User:LouieThe Hatter

Louie The Hatter was a men's hat and shoe store in Detroit MI located at Gratiot and Chene Street, from the 1930s until its closure after the Detroit Riots of 1967. The store was victim to numerous arson attempts during the 1967 Detroit riots. Steven Dellas, a WWII veteran and son of Greek immigrant and founder Elias Dellopulos, was the owner/operator of the store. It was often confused with a chain of stores by the name of Louis The Hatter. Detroit Free Press columnist Charley Manos wrote an article about the confusion of the two retail stores' names. The thesis of the Manos article was that Louie The Hatter often gained business from the confusion among Detroit shoppers until its closure in 1970. The retail store was one of the examples of "white flight" from the city of Detroit after the 1967 riots. Owner Steven Dellas left the location after the '67 riots, leaving the building padlocked and vacant. It has since been turned into one half of a pawn shop at the same location. It is notorious for once having sold hats to members of the Detroit bootlegging gang known as "The Purple Gang."