Old Mill Hat Co. started the same way a lot of things in life do.. As an idea that wouldn’t leave. For four years it sat in the back of my mind. I always knew I wanted to build something of my own. Not just another brand or another business, but something that actually meant something to the people who found it.

For a long time though, I did what most people do. I waited. I overthought it. I wondered if it would even work. Eventually I realized something simple, the only thing holding me back was myself.

Old Mill was born.

The name comes from where I grew up. My childhood home sits behind a pole mill. To get to the house you literally have to drive through the mill. It’s where my father and my now-deceased mother built their first home together, and it’s a place that holds a lot of meaning for me. “Old Mill” felt like a way to carry a piece of that forward.

The idea behind the brand is simple. 

“live loose, stay original”

To “live loose” means not letting life tighten you up. Not overthinking everything and holding yourself back. Moving with confidence and understanding that the world is going to keep turning whether we stress about it or not.

To “stay original” means never letting a room change who you are. If you aren’t being yourself, the time you spend with people, or even alone, just isn’t genuine. In a world that constantly pushes people to become someone else, it’s incredibly easy to lose yourself. Old Mill is for the people who refuse to… or the ones trying to find their way back.

A lot of the ideas shared through Old Mill, the reflections about life, the stoic thoughts, the reminders to slow down and live a little looser. Are things I have/still do remind myself of.

If the brand can remind someone to trust themselves a little more, take life a little less seriously, and be comfortable being exactly who they are, then it’s doing exactly what it was meant to do.

Thank you for being here.

Founder - Tommy B. McDade