Indian Creek Hat Company

Indian Creek Hat Company Niki Manning-Custom Hat Maker located in Boise, Idaho & dedicated to creating custom, hand-made hats.

08/30/2026

My hat shop is currently just a little spot in a home office space and most days it resembles a horror film…guess that’s just the creative process. I know I have a few more months left to make do in my space, but every day I’m dreaming of a larger and more organized space. It’s officially in the works and will take you along on the process when it becomes more than just boring permits.

Stay tuned!

08/28/2026

ABOUT LAST NIGHT… 🤎

$3700 was the final bid…incredible!

I’ve been thinking about last night all morning, and honestly, my heart is just full.

I haven’t heard the final amount raised at the fundraiser yet, but I know it was a BIG number, and I feel pretty darn grateful that I got to play even a small part in it.

I’ll admit, I was nervous going into the evening. Not sure why, because if there’s one thing I’ve learned about this community, it’s that when there’s a need, people show up—and they show up BIG.

And boy, did they ever.

The generosity, the volunteers, the staff, the beautiful venue, the folks who donated and the folks who simply came out to support…it was one of those nights where you look around and think, this is what community is supposed to look like.

I don’t know who won the hat just yet, but I sure am excited to find out. I can’t wait to meet them, hear what they have in mind, and build them a beautiful custom hat that they’ll hopefully love for a whole lot of years.

I’m just one little hat maker, but getting to be part of something bigger than myself is pretty darn special.

Feeling very grateful today. 🤎

08/27/2026

Grace & Grit

Last week another hat maker left a few comments on one of my Facebook posts about how I do some things way too differently than my mentor taught me—and even stated that my mentor would be “upset” by the way I build hats TODAY (using a brim press and sander) .

Well, here’s the thing…

I’m incredibly grateful for the foundation my mentor gave me. I wouldn’t be where I am today without those lessons, that knowledge, and the years of experience that were passed down to me.

But I’ve also worked hard to develop my own hands, my own eye, and my own way of building a hat. That’s part of learning a trade. You take what you’ve been taught, respect the craft, keep learning, and eventually you find your own rhythm.

And apparently, my pink fingernails have become part of his conversation too. 😂 I’m still trying to figure out exactly how the color of my fingernails affects the quality of the hats I build, but he definitely made a point that seemed like something so simple like pink fingernails were a flaw of mine and I guess he didn’t feel like a hat maker should have.

This week, after the passing of an icon like Dolly Parton, I’ve found myself reflecting on the way she carried herself through a lifetime of people having opinions about her appearance, her style, and who she was supposed to be in contrast to the artist she was.

One of her quotes really stuck with me:

“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”

That feels pretty fitting.

I hope people judge me by the work coming out of my shop—not by my fingernails, my appearance, or whether I build a hat exactly the way someone else does.

I have enormous respect for the old ways and for the people who taught me. But I also believe there’s room in this trade for each maker to bring a little of themselves to the bench.

I’ll keep learning. I’ll keep improving. I’ll keep respecting the craft.

And I’ll keep building hats my way—with pink fingernails and all-cuz that’s who I am. 💅🏼🤠

Because at the end of the day, I’m just trying to do what Dolly said:

Find out who you are and do it on purpose.

08/25/2026

I’m incredibly grateful for the 24 years I spent as a bedside respiratory therapist. It was a career that taught me so much, gave me some incredible memories, and introduced me to some amazing people.

But sometimes you just crave change.

You can stay where you’re comfortable and always wonder, what if? Or you can take the leap and figure it out along the way.

I chose the latter.

When I left healthcare and jumped headfirst into custom hat making, I honestly had no idea what was ahead. I certainly didn’t expect this business to be received and supported the way it has been.

Since then, I’ve been building beautiful hats, learning an old trade, meeting incredible people from all over, and somehow growing this little business at warp speed. This week we even started planning fio building hat shop on our property. (Yayyyyy! FINALLY!)

It’s been exciting, humbling, terrifying at times—and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Thank you to everyone who has trusted me with a hat, shared my work, followed along, or simply cheered me on. You’ve made this leap a lot easier and I appreciate all who send referrals, share my page, like comment and just follow along!


08/19/2026

Another custom pure beaver hat out the door! 🩶

Beautiful, timeless, and classic—exactly the kind of hat that never goes out of style. And I love that this one is staying local, which means I’ll probably get to run into Elena every now and then while she’s wearing it. That’s one of my favorite parts of doing what I do.

As always, thank you to everyone who continues to support Indian Creek Hat Co., orders a hat, shares my work, or simply follows along. It truly means more than you know. ❤️

Hat: Charcoal in 100% beaver
4” brim-relaxed but we did tweak a little at pickup
Teardrop crown and custom liner

08/16/2026

It’s Sunday and this handsome hat headed home today. Client relationships are extra cool when you have lots in common. Building a business takes a lot of work, but some things are effortless.

Starting a hat business from scratch means learning a whole lot more than just how to build a hat.

I’ve had to learn the craft from the ground up—blocking, shaping, sizing, finishing, and all the little details that turn a piece of felt into something someone can actually wear and love.

But there’s another side of this business that people don’t always see. The ordering, bookkeeping, marketing, photography, customer messages, website, social media, packaging, shipping…basically all the behind-the-scenes work that comes with building a small business from the ground up.

It’s been a lot of learning, a lot of trial and error, and more work than I ever imagined—but I wouldn’t trade it.

I’m not just building hats. I’m building a business, relationships, a craft, and something that’s truly my own. And honestly, that’s the part I’m most proud of. 🤎

Thank you, Kevin, for collaborating to build this beauty!

Address

395 E Indian Creek Road
Boise, ID
83716

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