that I wanted to go toOle Miss, learn it, study it.
(02:29):
All my friends were gettingmarried right out of college.
They were going to law school,med school, audiology school.
I wasn't checking any of thoseboxes and I interned for Senator
Cochran going into senior yearof college and they sent a
slideshow around with all theinterns to the staffers and you
(02:51):
had to say where you sawyourself in five years.
You know everybody wants to bethe president or this or that.
I said I was going to go outwest to find myself, even though
I wasn't lost.
Well, I thought, yeah, I gotvery lost out there.
I thought I'd be there for sixmonths.
I took a job on a guest ranch,graduated from Ole Miss on a
Saturday the next day, drove outand my parents rode with me out
(03:15):
there and then they flew back.
But the ranch I worked on is a30-minute gravel drive, 100,000
acre ranch in the absolutemiddle of nowhere.
But I had to wear a hat as partof the uniform, so that's kind
of where it all started.
Bought my first hat April 6,2016 from Boots and More and
Jackson.
My mom said oh, I'm not goingto get you a really nice hat
(03:36):
because it'll be like a swapparty and you want to actually
wear a cowboy hat.
Well, I really just dove headfirst into the whole western
lifestyle and came obsessed withit.
I worked on that ranch forthree seasons.
Started on how much bacon youwere and more hats.
I was the expedition chef inCater and I would cook 18 pounds
(03:56):
of bacon on the top of themountain.
How many eggs Can you crackwith your hands?
At that point in my life, Icould crack four eggs at once,
two in each hand.
Just boom, boom, boom.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
No shells, were you fried or scrambling.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
I would Sorry, I would crack them and then I'd
scramble it in a cast iron likeyou know that big we do.
I can't remember.
It was just like tenderloinafter tender beef, tenderloin
for days, bacon, potato salad.
I'd make chili for 150 people.
That would take 30 pounds ofground beef.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
So it's safe to say that you could.
You could run a restaurant ifyou had to.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Basically work yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Did the?
Anything that you learned inthat process?
Have you applied to your hatmaking business?
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Yes, I laugh because we used to have to pack for the
cookouts and Justin Howell, themanager of the ranch, who I'm
very close with, he was veryprecise, I guess you could say,
and he was very organized and heliked it to be that way, and my
dad is also that way.
So I've kind of been aroundpeople like that my entire life.
(05:05):
But we'd get all thetupperware's lined up and we'd
pack everything, have achecklist.
And I still laugh when I getready for the trunk shows.
I kind of use that same methodwhen we go to pack the hats the
ribbons and everything.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
And then so at what point, and during your stay and
while Oming, did you beginworking for a hat maker out
there?
Speaker 2 (05:29):
So, like I said, I worked at the ranch for three
seasons and after my firstseason I called my parents and
said, hey, I'm actually going tostay for a winter and then I'll
move to DC, get a big girl job,and quickly realized that I was
not going to move away.
I became obsessed with, whileOming and worked in the ski shop
(05:51):
, played year three I was stillbuying custom hats, or buying
hats and thinking about what Iwanted to change on the hats,
and I was working out a florist.
I also worked at the airport.
I'm a big turkey hunter and myparents told me that I was too
old to fly back and forth forturkey season.
So I took matters into my ownhands, worked out a florist and
(06:12):
then she wanted me to sign orthe florist had me polishing 500
forks, 500 knives, and I wasgoing crazy.
She started an event rentalcompany.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
What happened at the airport, though?
Speaker 2 (06:22):
At the airport.
I went in to quit, but I got anemployee of the month, so I had
to stay on an extra month.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Why did you have to stay to enjoy the benefits of
getting an employee of the month?
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Well, I just couldn't leave them high and dry after I
got an employee of the month.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Y'all think of me like this, so I'm going to stay
another month.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Yeah, yeah, and then working at the florist.
I got tired of that and so Ireached out to a lady in 2019,
worked for her for a year and ahalf, trained under the guy that
trained her.
Then she wanted me to sign anon-compete and I already knew I
was going to do my own thing.
It's a lot of wear and tear onthe body that you don't see when
(06:59):
you just see the hat onInstagram.
Originally, I thought I'd liveout there forever.
I quickly realized I wouldnever be able to afford a house,
especially at the rate that Iwas playing, and decided
Mississippi doesn't sound so badand there's no one else in this
area doing what I can do, andmy nieces got two precious
(07:24):
nieces, wanted to watch themgrow up very close family and I
made the decision and I alsofelt like I could do more than
what I was doing.
Like I said, we played all thetime, five nights a week, had a
huge social agenda.
It was college without schoolwork, and I woke up and I
realized that I could do moreand I should maybe really pursue
(07:48):
hats.
So I decided, instead of signingthat non-compete, went in the
next day and said thank you,this is my two weeks notice.
That was January of 21 and thenI just babysat until I moved
home.
I want to stay there until mylease was up in May.
Fish every day, ski hike reallyenjoy life before real world
(08:14):
started.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Is there a different, a market difference in the
style and the flair between yourcustomers in Mississippi or the
South compared to customers youhad in Wyoming?
Speaker 2 (08:26):
The difference is the dollar signs.
I'm a whole lot cheaper thanthey are out west.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
So you can make your hats cheaper here than up there,
or you just charge less.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
I just charge less.
There's now five hatters withinthree blocks each other in
Jackson Hall.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
And that's all.
It's tourist strobing yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
So that was going to be one.
So I try to get people beforethey go out west.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Or most of the people , because you mentioned that
it's expensive out there and,Liz, you spend a lot of time out
there too.
Still do, don't you?
Speaker 3 (08:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
So is it mainly tourists that are out there that
drive the prices of everythingup?
You mentioned the house beingtoo expensive for your liking.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Is that what drives the prices up?
We lived in a house Um, granted, it was right prime location
between the cowboy bar and thelocal snow king mountain.
We always had people over.
We even had the Philly boysover when they came out to town.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Bush your heart.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Yeah, but I had a garage.
She lived in a garage.
I had to walk through hergarage to get down to my
basement room.
It was one bathroom.
We did not have any heat.
One true bedroom.
It wouldn't be a hundredthousand dollars in Mississippi
(09:48):
and pre-COVID it went for like1.3 pre-COVID His bestest mold
right on.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
You name it, we got it.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
It was negative outside.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
It was negative in the house.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
I imagine it's very clean.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
So clean, beautiful.
We basically got to livevacation every day of our life.
People, what we did on a dailybasis is what people dream about
.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
So I would say the tourists are running the hat
prices up and just like that,but the cost of living is due to
from the pandemic.
These billionaires are runningout the millionaires because
they're trying to make thattheir full-time home and they
have homes all over.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Hmm, a similar thing is happening in New Orleans, but
they're not moving there forobvious reasons, but they're
buying up.
The rich people are buying upthe real estate because they
recognize that New Orleans isobviously a tourist destination
and so people who are living inNew Orleans, where that is their
home, can't afford to buy adecent home because of that same
(10:51):
impact that the millionaires orbillionaires or whatever from
the outside are scooping all thereal estate up.
What would you say to somebodywho's about to graduate college
and thinking about going down asimilar path that you did
following graduation fromcollege?
Would you recommend it 100%?
(11:12):
for how long, and you know whatare some of the benefits that
you gain both of you, fromhaving that experience.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
I definitely had no clue what I wanted to do with my
life when I moved out there.
I just thought, oh, let me goout West.
I didn't know a single personin the state of Wyoming when I
moved out there and it made meget out of my comfort zone.
I'm definitely the shy one inmy family and I used to be a
whole lot more outgoing than Iam now, but I had to kind of
(11:41):
figure out who I was as a personand what direction I wanted to
go.
I think if I was only out therefor those six months that
summer season I would be workinga typical nine to five and
probably very unhappy.
My parents were reallysupportive in the sense that
they let us just.
(12:02):
We paid our bills and did whatwe had to do to survive, but we
also got to grow up and got toexperience life and had
different opportunities that wewould not have had if we would
have stayed in Crystal Springs.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
But I think like the best thing if someone doesn't
know what they want to do, workon a ranch, work in an
environment that the housing isincluded, the meals are included
, and you're just benefitingfrom being there and learning a
work ethic and learning fromother people that are
like-minded, just finishingschool, not sure what they want
to do, and you all just kind oflike come together.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
You don't have phone service, so you really get to
know each other.
On a personal level.
I'm closer with some of thosepeople from that stint in
Wyoming than I am from highschool college.
You work six days a week.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
You don't know what days of the weekend, like every
day, you're hustling.
Our boss always would say ifsomeone asks you to do something
, it is your job.
Do not ever say it's not my job, I'll go get someone, it is
your job.
You figure out a way to makethings get done.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
I feel like a lot of times people now, unless it is a
bullet point on their jobdescription, they won't do it,
and that's one of the thingsthat led me to start my own
thing.
I don't get along well withlazy people and I'm very like to
(13:31):
check the boxes and get thingsdone, so I sometimes would find
myself frustrated when I wasworking with coworkers and going
out on my own.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
Has that experience as a working for someone else
informed how you treat employeesor?
Speaker 2 (13:52):
people that work alongside you or under you.
I know what it takes to make ahat, and I know what it takes,
or what it feels like, when youare appreciated and you are
valued, versus when you're justthe hired help.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
So these hats?
Let's talk about the actualmakeup of the hats, or all of
these hats.
For those of y'all listening,we're in Mary Landrum's shop in
Mel provisions in CrystalSprings, mississippi, and we've
got hats all around the room, orall of these hats of the same
material.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Yes, they're 50 X Beaver and Rabbit blend.
It's pretty much waterresistant.
You're 100 X pure beaver, whichI make those per request that
you can wear in the rain, thesnow, sleet and it will never
change its shape.
But if you take care of the 50X, it'll last you a lifetime and
pass it on for generations.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
What's the, what's the distinguished?
50 X between 100 X?
What is?
Speaker 2 (14:47):
that the dollar sign $100, $50, $50.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
X is Beaver and rabbit.
Yeah and the 100X is justbeaver, I see yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
And everything that we try.
If you're just wearing afashion hat, want it to look
cute, go to brunch or hang outat the hunting camp, 50X does
the ticket as of today, really,as of now, custom 50X hats start
at $550.
Gotcha 100X hats are $1,000.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Right.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
So it's just a little .
It's a higher quality material.
But what we do with the hats?
You can still wear either ofthem forever.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
Is the cost.
Some people may hear that andsay, oh my gosh, I'd never pay
that for a hat, but they're atthat price point for a reason.
It's a combination of materialand labor, right?
So is it more labor-intensiveor is the source more difficult?
Speaker 2 (15:46):
The felt has gone up over 140% since I got started.
I started buying felt inJanuary of 21.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
So you source that from where All over?
Speaker 2 (16:02):
Can't tell you all my secrets.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
Find you a redneck around here to start killing me.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
We found them.
It's so much more than that.
Felt is the process of the furhair working together.
I've got some pics I'll showyou after this, but it goes
through about 20 hands in thefactory before it's even shipped
to me.
You're talking equipment thatis just old, old, ancient.
One of the pieces of equipmentwe used was built in 1860.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
What if we invented some new equipment?
Speaker 2 (16:33):
Well, my dad, being the entrepreneur that he is, has
suggested it and suggested it.
But if I am producing the feltwhich I don't like to say can't,
but I will never be able to Iam fulfilled by making the hat,
by the whole process, and that'swhere I get my joy and my
(16:54):
passion.
So if you could tap into thatmarket, it'd be a good one.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
I might look into it, if podcasting doesn't work out,
the process of creating thepersonalized version of the
headgear.
What does that look like?
Speaker 2 (17:10):
So you come in, we have about an hour and 45 minute
time slot and you start.
I'll show you the process ofhow we make the hats and then
pick out your size and color.
People say, well, how do I wantit to fit?
You want it to be comfortable.
You don't want it so tight thatyour eyes feel like they're
about to pop out of your head orthe wind blow it off.
I do say if you're jumping onthe back of a horse, you want it
(17:31):
tight.
Most people aren't Then we'lldecorate it.
You'll choose your crown style,your brim shape.
My signature is a teardrop.
Pencil curl through the backjust says hey, I'm custom, and
then usually a slight little dipin the front.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
So you said you hadn't had to do any marketing
so far mostly word of mouth andthings such as this.
But it sounds like people havebeen reaching out to you, not
vice versa.
Do you foresee outgrowing yourcurrent operation?
Speaker 2 (18:05):
We've been lucky enough to double our equipment
since we got started.
We're a small hat shop but weproduce pretty large scale.
I don't want to outgrow thisbarn because there's something
special about it.
It's the connection that youget.
When it's a private appointment, it's just you in here or
(18:25):
whoever you bring, and it's notmass produced next person, next
person.
We really connect and thatconnection ends up showing up in
the hat shape and the style andthe bands that you choose.
I don't see myself Some peoplesay it's narrow minded saying
that I don't want to expand andopen up a lot of shops, but I
(18:45):
like what we have going here.
Speaker 1 (18:48):
Well, I mean, you've got a personal touch here that
can't be duplicated orreplicated.
I mean, if you wanted to goopen up another shop, just one
other shop, maybe you could putLiz on it and it would be
similar to having that touch.
The problem with Liz we had toschedule this.
There's no problem.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
We had to schedule this podcast around her being
here.
I would love to say it and Ialways say now, liz, you need to
learn this because if somethinghappens to me, this is your
castle.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
Every queen deserves a castle but I don't have a barn
.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
But Liz likes to pick up and go, so I can't count on
it.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
I can take a hat wagon owner for too much.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
I can take the hat wagon.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
You like the globe truck, don't you?
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (19:34):
We do a bunch of hat shows all over though.
We have a seven by 14 trailer,load up this side of the barn
and we how about.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
Those are fun.
Oh yeah, I bet it's a lot ofwork, but-.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Oh gosh, I don't know why I want to be upstairs.
Those hat stands are reallyheavy, carrying them upstairs,
downstairs and then into theevent.
But we've been from SouthCarolina all the way to Wyoming.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
One of the biggest things that I take away from
what you're doing here is you'redoing, it seems, what you want
to do.
You found a way to monetize whatyou enjoy doing and by my
estimation, that's very rare.
A lot of people not just in ourgeneration, but people that
came before us just went alongto get along, so to speak.
(20:20):
Graduated college, wentimmediately into the field that
they got a degree in, whetherthey like it or not, and just
went along with it, as opposedto someone like yourself, where
you're like, okay, I'm gonna goto Wyoming and spread my wings a
little bit, and then you foundsomething out there that you
really enjoyed and you've beenable to make your livelihood out
(20:40):
of it, and that's an examplethat I wish a lot more people
would take notice of, because Ithink there's I know there's
more fulfillment day to day andoverall in life when we get up
every day and we're getting paidto do something that we love to
do.
Has that been so?
(21:01):
You've had a couple of jobs outthere in Wyoming.
Is this the only occupationyou've had since being back in
Mississippi?
Speaker 2 (21:09):
Yes, when I first got started I thought I would sell
about four hats a month, pay thebills and then I'd work for my
dad part time and, thank youJesus, this thing really picked
up and I've been running prettymuch full speed.
I made my first hat under mybrand July 21st of 21.
And it just blows me away thatpeople are still wanting the
(21:32):
hats and that we've been asstrong since the beginning as we
have.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
You mentioned someone earlier who has multiple hats.
Do you have a lot of repeatcustomers?
Speaker 2 (21:43):
We have a ton of repeat customers, that's a good
sign.
Yeah, some people getfrustrated with my weight list
but I try to feed back in thereturning customers.
With first time customers wework pretty much if we're in
town.
We're working six days a weekso we really try to get these
people in and out and satisfiedso they can wear it all football
(22:03):
season all winter, and thensome people wear them year round
into the summer.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
So how do y'all go about managing your inventory?
Obviously, it's all right here,but is that something that you
have to update, often as far asjust the blank canvas itself, so
to speak.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
You can't get a blank canvas like you won't.
I have orders since I gotstarted that still aren't filled
.
Anytime I get a hat shipment,it's a good day no matter if
it's a maroon red, whatever thecolor, I just write a check, say
thank you to the supplier.
Nobody's working in thesefactories anymore and the price
(22:40):
of fire coming in from Europe soexpensive.
That's.
One of the toughest parts isstill having supply chain issues
and not being able to get thefelt, and there's so few people
producing what it takes to makea hat that you can't kick and
scream.
You just gotta say thank youwhen you get something.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
Always like asking business owners this,
particularly somebody that hasvery personalized operation like
you've got here.
You've been doing it longenough.
Now you started to recognizewho your customer is.
What is the demographic?
What is the target market?
What does the target marketpersona look like for ML
provisions?
Speaker 2 (23:21):
We're priced to where people can save a few paychecks
and get a hat, and then we havecustomers that will walk in and
buy two or three during thatone appointment.
We fit everybody.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
Whether you're a child Old school cowboy.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
We have a lot of families come in.
The grandparents will bring thegrandkids.
Everybody leaves with a hat.
We can do your traditionalWestern hat.
We can do your trendy hat.
Most hatters pick one style,but we cater to whatever the
customer wants.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
People in Mississippi particularly, I would imagine
really like coming somewherelike this, because we like to
talk to people all day longConnections, networking.
That's all we do, and it's outin the woods and it's different,
obviously, then, wherever.
I don't even know where elseyou'd get a hat like this, but
somewhere that's morecommercialized.
People like having thatpersonal connection, knowing
(24:18):
whether it's a trip, it's atreat.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
It's an experience.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
You're not just going to get a hat.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
We're going to see Liz and.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
Rosa and Mary Landrum and stay a little while Right.
Do you see that as a?
Speaker 2 (24:32):
differentiation.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
For you, that's a huge selling point yes, in
comparison to your competitors,if you have any.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
We really connect with people and then I'll see
them out and I say you come as acustomer, but you leave as a
friend.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
Very wise saying you have there, Mary Landrum.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
Cheers.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
So, liz, what does your role look like here at ML
Provisions?
Speaker 3 (24:54):
Well, some days I get the trustee assistant, and then
they.
I'm just, she's the talker.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
She's the entertainer .
I don't like to talk, I like towork.
We have a stocked fridge and Isay it's a different drink for
each of her moods, depends onhow she comes.
She came out pretty hot andfiery this morning.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
No, no, no.
We're all to a great start, butI can run all the equipment.
She doesn't let me on the blacksewing machine, which is fine,
and her name's on it.
Speaker 2 (25:23):
You haven't made it to that level yet.
No, if that thing goes down,nobody works on sewing machines
anymore, so I'd rather be mad atmyself instead of as we would
all want it to be Absolutelyyeah.
Speaker 1 (25:33):
Steer clear from that one, Liz.
Speaker 3 (25:35):
Yeah, but our mom told me early on when she
started this it's her name, herbrand, her business.
You help out, but at the end ofthe day, it's hers her name.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
No doubt, no doubt.
Speaker 3 (25:47):
I just do things that she could redo if I messed up.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
How many hats do you have?
Speaker 3 (25:53):
Elizabeth, I really only have like three.
No, I really only have likethree On that wall.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
Half of those hats are hers.
Speaker 3 (26:01):
She always, but it's good, because I always want her
in a hat If I'm going somewhere,she's packing my bag with five
hats, so you know what I travellike.
I have no room for no hats, andshe can rock a hat.
Speaker 2 (26:13):
So that's free marketing for me.
But sometimes when we're tryingto go somewhere, she like does
that have a hat?
I don't have a hat, I need anew hat.
And I'm like Liz, you've got 15on the wall, it's not all about
you.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
It's just something new, you know, especially when
you got a whole barn full tochoose from.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
It just makes you feel good.
Speaker 1 (26:34):
How do you travel with these hats without messing
them up?
Speaker 3 (26:38):
We just stack them on top of each other and then I'll
carry a big carry on lug thatthrough we can travel with about
five hats.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
And a carry on, but we've got it figured out.
Speaker 3 (26:49):
But we also put these hats through a lot of heat and
steam and stuff, and I've had ahorse.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
They're a lot more durable than people.
Some people buy the hat andthey're scared to wear it
because it costs them a lot ofmoney and they don't want to
mess it up.
Speaker 3 (27:03):
But I've had a hat, stepped on by the crown, stepped
on by a horse, it popped backout.
I mean we put so much steam andheat on it and then I've had
hats that I've spilled some wineon, or mascara or something.
Just sandpaper gets it rightout Most of my hats.
I just originally go on a dirtyup.
I'm not the easiest on things,so, but yeah, they travel easy,
(27:26):
sandpaper.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
That's how I buy my tennis shoes, except for these.
I like them to be worn or lookworn.
Speaker 3 (27:32):
So you go to the thrift store for them.
Well, I can't ever find my sizeat the thrift store.
Okay, but if they're alreadyworn.
Speaker 2 (27:38):
Do you not feel like that's fit to somebody else's
shape?
Speaker 1 (27:41):
to.
I like them to appear alreadyworn.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
So you're into golden gooses.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
What is that?
Speaker 2 (27:47):
Fill me in, they're already worn shoes.
Basically, they're all tatteredup.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
Are they new and just look tighter?
Speaker 2 (27:55):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
You know, like Elizabeth's jeans.
Oh, thank you everybody.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
Holy jeans.
She's holy yes.
Speaker 3 (28:04):
Yes, I am.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
So moving forward, we're going, we're getting into
holiday season.
I would imagine.
Your workload increasesexponentially, so you'll be busy
for the next two months.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
Hopefully it'll roll into February.
We really try to get thesepeople in.
This is our busy season.
We don't take much time offbetween now and February and
usually in February I have asnapping point, hit a break and
I take a vacation.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
As you should.
I do think that that's onething I have had to and I'm
still working on it make myselfdo.
Speaker 3 (28:45):
Yeah, I can help, I agree.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
Take time away from whatever I'm doing on a daily
basis, because we get in thisand subconsciously we don't
realize it, but we get in thisrut and we just start going to
the motions and things becomemonotonous and we fall into it
after a period of time and weneed that week or two weeks away
from whatever it is to justhave that reset.
(29:11):
And Liz seems like she's on itconstantly.
Speaker 2 (29:15):
Yeah, liz needs to reset back in the work, grind
back on routine.
She's a gypsy.
She keeps the bag packed at alltimes.
Speaker 1 (29:26):
No, no, no no.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
If you got it.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
Like that you got it like that and she got it like
that.
Speaker 3 (29:31):
No, I do work hard when I am in here, but I have
realized things that work andthings that don't work for me.
I need a lot.
I feed off other people, but Igot to recharge myself so that I
can keep going, which I feellike you're a lot like that.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
When I grow up, I want to be Elizabeth.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
She's just got it figured out she does no I don't.
I mean you make hats, get aWyoming, go to.
Where else are you going?
Surely you got somewhere elselined up.
Speaker 3 (30:01):
Well, I Nanny for a family and I was full time with
him until she called and she waslike I need help, I need help,
and it was always, and I wasjust going back and forth.
And so I went part time lastMarch and now I go to Wyoming
summer and winter when I wouldlove to be out there, I love to
hike and fish and love to ski,and so I get the best of that
(30:24):
world and then help her whenshe's really busy.
And then I'll go to Oklahomatake family trips with them.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
Yeah, we try to take a trip during the summer to.
We went to South Africa thispast June.
Speaker 3 (30:37):
We went to Mexico.
That was your favorite.
Speaker 2 (30:39):
We went fly fishing in Mexico in February.
That was our reset then.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
Y'all went to South Africa.
How was that?
Wow, I think I saw pictures.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
Yeah, it was wild.
Next time you come to the barn,the whole place will be covered
in animals.
Speaker 1 (30:55):
Oh, you got them at the taxidermist.
Speaker 3 (30:57):
In South Africa, we hadn't been hit with that yet.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
I was going to say.
Speaker 3 (31:00):
I'm going to need to work a little bit.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
What did y'all capture?
Speaker 2 (31:05):
Cape buffalo.
Tell them about that.
It was wild.
I told the guys I wanted thesafest Cape buffalo.
Do you know what they look like?
They're huge.
They're massive animals.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
You tube them.
Speaker 2 (31:17):
They're one of the deadliest animals.
They kill a lot of people everyyear.
But I told them I want thesafest Cape buffalo hunt.
So the first day I was in acinder block hunting blind and I
thought now, this is kind ofcheating, didn't work out that
day.
Next day she had just killed acudu and they were like hey, we
got time, let's go try to get abuffalo.
Speaker 3 (31:36):
And we haul it.
I'm like scared in the truck.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
I told her we have a better chance of dying in this
car ride to kill the buffalothan we do by the buffalo
killing.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
Why were y'all going so fast?
Speaker 2 (31:49):
Because we were trying to get there.
Speaker 3 (31:52):
And I'm, I'm nerv down from this car ride and I'm
like, just trust me.
I'm like I can't trust anybody.
Speaker 2 (31:58):
I tell her every time we leave the country to just
trust me.
And I'm sitting there allstressed out like she hadn't
done any back work.
Speaker 3 (32:05):
I know where we're going and what we're doing.
She hadn't done any back work.
Speaker 2 (32:07):
When we landed, our guys were like why are two
females in South Africa huntingalone?
We're like, oh, can't findanybody else to go with us.
When we went to Mexico flyfishing, they're like why are
two females going five hours ina car through Mexico alone?
We would not recommend thatagain now to go with this, but
anyway we get there, get set up.
(32:31):
Barely gets that up, yeah about100 yards away, there's this 43
inch Cape buffalo and my heart'sjust like out the chest beating
shooting a 375.
First shot.
It kicked me all the way backto Crystal Springs.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
I believe, it.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
It was so strong and then, after that, my adrenaline
was pumping.
It was the hour chase.
Speaker 1 (32:54):
Do you hit it on the first shot?
Speaker 2 (32:55):
Yeah, it was a long shot.
Started bleeding out of hisnose.
Speaker 1 (32:59):
How far was that first shot?
Speaker 2 (33:01):
100 yards.
But I had a customer come in atone point and his guide he had
gone hunting in South Africakilled a buffalo, but his guide
told him to shoot again.
We told him, oh yeah, OK, buthe told him a different animal
the second time.
So he got to pay for two Capebuffalos and so I knew that was
(33:25):
not going to be me, because wedon't have those type of pockets
.
Speaker 1 (33:29):
Well, did the gentleman not recognize that?
Speaker 2 (33:32):
It's the most intense , scariest thing.
Elizabeth is crying.
Speaker 3 (33:35):
I'm the only one without a gun.
Oh, is she still?
I would not do any good with agun.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
The tracker didn't have a gun either, and she was.
Speaker 3 (33:42):
Were you on foot after you shot this thing In
another climb.
Speaker 2 (33:45):
You're going through the bush.
We were running around incircles for an hour.
They brought in dogs.
Speaker 3 (33:51):
OK, but listen.
Another customer told us sofast shots.
Another customer told us aboutthis time that he was doing this
and he had to run to.
The guy told him shoot.
And then we're going to run tothis tree.
And then we're going to run tothis tree and then we're
climbing that tree and therewere no trees around us that we
could climb.
We're just straight, bush, I'mlike.
Speaker 2 (34:10):
I'm about to die.
Speaker 3 (34:11):
I'm about to die.
Speaker 2 (34:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (34:14):
And at this point.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
she's crying behind me, she's standing behind the
tracker who doesn't have a gun.
I said, Elizabeth, please tellme you have more sense.
Speaker 3 (34:23):
I wouldn't run at this part, I would never die.
Speaker 2 (34:25):
Someone with a gun, and preferably not me, because
I'm scared to death too.
Get behind the guys.
Speaker 1 (34:32):
So you free handed the shot on this Cape Buffalo or
, you know it, on your stomach.
Speaker 2 (34:37):
No, no, no, I was on sticks with the first shot.
Then, 10 yards away, I'm tryingto get my cute shirt out of the
massive thorns.
She pushes me like that.
Speaker 3 (34:50):
I saw it.
Speaker 2 (34:50):
That thing is like raring back at us Trying to
charge us 10 yards away.
It took me two solid days tocome down from that.
I didn't sleep.
All I could think was we'reabout to die.
One of us will not make it backto Mississippi, and how will we
be able to live without theother one?
Speaker 1 (35:12):
Well, thankfully that did not take place and y'all
both did make it back toMississippi and hopefully both
of y'all decide to stay inMississippi long term.
Speaker 2 (35:21):
It was the best trip.
We learned a lot about eachother on that trip.
Speaker 1 (35:26):
Like what.
Speaker 2 (35:28):
Like that next trip, she just wants to go drink wine
somewhere.
No, no, no, no on thatadventure.
Speaker 3 (35:32):
I didn't say that I like to fish and we have a great
time fishing.
I'm not a huge hunter.
I don't mind to go hunting.
That was an intense week ofhunting.
We did not have hot water atour lodge, so we're taking cold
showers.
Speaker 1 (35:46):
We're in and out.
Speaker 3 (35:48):
Ok well, we're taking cold showers.
We're waking up.
5 AM.
Speaker 1 (35:51):
It wasn't a vacation.
Speaker 3 (35:52):
No, which is fine.
I live on vacation.
Elizabeth, you watch the sunset?
Well, you watch the sunrise andsunset every day.
We were on the back of thisbuggy just beating around Me and
my mom got sick one morning.
I thought she was joking around.
We had to pull over at 6 AMLeaving camp Malaria medicine.
She gets sick and we took thebill and they kept saying don't
drink the drink and we're likeit's a bill, so that was funny
(36:15):
to me, anyways.
So I think she's just beingsarcastic.
The next morning I startthrowing up everywhere.
My name is like get on the backof this buggy, so in the back
of this car, getting beat up allday when my stomach is sour.
I did not pay for this, but Idid.
Speaker 1 (36:33):
So before we wrap it up, I know you've got another
customer coming in- we can keeptalking.
I want to ask y'all, first andforemost do y'all see yourselves
staying in Crystal Springs andor Mississippi long term?
Speaker 2 (36:46):
Yes, I love it.
Everything I want to do isright here.
I can ride around on the land,enjoy life.
Mississippi is really cheap.
You can travel wherever youwant to.
This is home.
Five years ago, 10 years ago, Iwould have said I am never
moving back to Mississippi.
(37:06):
That is in my rear view.
I am over that place.
Speaker 3 (37:11):
I love it here and Mississippi's really been good
for this business.
The connections I mean we arethe hospitality state, people
are coming in, making greatconnections, becoming friends
with people that make this placeand this state even more
enjoyable.
Speaker 2 (37:28):
Mississippi gets a bad rap, but this is a very
special place, very specialstate.
We have a lot going on here andwe have a lot of stuff to be
proud of.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
Yeah, I agree.
I think what we've allowed tohappen, particularly in
generations before us, is letsomebody else tell our story,
and I think that's why it's soimportant.
I think it's very important forus, our generation and those
coming behind us, to ensure thatwe put our stories out.
We tell our stories, as opposedto allowing a legacy media
(38:03):
outlet from New York orWashington or California or a
movie made in Hollywood depicthow we think of ourselves.
Because I do think that thathas happened.
I think I'll speak for myselfWatching I'll give an example of
my dog, skip Mississippiburning movies that are telling
a story about where we're from,but at the same time, they're
(38:24):
not telling it wholly andtruthfully.
Are there some bad things thathave happened in Mississippi?
Absolutely, we have a darkhistory when it comes
particularly to race relations,but the current day and present
day is much more positive than Ithink people realize.
Look, we're America's best keptsecret.
(38:47):
They can keep thinking we'rethe dumbest and the poorest and
all that, which.
All that may be true, but, toyour point, there is a special
thing about Mississippi and Ithink people do resonate with it
when they actually come hereand speak with the people and
experience Mississippi, whetherit be on the coast or in central
Mississippi, wherever it may be.
(39:08):
We've got to do more to keepthe people of our generation
here.
So that's music to my ears tohear y'all say that y'all are
going to stay, and I hope y'alldo.
Speaker 3 (39:21):
She definitely will.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
I tried to get her.
Speaker 3 (39:24):
I tried to get her?
I don't know, but I will say totouch back on that when
Mary-Lidia moved home, my momand dad just knew of our friends
in Wyoming.
They'd met a few when they cameto Wyoming.
But since she's moved home, myparents are like everybody has
to come through Mississippi,because everyone has made a
(39:45):
point to come, stop by, spend aweekend, spend a night, and all
of our friends have thoroughlyenjoyed their time here that
otherwise would never have cometo Mississippi and they're like,
wow, it really is a great state.
Speaker 1 (39:58):
Are most of your customers from Mississippi.
Speaker 2 (40:01):
We get a lot of out-of-state customers.
Speaker 1 (40:03):
And they travel from wherever.
Speaker 2 (40:06):
All over.
We've had a group from theNetherlands.
I was really scared about thatwhen I thought it was a scam and
they were here for six weekssabbatical.
But I told Elizabeth.
I was like all right, here'sthe alarm, here's the gun.
Call 911 if something goessouth 911 would never get to us
Takes forever out here, Forever,but New York, California,
(40:30):
Alabama.
Speaker 3 (40:30):
Florida.
Speaker 2 (40:31):
Chicago, Arizona, Louisiana.
Speaker 1 (40:35):
How in the world do just word of mouth?
That's how these people findout about you in other places.
Speaker 2 (40:40):
My cousin created my website and it's very good.
Speaker 1 (40:43):
It is very good.
Who is that, by the way?
Speaker 2 (40:46):
Laura Doty.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
Shout out Laura, Great job on the website.
Speaker 2 (40:50):
And then Instagram.
Speaker 3 (40:53):
But the couple from the Netherlands had been in
Texas and had been in Nashvilleand they were looking at hats
and no one was willing tocustomize it with them there,
because the lady had collectedsome things along the way and
had brought them from theNetherlands that she wanted to
put on this hat and so she wasgetting turned down, turned down
.
They had two extra weeks andshe just said she googled best
(41:17):
custom hat maker.
Speaker 2 (41:19):
Not best.
Speaker 3 (41:20):
Or just like custom hat maker that will customize it
.
And so she'd researched someand Mary-Anne Williams was in it
.
And she reached out toMary-Anne Williams and was like
I'm not going to make a hatwithout you here and I will do
whatever you want on it when youget here.
And so she came in and she wasballing, crying.
We see that a lot People comein crying.
Speaker 2 (41:39):
We get emotional up here because it's meaningful to.
Yeah, we really step back, slowdown and just enjoy life.
And when you come to theHatshop it's kind of a retreat
for some people.
Everybody stays busy.
There's so much hustle andbustle, but we really try to
make you feel special and createa great experience.
Speaker 1 (42:02):
How did you decide on a name?
Speaker 2 (42:05):
That was kind of hard .
So my name is Mary Landrum,Pyron, ML and then provisions.
I decided on that because Ilike to do a ton of different
things.
I'll plant over 700 tulips thisfall and I thought, well, maybe
if I start a flower farmer,start catering or doing
different things, I could justrun it under one umbrella.
Speaker 1 (42:26):
You were looking ahead.
Speaker 2 (42:27):
Yeah, I didn't want to limit myself to ML Hat
Company or something.
Hat Company.
Speaker 1 (42:33):
So how do we get a ML hat on top of Lainey Wilson and
have that be her signature hat?
Speaker 2 (42:38):
Let's do it.
I keep trying, and I keeptrying.
Speaker 1 (42:42):
How have you tried thus far?
Speaker 2 (42:44):
Reached out to the guys with Mossy Oak.
They're well connected with her.
Rached out to her boyfriend,devon Hodges, and I think that
is her boyfriend.
Devon Hodges Dot.
Speaker 1 (42:57):
Hodges Football player.
Yeah, yeah, he plays footballat um.
He plays in the NFL.
Speaker 3 (43:05):
Yeah, he was he doesn't anymore.
But she has a signed deal.
Yeah, she's got a deal.
Speaker 1 (43:10):
She's already got a deal.
Yeah, that don't mean nothing.
Speaker 3 (43:13):
But they look just like our hats, yeah, or a hat
that we could create, right.
Speaker 1 (43:19):
Well, y'all, you can have the signature hat of the
county line.
Speaker 3 (43:23):
Yeah, doesn't matter.
Yes.
Speaker 1 (43:25):
All right, well, I know you got stuff to do.
I appreciate y'all sitting downwith me and having me and those
of y'all listening.
Please, if you need a hat comesee me.
Come to Crystal Springs,Mississippi, to email provisions
and see Mary Landrum and Lizand Ms Rosa and they will get
you hooked up.
Speaker 2 (43:42):
Yes, right, I do want to say uh, we've been running
around with these Philly boysfor a long time.
We met them at Hank Williams JrBack in the day.
Y'all were wild, y'all stillare.
But every time somebody's fromPhiladelphia and they come to
the hat shop, I always say Ihave never been with somebody
(44:02):
from Philadelphia and not hadfun.
Speaker 1 (44:05):
Y'all heard it here, y'all are good, never had a bad
time with y'all yeah.
Well, once again, thank y'allvery much, and I sure hope that
we can do this again.
Speaker 3 (44:13):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (44:14):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (44:14):
Anything else you want to add?
Speaker 2 (44:15):
No, thank you for having us and y'all follow the
podcast.
Reach out by hat and let's makethings happen.
Speaker 1 (44:22):
Roll that Peace.
Mary Lendrum Pyron.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Lee Carl.
What's up?
Speaker 1 (00:09):
and Elizabeth Pyron yes, first and foremost, I'd
like to say thank y'all forhaving me at Cherry Grove here
in Crystal Springs, mississippi,the one and only location in
Mississippi where these customhats are handmade.
Is that correct?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Yes, we take a raw felt.
It takes about eight hours.
It's a beaver and rabbit blendand you've been seeing us kind
of work through the hats.
We constantly keep these thingsrolling.
It's a typically a oneappointment process and we don't
ship hats, so people travel infrom all over the world to this
little one horse town.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
So you don't do any shipping whatsoever.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
I realized after my first Christmas it was really
stressing me out.
Nobody was measuring theirheads right and for a custom hat
to truly fit you the way itshould.
It's me seeming it, blocking it, sanding it with you right in
front of me.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
So what issues were you running into when people
were sizing themselves?
Speaker 2 (01:11):
They were just they were.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
The hats were getting back and they weren't fitting.
They weren't fitting correctly.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
They didn't measure correctly.
You could either be around oralong oval and depending on what
you are, it's going to affectthe comfort of the hat.
She's around.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
I'm along oval and when you steam a hat before she
hands it back to the person,like the final go, she gets it
really moist.
So when you put it on, it formsto your head and some people
have a crooked nose, uneven ears, so she kind of tweaks each hat
for that person, whereas if shewas shipping it off she
wouldn't know about thesefeatures of a person.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
We all.
Pull your mics a little closerto you, please.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Yes, sir.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Or you can scoot up either way.
So, first and foremost, let'stalk about the motivation behind
the hat making process and whatultimately initially led you
into this field.
How did you become interestedin it?
Speaker 2 (02:07):
So let's rewind a good bit.
I knew growing up that I wantedto major in hospitality
management.
I had a lot of people, a lot ofinfluential people in my life,
tell me no, you don't need to dothat.
You should get like a realmajor at Ole Miss.
It's kind of considered a MRSdegree.
I knew that I wanted to go toOle Miss, learn it, study it.
(02:29):
All my friends were gettingmarried right out of college.
They were going to law school,med school, audiology school.
I wasn't checking any of thoseboxes and I interned for Senator
Cochran going into senior yearof college and they sent a
slideshow around with all theinterns to the staffers and you
(02:51):
had to say where you sawyourself in five years.
You know everybody wants to bethe president or this or that.
I said I was going to go outwest to find myself, even though
I wasn't lost.
Well, I thought, yeah, I gotvery lost out there.
I thought I'd be there for sixmonths.
I took a job on a guest ranch,graduated from Ole Miss on a
Saturday the next day, drove outand my parents rode with me out
(03:15):
there and then they flew back.
But the ranch I worked on is a30-minute gravel drive, 100,000
acre ranch in the absolutemiddle of nowhere.
But I had to wear a hat as partof the uniform, so that's kind
of where it all started.
Bought my first hat April 6,2016 from Boots and More and
Jackson.
My mom said oh, I'm not goingto get you a really nice hat
(03:36):
because it'll be like a swapparty and you want to actually
wear a cowboy hat.
Well, I really just dove headfirst into the whole western
lifestyle and came obsessed withit.
I worked on that ranch forthree seasons.
Started on how much bacon youwere and more hats.
I was the expedition chef inCater and I would cook 18 pounds
(03:56):
of bacon on the top of themountain.
How many eggs Can you crackwith your hands?
At that point in my life, Icould crack four eggs at once,
two in each hand.
Just boom, boom, boom.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
No shells, were you fried or scrambling.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
I would Sorry, I would crack them and then I'd
scramble it in a cast iron likeyou know that big we do.
I can't remember.
It was just like tenderloinafter tender beef, tenderloin
for days, bacon, potato salad.
I'd make chili for 150 people.
That would take 30 pounds ofground beef.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
So it's safe to say that you could.
You could run a restaurant ifyou had to.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Basically work yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Did the?
Anything that you learned inthat process?
Have you applied to your hatmaking business?
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Yes, I laugh because we used to have to pack for the
cookouts and Justin Howell, themanager of the ranch, who I'm
very close with, he was veryprecise, I guess you could say,
and he was very organized and heliked it to be that way, and my
dad is also that way.
So I've kind of been aroundpeople like that my entire life.
(05:05):
But we'd get all thetupperware's lined up and we'd
pack everything, have achecklist.
And I still laugh when I getready for the trunk shows.
I kind of use that same methodwhen we go to pack the hats the
ribbons and everything.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
And then so at what point, and during your stay and
while Oming, did you beginworking for a hat maker out
there?
Speaker 2 (05:29):
So, like I said, I worked at the ranch for three
seasons and after my firstseason I called my parents and
said, hey, I'm actually going tostay for a winter and then I'll
move to DC, get a big girl job,and quickly realized that I was
not going to move away.
I became obsessed with, whileOming and worked in the ski shop
(05:51):
, played year three I was stillbuying custom hats, or buying
hats and thinking about what Iwanted to change on the hats,
and I was working out a florist.
I also worked at the airport.
I'm a big turkey hunter and myparents told me that I was too
old to fly back and forth forturkey season.
So I took matters into my ownhands, worked out a florist and
(06:12):
then she wanted me to sign orthe florist had me polishing 500
forks, 500 knives, and I wasgoing crazy.
She started an event rentalcompany.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
What happened at the airport, though?
Speaker 2 (06:22):
At the airport.
I went in to quit, but I got anemployee of the month, so I had
to stay on an extra month.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Why did you have to stay to enjoy the benefits of
getting an employee of the month?
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Well, I just couldn't leave them high and dry after I
got an employee of the month.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Y'all think of me like this, so I'm going to stay
another month.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Yeah, yeah, and then working at the florist.
I got tired of that and so Ireached out to a lady in 2019,
worked for her for a year and ahalf, trained under the guy that
trained her.
Then she wanted me to sign anon-compete and I already knew I
was going to do my own thing.
It's a lot of wear and tear onthe body that you don't see when
(06:59):
you just see the hat onInstagram.
Originally, I thought I'd liveout there forever.
I quickly realized I wouldnever be able to afford a house,
especially at the rate that Iwas playing, and decided
Mississippi doesn't sound so badand there's no one else in this
area doing what I can do, andmy nieces got two precious
(07:24):
nieces, wanted to watch themgrow up very close family and I
made the decision and I alsofelt like I could do more than
what I was doing.
Like I said, we played all thetime, five nights a week, had a
huge social agenda.
It was college without schoolwork, and I woke up and I
realized that I could do moreand I should maybe really pursue
(07:48):
hats.
So I decided, instead of signingthat non-compete, went in the
next day and said thank you,this is my two weeks notice.
That was January of 21 and thenI just babysat until I moved
home.
I want to stay there until mylease was up in May.
Fish every day, ski hike reallyenjoy life before real world
(08:14):
started.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Is there a different, a market difference in the
style and the flair between yourcustomers in Mississippi or the
South compared to customers youhad in Wyoming?
Speaker 2 (08:26):
The difference is the dollar signs.
I'm a whole lot cheaper thanthey are out west.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
So you can make your hats cheaper here than up there,
or you just charge less.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
I just charge less.
There's now five hatters withinthree blocks each other in
Jackson Hall.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
And that's all.
It's tourist strobing yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
So that was going to be one.
So I try to get people beforethey go out west.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Or most of the people , because you mentioned that
it's expensive out there and,Liz, you spend a lot of time out
there too.
Still do, don't you?
Speaker 3 (08:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
So is it mainly tourists that are out there that
drive the prices of everythingup?
You mentioned the house beingtoo expensive for your liking.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Is that what drives the prices up?
We lived in a house Um, granted, it was right prime location
between the cowboy bar and thelocal snow king mountain.
We always had people over.
We even had the Philly boysover when they came out to town.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Bush your heart.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Yeah, but I had a garage.
She lived in a garage.
I had to walk through hergarage to get down to my
basement room.
It was one bathroom.
We did not have any heat.
One true bedroom.
It wouldn't be a hundredthousand dollars in Mississippi
(09:48):
and pre-COVID it went for like1.3 pre-COVID His bestest mold
right on.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
You name it, we got it.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
It was negative outside.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
It was negative in the house.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
I imagine it's very clean.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
So clean, beautiful.
We basically got to livevacation every day of our life.
People, what we did on a dailybasis is what people dream about
.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
So I would say the tourists are running the hat
prices up and just like that,but the cost of living is due to
from the pandemic.
These billionaires are runningout the millionaires because
they're trying to make thattheir full-time home and they
have homes all over.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Hmm, a similar thing is happening in New Orleans, but
they're not moving there forobvious reasons, but they're
buying up.
The rich people are buying upthe real estate because they
recognize that New Orleans isobviously a tourist destination
and so people who are living inNew Orleans, where that is their
home, can't afford to buy adecent home because of that same
(10:51):
impact that the millionaires orbillionaires or whatever from
the outside are scooping all thereal estate up.
What would you say to somebodywho's about to graduate college
and thinking about going down asimilar path that you did
following graduation fromcollege?
Would you recommend it 100%?
(11:12):
for how long, and you know whatare some of the benefits that
you gain both of you, fromhaving that experience.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
I definitely had no clue what I wanted to do with my
life when I moved out there.
I just thought, oh, let me goout West.
I didn't know a single personin the state of Wyoming when I
moved out there and it made meget out of my comfort zone.
I'm definitely the shy one inmy family and I used to be a
whole lot more outgoing than Iam now, but I had to kind of
(11:41):
figure out who I was as a personand what direction I wanted to
go.
I think if I was only out therefor those six months that
summer season I would be workinga typical nine to five and
probably very unhappy.
My parents were reallysupportive in the sense that
they let us just.
(12:02):
We paid our bills and did whatwe had to do to survive, but we
also got to grow up and got toexperience life and had
different opportunities that wewould not have had if we would
have stayed in Crystal Springs.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
But I think like the best thing if someone doesn't
know what they want to do, workon a ranch, work in an
environment that the housing isincluded, the meals are included
, and you're just benefitingfrom being there and learning a
work ethic and learning fromother people that are
like-minded, just finishingschool, not sure what they want
to do, and you all just kind oflike come together.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
You don't have phone service, so you really get to
know each other.
On a personal level.
I'm closer with some of thosepeople from that stint in
Wyoming than I am from highschool college.
You work six days a week.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
You don't know what days of the weekend, like every
day, you're hustling.
Our boss always would say ifsomeone asks you to do something
, it is your job.
Do not ever say it's not my job, I'll go get someone, it is
your job.
You figure out a way to makethings get done.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
I feel like a lot of times people now, unless it is a
bullet point on their jobdescription, they won't do it,
and that's one of the thingsthat led me to start my own
thing.
I don't get along well withlazy people and I'm very like to
(13:31):
check the boxes and get thingsdone, so I sometimes would find
myself frustrated when I wasworking with coworkers and going
out on my own.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
Has that experience as a working for someone else
informed how you treat employeesor?
Speaker 2 (13:52):
people that work alongside you or under you.
I know what it takes to make ahat, and I know what it takes,
or what it feels like, when youare appreciated and you are
valued, versus when you're justthe hired help.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
So these hats?
Let's talk about the actualmakeup of the hats, or all of
these hats.
For those of y'all listening,we're in Mary Landrum's shop in
Mel provisions in CrystalSprings, mississippi, and we've
got hats all around the room, orall of these hats of the same
material.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Yes, they're 50 X Beaver and Rabbit blend.
It's pretty much waterresistant.
You're 100 X pure beaver, whichI make those per request that
you can wear in the rain, thesnow, sleet and it will never
change its shape.
But if you take care of the 50X, it'll last you a lifetime and
pass it on for generations.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
What's the, what's the distinguished?
50 X between 100 X?
What is?
Speaker 2 (14:47):
that the dollar sign $100, $50, $50.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
X is Beaver and rabbit.
Yeah and the 100X is justbeaver, I see yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
And everything that we try.
If you're just wearing afashion hat, want it to look
cute, go to brunch or hang outat the hunting camp, 50X does
the ticket as of today, really,as of now, custom 50X hats start
at $550.
Gotcha 100X hats are $1,000.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Right.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
So it's just a little .
It's a higher quality material.
But what we do with the hats?
You can still wear either ofthem forever.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
Is the cost.
Some people may hear that andsay, oh my gosh, I'd never pay
that for a hat, but they're atthat price point for a reason.
It's a combination of materialand labor, right?
So is it more labor-intensiveor is the source more difficult?
Speaker 2 (15:46):
The felt has gone up over 140% since I got started.
I started buying felt inJanuary of 21.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
So you source that from where All over?
Speaker 2 (16:02):
Can't tell you all my secrets.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
Find you a redneck around here to start killing me.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
We found them.
It's so much more than that.
Felt is the process of the furhair working together.
I've got some pics I'll showyou after this, but it goes
through about 20 hands in thefactory before it's even shipped
to me.
You're talking equipment thatis just old, old, ancient.
One of the pieces of equipmentwe used was built in 1860.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
What if we invented some new equipment?
Speaker 2 (16:33):
Well, my dad, being the entrepreneur that he is, has
suggested it and suggested it.
But if I am producing the feltwhich I don't like to say can't,
but I will never be able to Iam fulfilled by making the hat,
by the whole process, and that'swhere I get my joy and my
(16:54):
passion.
So if you could tap into thatmarket, it'd be a good one.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
I might look into it, if podcasting doesn't work out,
the process of creating thepersonalized version of the
headgear.
What does that look like?
Speaker 2 (17:10):
So you come in, we have about an hour and 45 minute
time slot and you start.
I'll show you the process ofhow we make the hats and then
pick out your size and color.
People say, well, how do I wantit to fit?
You want it to be comfortable.
You don't want it so tight thatyour eyes feel like they're
about to pop out of your head orthe wind blow it off.
I do say if you're jumping onthe back of a horse, you want it
(17:31):
tight.
Most people aren't Then we'lldecorate it.
You'll choose your crown style,your brim shape.
My signature is a teardrop.
Pencil curl through the backjust says hey, I'm custom, and
then usually a slight little dipin the front.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
So you said you hadn't had to do any marketing
so far mostly word of mouth andthings such as this.
But it sounds like people havebeen reaching out to you, not
vice versa.
Do you foresee outgrowing yourcurrent operation?
Speaker 2 (18:05):
We've been lucky enough to double our equipment
since we got started.
We're a small hat shop but weproduce pretty large scale.
I don't want to outgrow thisbarn because there's something
special about it.
It's the connection that youget.
When it's a private appointment, it's just you in here or
(18:25):
whoever you bring, and it's notmass produced next person, next
person.
We really connect and thatconnection ends up showing up in
the hat shape and the style andthe bands that you choose.
I don't see myself Some peoplesay it's narrow minded saying
that I don't want to expand andopen up a lot of shops, but I
(18:45):
like what we have going here.
Speaker 1 (18:48):
Well, I mean, you've got a personal touch here that
can't be duplicated orreplicated.
I mean, if you wanted to goopen up another shop, just one
other shop, maybe you could putLiz on it and it would be
similar to having that touch.
The problem with Liz we had toschedule this.
There's no problem.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
We had to schedule this podcast around her being
here.
I would love to say it and Ialways say now, liz, you need to
learn this because if somethinghappens to me, this is your
castle.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
Every queen deserves a castle but I don't have a barn
.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
But Liz likes to pick up and go, so I can't count on
it.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
I can take a hat wagon owner for too much.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
I can take the hat wagon.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
You like the globe truck, don't you?
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (19:34):
We do a bunch of hat shows all over though.
We have a seven by 14 trailer,load up this side of the barn
and we how about.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
Those are fun.
Oh yeah, I bet it's a lot ofwork, but-.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Oh gosh, I don't know why I want to be upstairs.
Those hat stands are reallyheavy, carrying them upstairs,
downstairs and then into theevent.
But we've been from SouthCarolina all the way to Wyoming.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
One of the biggest things that I take away from
what you're doing here is you'redoing, it seems, what you want
to do.
You found a way to monetize whatyou enjoy doing and by my
estimation, that's very rare.
A lot of people not just in ourgeneration, but people that
came before us just went alongto get along, so to speak.
(20:20):
Graduated college, wentimmediately into the field that
they got a degree in, whetherthey like it or not, and just
went along with it, as opposedto someone like yourself, where
you're like, okay, I'm gonna goto Wyoming and spread my wings a
little bit, and then you foundsomething out there that you
really enjoyed and you've beenable to make your livelihood out
(20:40):
of it, and that's an examplethat I wish a lot more people
would take notice of, because Ithink there's I know there's
more fulfillment day to day andoverall in life when we get up
every day and we're getting paidto do something that we love to
do.
Has that been so?
(21:01):
You've had a couple of jobs outthere in Wyoming.
Is this the only occupationyou've had since being back in
Mississippi?
Speaker 2 (21:09):
Yes, when I first got started I thought I would sell
about four hats a month, pay thebills and then I'd work for my
dad part time and, thank youJesus, this thing really picked
up and I've been running prettymuch full speed.
I made my first hat under mybrand July 21st of 21.
And it just blows me away thatpeople are still wanting the
(21:32):
hats and that we've been asstrong since the beginning as we
have.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
You mentioned someone earlier who has multiple hats.
Do you have a lot of repeatcustomers?
Speaker 2 (21:43):
We have a ton of repeat customers, that's a good
sign.
Yeah, some people getfrustrated with my weight list
but I try to feed back in thereturning customers.
With first time customers wework pretty much if we're in
town.
We're working six days a weekso we really try to get these
people in and out and satisfiedso they can wear it all football
(22:03):
season all winter, and thensome people wear them year round
into the summer.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
So how do y'all go about managing your inventory?
Obviously, it's all right here,but is that something that you
have to update, often as far asjust the blank canvas itself, so
to speak.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
You can't get a blank canvas like you won't.
I have orders since I gotstarted that still aren't filled
.
Anytime I get a hat shipment,it's a good day no matter if
it's a maroon red, whatever thecolor, I just write a check, say
thank you to the supplier.
Nobody's working in thesefactories anymore and the price
(22:40):
of fire coming in from Europe soexpensive.
That's.
One of the toughest parts isstill having supply chain issues
and not being able to get thefelt, and there's so few people
producing what it takes to makea hat that you can't kick and
scream.
You just gotta say thank youwhen you get something.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
Always like asking business owners this,
particularly somebody that hasvery personalized operation like
you've got here.
You've been doing it longenough.
Now you started to recognizewho your customer is.
What is the demographic?
What is the target market?
What does the target marketpersona look like for ML
provisions?
Speaker 2 (23:21):
We're priced to where people can save a few paychecks
and get a hat, and then we havecustomers that will walk in and
buy two or three during thatone appointment.
We fit everybody.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
Whether you're a child Old school cowboy.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
We have a lot of families come in.
The grandparents will bring thegrandkids.
Everybody leaves with a hat.
We can do your traditionalWestern hat.
We can do your trendy hat.
Most hatters pick one style,but we cater to whatever the
customer wants.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
People in Mississippi particularly, I would imagine
really like coming somewherelike this, because we like to
talk to people all day longConnections, networking.
That's all we do, and it's outin the woods and it's different,
obviously, then, wherever.
I don't even know where elseyou'd get a hat like this, but
somewhere that's morecommercialized.
People like having thatpersonal connection, knowing
(24:18):
whether it's a trip, it's atreat.
Speaker 3 (24:21):
It's an experience.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
You're not just going to get a hat.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
We're going to see Liz and.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
Rosa and Mary Landrum and stay a little while Right.
Do you see that as a?
Speaker 2 (24:32):
differentiation.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
For you, that's a huge selling point yes, in
comparison to your competitors,if you have any.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
We really connect with people and then I'll see
them out and I say you come as acustomer, but you leave as a
friend.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
Very wise saying you have there, Mary Landrum.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
Cheers.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
So, liz, what does your role look like here at ML
Provisions?
Speaker 3 (24:54):
Well, some days I get the trustee assistant, and then
they.
I'm just, she's the talker.
Speaker 2 (24:59):
She's the entertainer .
I don't like to talk, I like towork.
We have a stocked fridge and Isay it's a different drink for
each of her moods, depends onhow she comes.
She came out pretty hot andfiery this morning.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
No, no, no.
We're all to a great start, butI can run all the equipment.
She doesn't let me on the blacksewing machine, which is fine,
and her name's on it.
Speaker 2 (25:23):
You haven't made it to that level yet.
No, if that thing goes down,nobody works on sewing machines
anymore, so I'd rather be mad atmyself instead of as we would
all want it to be Absolutelyyeah.
Speaker 1 (25:33):
Steer clear from that one, Liz.
Speaker 3 (25:35):
Yeah, but our mom told me early on when she
started this it's her name, herbrand, her business.
You help out, but at the end ofthe day, it's hers her name.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
No doubt, no doubt.
Speaker 3 (25:47):
I just do things that she could redo if I messed up.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
How many hats do you have?
Speaker 3 (25:53):
Elizabeth, I really only have like three.
No, I really only have likethree On that wall.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
Half of those hats are hers.
Speaker 3 (26:01):
She always, but it's good, because I always want her
in a hat If I'm going somewhere,she's packing my bag with five
hats, so you know what I travellike.
I have no room for no hats, andshe can rock a hat.
Speaker 2 (26:13):
So that's free marketing for me.
But sometimes when we're tryingto go somewhere, she like does
that have a hat?
I don't have a hat, I need anew hat.
And I'm like Liz, you've got 15on the wall, it's not all about
you.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
It's just something new, you know, especially when
you got a whole barn full tochoose from.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
It just makes you feel good.
Speaker 1 (26:34):
How do you travel with these hats without messing
them up?
Speaker 3 (26:38):
We just stack them on top of each other and then I'll
carry a big carry on lug thatthrough we can travel with about
five hats.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
And a carry on, but we've got it figured out.
Speaker 3 (26:49):
But we also put these hats through a lot of heat and
steam and stuff, and I've had ahorse.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
They're a lot more durable than people.
Some people buy the hat andthey're scared to wear it
because it costs them a lot ofmoney and they don't want to
mess it up.
Speaker 3 (27:03):
But I've had a hat, stepped on by the crown, stepped
on by a horse, it popped backout.
I mean we put so much steam andheat on it and then I've had
hats that I've spilled some wineon, or mascara or something.
Just sandpaper gets it rightout Most of my hats.
I just originally go on a dirtyup.
I'm not the easiest on things,so, but yeah, they travel easy,
(27:26):
sandpaper.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
That's how I buy my tennis shoes, except for these.
I like them to be worn or lookworn.
Speaker 3 (27:32):
So you go to the thrift store for them.
Well, I can't ever find my sizeat the thrift store.
Okay, but if they're alreadyworn.
Speaker 2 (27:38):
Do you not feel like that's fit to somebody else's
shape?
Speaker 1 (27:41):
to.
I like them to appear alreadyworn.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
So you're into golden gooses.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
What is that?
Speaker 2 (27:47):
Fill me in, they're already worn shoes.
Basically, they're all tatteredup.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
Are they new and just look tighter?
Speaker 2 (27:55):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
You know, like Elizabeth's jeans.
Oh, thank you everybody.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
Holy jeans.
She's holy yes.
Speaker 3 (28:04):
Yes, I am.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
So moving forward, we're going, we're getting into
holiday season.
I would imagine.
Your workload increasesexponentially, so you'll be busy
for the next two months.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
Hopefully it'll roll into February.
We really try to get thesepeople in.
This is our busy season.
We don't take much time offbetween now and February and
usually in February I have asnapping point, hit a break and
I take a vacation.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
As you should.
I do think that that's onething I have had to and I'm
still working on it make myselfdo.
Speaker 3 (28:45):
Yeah, I can help, I agree.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
Take time away from whatever I'm doing on a daily
basis, because we get in thisand subconsciously we don't
realize it, but we get in thisrut and we just start going to
the motions and things becomemonotonous and we fall into it
after a period of time and weneed that week or two weeks away
from whatever it is to justhave that reset.
(29:11):
And Liz seems like she's on itconstantly.
Speaker 2 (29:15):
Yeah, liz needs to reset back in the work, grind
back on routine.
She's a gypsy.
She keeps the bag packed at alltimes.
Speaker 1 (29:26):
No, no, no no.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
If you got it.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
Like that you got it like that and she got it like
that.
Speaker 3 (29:31):
No, I do work hard when I am in here, but I have
realized things that work andthings that don't work for me.
I need a lot.
I feed off other people, but Igot to recharge myself so that I
can keep going, which I feellike you're a lot like that.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
When I grow up, I want to be Elizabeth.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
She's just got it figured out she does no I don't.
I mean you make hats, get aWyoming, go to.
Where else are you going?
Surely you got somewhere elselined up.
Speaker 3 (30:01):
Well, I Nanny for a family and I was full time with
him until she called and she waslike I need help, I need help,
and it was always, and I wasjust going back and forth.
And so I went part time lastMarch and now I go to Wyoming
summer and winter when I wouldlove to be out there, I love to
hike and fish and love to ski,and so I get the best of that
(30:24):
world and then help her whenshe's really busy.
And then I'll go to Oklahomatake family trips with them.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
Yeah, we try to take a trip during the summer to.
We went to South Africa thispast June.
Speaker 3 (30:37):
We went to Mexico.
That was your favorite.
Speaker 2 (30:39):
We went fly fishing in Mexico in February.
That was our reset then.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
Y'all went to South Africa.
How was that?
Wow, I think I saw pictures.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
Yeah, it was wild.
Next time you come to the barn,the whole place will be covered
in animals.
Speaker 1 (30:55):
Oh, you got them at the taxidermist.
Speaker 3 (30:57):
In South Africa, we hadn't been hit with that yet.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
I was going to say.
Speaker 3 (31:00):
I'm going to need to work a little bit.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
What did y'all capture?
Speaker 2 (31:05):
Cape buffalo.
Tell them about that.
It was wild.
I told the guys I wanted thesafest Cape buffalo.
Do you know what they look like?
They're huge.
They're massive animals.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
You tube them.
Speaker 2 (31:17):
They're one of the deadliest animals.
They kill a lot of people everyyear.
But I told them I want thesafest Cape buffalo hunt.
So the first day I was in acinder block hunting blind and I
thought now, this is kind ofcheating, didn't work out that
day.
Next day she had just killed acudu and they were like hey, we
got time, let's go try to get abuffalo.
Speaker 3 (31:36):
And we haul it.
I'm like scared in the truck.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
I told her we have a better chance of dying in this
car ride to kill the buffalothan we do by the buffalo
killing.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
Why were y'all going so fast?
Speaker 2 (31:49):
Because we were trying to get there.
Speaker 3 (31:52):
And I'm, I'm nerv down from this car ride and I'm
like, just trust me.
I'm like I can't trust anybody.
Speaker 2 (31:58):
I tell her every time we leave the country to just
trust me.
And I'm sitting there allstressed out like she hadn't
done any back work.
Speaker 3 (32:05):
I know where we're going and what we're doing.
She hadn't done any back work.
Speaker 2 (32:07):
When we landed, our guys were like why are two
females in South Africa huntingalone?
We're like, oh, can't findanybody else to go with us.
When we went to Mexico flyfishing, they're like why are
two females going five hours ina car through Mexico alone?
We would not recommend thatagain now to go with this, but
anyway we get there, get set up.
(32:31):
Barely gets that up, yeah about100 yards away, there's this 43
inch Cape buffalo and my heart'sjust like out the chest beating
shooting a 375.
First shot.
It kicked me all the way backto Crystal Springs.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
I believe, it.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
It was so strong and then, after that, my adrenaline
was pumping.
It was the hour chase.
Speaker 1 (32:54):
Do you hit it on the first shot?
Speaker 2 (32:55):
Yeah, it was a long shot.
Started bleeding out of hisnose.
Speaker 1 (32:59):
How far was that first shot?
Speaker 2 (33:01):
100 yards.
But I had a customer come in atone point and his guide he had
gone hunting in South Africakilled a buffalo, but his guide
told him to shoot again.
We told him, oh yeah, OK, buthe told him a different animal
the second time.
So he got to pay for two Capebuffalos and so I knew that was
(33:25):
not going to be me, because wedon't have those type of pockets
.
Speaker 1 (33:29):
Well, did the gentleman not recognize that?
Speaker 2 (33:32):
It's the most intense , scariest thing.
Elizabeth is crying.
Speaker 3 (33:35):
I'm the only one without a gun.
Oh, is she still?
I would not do any good with agun.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
The tracker didn't have a gun either, and she was.
Speaker 3 (33:42):
Were you on foot after you shot this thing In
another climb.
Speaker 2 (33:45):
You're going through the bush.
We were running around incircles for an hour.
They brought in dogs.
Speaker 3 (33:51):
OK, but listen.
Another customer told us sofast shots.
Another customer told us aboutthis time that he was doing this
and he had to run to.
The guy told him shoot.
And then we're going to run tothis tree.
And then we're going to run tothis tree and then we're
climbing that tree and therewere no trees around us that we
could climb.
We're just straight, bush, I'mlike.
Speaker 2 (34:10):
I'm about to die.
Speaker 3 (34:11):
I'm about to die.
Speaker 2 (34:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (34:14):
And at this point.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
she's crying behind me, she's standing behind the
tracker who doesn't have a gun.
I said, Elizabeth, please tellme you have more sense.
Speaker 3 (34:23):
I wouldn't run at this part, I would never die.
Speaker 2 (34:25):
Someone with a gun, and preferably not me, because
I'm scared to death too.
Get behind the guys.
Speaker 1 (34:32):
So you free handed the shot on this Cape Buffalo or
, you know it, on your stomach.
Speaker 2 (34:37):
No, no, no, I was on sticks with the first shot.
Then, 10 yards away, I'm tryingto get my cute shirt out of the
massive thorns.
She pushes me like that.
Speaker 3 (34:50):
I saw it.
Speaker 2 (34:50):
That thing is like raring back at us Trying to
charge us 10 yards away.
It took me two solid days tocome down from that.
I didn't sleep.
All I could think was we'reabout to die.
One of us will not make it backto Mississippi, and how will we
be able to live without theother one?
Speaker 1 (35:12):
Well, thankfully that did not take place and y'all
both did make it back toMississippi and hopefully both
of y'all decide to stay inMississippi long term.
Speaker 2 (35:21):
It was the best trip.
We learned a lot about eachother on that trip.
Speaker 1 (35:26):
Like what.
Speaker 2 (35:28):
Like that next trip, she just wants to go drink wine
somewhere.
No, no, no, no on thatadventure.
Speaker 3 (35:32):
I didn't say that I like to fish and we have a great
time fishing.
I'm not a huge hunter.
I don't mind to go hunting.
That was an intense week ofhunting.
We did not have hot water atour lodge, so we're taking cold
showers.
Speaker 1 (35:46):
We're in and out.
Speaker 3 (35:48):
Ok well, we're taking cold showers.
We're waking up.
5 AM.
Speaker 1 (35:51):
It wasn't a vacation.
Speaker 3 (35:52):
No, which is fine.
I live on vacation.
Elizabeth, you watch the sunset?
Well, you watch the sunrise andsunset every day.
We were on the back of thisbuggy just beating around Me and
my mom got sick one morning.
I thought she was joking around.
We had to pull over at 6 AMLeaving camp Malaria medicine.
She gets sick and we took thebill and they kept saying don't
drink the drink and we're likeit's a bill, so that was funny
(36:15):
to me, anyways.
So I think she's just beingsarcastic.
The next morning I startthrowing up everywhere.
My name is like get on the backof this buggy, so in the back
of this car, getting beat up allday when my stomach is sour.
I did not pay for this, but Idid.
Speaker 1 (36:33):
So before we wrap it up, I know you've got another
customer coming in- we can keeptalking.
I want to ask y'all, first andforemost do y'all see yourselves
staying in Crystal Springs andor Mississippi long term?
Speaker 2 (36:46):
Yes, I love it.
Everything I want to do isright here.
I can ride around on the land,enjoy life.
Mississippi is really cheap.
You can travel wherever youwant to.
This is home.
Five years ago, 10 years ago, Iwould have said I am never
moving back to Mississippi.
(37:06):
That is in my rear view.
I am over that place.
Speaker 3 (37:11):
I love it here and Mississippi's really been good
for this business.
The connections I mean we arethe hospitality state, people
are coming in, making greatconnections, becoming friends
with people that make this placeand this state even more
enjoyable.
Speaker 2 (37:28):
Mississippi gets a bad rap, but this is a very
special place, very specialstate.
We have a lot going on here andwe have a lot of stuff to be
proud of.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
Yeah, I agree.
I think what we've allowed tohappen, particularly in
generations before us, is letsomebody else tell our story,
and I think that's why it's soimportant.
I think it's very important forus, our generation and those
coming behind us, to ensure thatwe put our stories out.
We tell our stories, as opposedto allowing a legacy media
(38:03):
outlet from New York orWashington or California or a
movie made in Hollywood depicthow we think of ourselves.
Because I do think that thathas happened.
I think I'll speak for myselfWatching I'll give an example of
my dog, skip Mississippiburning movies that are telling
a story about where we're from,but at the same time, they're
(38:24):
not telling it wholly andtruthfully.
Are there some bad things thathave happened in Mississippi?
Absolutely, we have a darkhistory when it comes
particularly to race relations,but the current day and present
day is much more positive than Ithink people realize.
Look, we're America's best keptsecret.
(38:47):
They can keep thinking we'rethe dumbest and the poorest and
all that, which.
All that may be true, but, toyour point, there is a special
thing about Mississippi and Ithink people do resonate with it
when they actually come hereand speak with the people and
experience Mississippi, whetherit be on the coast or in central
Mississippi, wherever it may be.
(39:08):
We've got to do more to keepthe people of our generation
here.
So that's music to my ears tohear y'all say that y'all are
going to stay, and I hope y'alldo.
Speaker 3 (39:21):
She definitely will.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
I tried to get her.
Speaker 3 (39:24):
I tried to get her?
I don't know, but I will say totouch back on that when
Mary-Lidia moved home, my momand dad just knew of our friends
in Wyoming.
They'd met a few when they cameto Wyoming.
But since she's moved home, myparents are like everybody has
to come through Mississippi,because everyone has made a
(39:45):
point to come, stop by, spend aweekend, spend a night, and all
of our friends have thoroughlyenjoyed their time here that
otherwise would never have cometo Mississippi and they're like,
wow, it really is a great state.
Speaker 1 (39:58):
Are most of your customers from Mississippi.
Speaker 2 (40:01):
We get a lot of out-of-state customers.
Speaker 1 (40:03):
And they travel from wherever.
Speaker 2 (40:06):
All over.
We've had a group from theNetherlands.
I was really scared about thatwhen I thought it was a scam and
they were here for six weekssabbatical.
But I told Elizabeth.
I was like all right, here'sthe alarm, here's the gun.
Call 911 if something goessouth 911 would never get to us
Takes forever out here, Forever,but New York, California,
(40:30):
Alabama.
Speaker 3 (40:30):
Florida.
Speaker 2 (40:31):
Chicago, Arizona, Louisiana.
Speaker 1 (40:35):
How in the world do just word of mouth?
That's how these people findout about you in other places.
Speaker 2 (40:40):
My cousin created my website and it's very good.
Speaker 1 (40:43):
It is very good.
Who is that, by the way?
Speaker 2 (40:46):
Laura Doty.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
Shout out Laura, Great job on the website.
Speaker 2 (40:50):
And then Instagram.
Speaker 3 (40:53):
But the couple from the Netherlands had been in
Texas and had been in Nashvilleand they were looking at hats
and no one was willing tocustomize it with them there,
because the lady had collectedsome things along the way and
had brought them from theNetherlands that she wanted to
put on this hat and so she wasgetting turned down, turned down
.
They had two extra weeks andshe just said she googled best
(41:17):
custom hat maker.
Speaker 2 (41:19):
Not best.
Speaker 3 (41:20):
Or just like custom hat maker that will customize it
.
And so she'd researched someand Mary-Anne Williams was in it
.
And she reached out toMary-Anne Williams and was like
I'm not going to make a hatwithout you here and I will do
whatever you want on it when youget here.
And so she came in and she wasballing, crying.
We see that a lot People comein crying.
Speaker 2 (41:39):
We get emotional up here because it's meaningful to.
Yeah, we really step back, slowdown and just enjoy life.
And when you come to theHatshop it's kind of a retreat
for some people.
Everybody stays busy.
There's so much hustle andbustle, but we really try to
make you feel special and createa great experience.
Speaker 1 (42:02):
How did you decide on a name?
Speaker 2 (42:05):
That was kind of hard .
So my name is Mary Landrum,Pyron, ML and then provisions.
I decided on that because Ilike to do a ton of different
things.
I'll plant over 700 tulips thisfall and I thought, well, maybe
if I start a flower farmer,start catering or doing
different things, I could justrun it under one umbrella.
Speaker 1 (42:26):
You were looking ahead.
Speaker 2 (42:27):
Yeah, I didn't want to limit myself to ML Hat
Company or something.
Hat Company.
Speaker 1 (42:33):
So how do we get a ML hat on top of Lainey Wilson and
have that be her signature hat?
Speaker 2 (42:38):
Let's do it.
I keep trying, and I keeptrying.
Speaker 1 (42:42):
How have you tried thus far?
Speaker 2 (42:44):
Reached out to the guys with Mossy Oak.
They're well connected with her.
Rached out to her boyfriend,devon Hodges, and I think that
is her boyfriend.
Devon Hodges Dot.
Speaker 1 (42:57):
Hodges Football player.
Yeah, yeah, he plays footballat um.
He plays in the NFL.
Speaker 3 (43:05):
Yeah, he was he doesn't anymore.
But she has a signed deal.
Yeah, she's got a deal.
Speaker 1 (43:10):
She's already got a deal.
Yeah, that don't mean nothing.
Speaker 3 (43:13):
But they look just like our hats, yeah, or a hat
that we could create, right.
Speaker 1 (43:19):
Well, y'all, you can have the signature hat of the
county line.
Speaker 3 (43:23):
Yeah, doesn't matter.
Yes.
Speaker 1 (43:25):
All right, well, I know you got stuff to do.
I appreciate y'all sitting downwith me and having me and those
of y'all listening.
Please, if you need a hat comesee me.
Come to Crystal Springs,Mississippi, to email provisions
and see Mary Landrum and Lizand Ms Rosa and they will get
you hooked up.
Speaker 2 (43:42):
Yes, right, I do want to say uh, we've been running
around with these Philly boysfor a long time.
We met them at Hank Williams JrBack in the day.
Y'all were wild, y'all stillare.
But every time somebody's fromPhiladelphia and they come to
the hat shop, I always say Ihave never been with somebody
(44:02):
from Philadelphia and not hadfun.
Speaker 1 (44:05):
Y'all heard it here, y'all are good, never had a bad
time with y'all yeah.
Well, once again, thank y'allvery much, and I sure hope that
we can do this again.
Speaker 3 (44:13):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (44:14):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (44:14):
Anything else you want to add?
Speaker 2 (44:15):
No, thank you for having us and y'all follow the
podcast.
Reach out by hat and let's makethings happen.
Speaker 1 (44:22):
Roll that Peace.
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