A long time ago, every neighborhood had a hatter, who made custom creations for genteel townsmen. Frenel Morris is keeping that tradition alive. Designer and owner of the hat line Still Life (with a celeb clientele including Lenny Kravitz), he debuted his Orchard Street boutique in 2002, and recently opened an entire factory in Red Hook, Brooklyn. With over a thousand vintage hat blocks, Morris shapes and fits each one by hand in a totally custom style. The craftsmanship may be steeped in history, but his attitude is far from antiquated. “We’re kind of recreating the hat,” he says. “I don’t think there are any rules. Be yourself, be confident, and rock it however you want.” When he’s not hard at work with millinery, he’s enjoying the perks of his new neighborhood:

What are three things required to be a gentleman?
Nice hat, nice shoes, nice jacket.

Are you part of the “dandy movement”?
Maybe, but unintentionally.

Got any celeb customers? And what’s your demographic?
It’s all different ages from a 14-year-old kid to a 90-year-old woman. We have a lot of celebrities. Tariq from the Roots, Joel Madden from Good Charlotte, and Lenny Kravitz in his video wore our hats.

Why did you choose Red Hook for the location of your new hat factory?
The main reason is probably the rent. It’s cheaper. I was initially looking in Manhattan to find something closer to the store. But for my needs, there’s a lot of serious equipment like a high-pressure boiler and it was hard to find a building that had the right regulations for my setup.

Describe Red Hook…
I love Red Hook because it’s still very industrial and still caters to artists. Any industry that’s left in New York, pretty much Red Hook’s the spot to go. It’s one of the last commercial places where they have big open warehouses and spaces like this to do the type of work I do. I also like the neighborhood because they don’t have a lot of trains in the area, so it’s kind of stayed the way it’s been. It’s off the beaten path and not a lot of people really go out there.

What’s the vibe of Red Hook in one sentence?
A lot of artists, galleries, a lot of workshop areas, more industrial—but also it’s a quaint neighborhood.

Where do you get a morning cup of joe?
There’s a coffee spot called Baked. They have really amazing brownies and snacks and stuff.

Are the local restaurants good? Where’s your favorite lunch spot?
I have my spots. My favorite spot for brunch is Tini. Then you have Fairway, which is like Whole Foods at half price. I love getting food there. In the summer, by the soccer fields they have the concession stands, with real authentic Mexican food. I haven’t been able to find Mexican food as authentic as what they have there. There’s also The Good Fork for dinner.

Is there anything in Red Hook you can’t find anywhere else?
Ikea. There’s no other Ikea around here.

Best place to catch an after-work drink?
Rocky Sullivan's Tap Room. It’s an old-school bar I like to go to. It’s named after a character in an old movie. You can go to Tini for a drink too. They have a little bar, and a decent wine list. Also, there’s Hope & Anchor: which is a bar/diner I’ve been meaning to check out.

Favorite shops?
There’s a little jewelry shop called Erie Basin that I like. There are a few good stores on Van Brunt. There was a really cool liquor store called LeNell’s, but they’re closing this month.

Your idea of a perfect weekend in Red Hook?
On the weekends in the summer, my girlfriend and I bike out there and go to Fairway and get some cheese and crackers and olives. Then we’d go to LeNell’s and get a bottle of wine and we’d hang out on the water on the promenade or at a little park they have down there. Red Hook is cool to just walk around by the water.

Does the area have a best-kept secret?
The pool. No one knows about it. They have an Olympic-sized swimming pool in the park by the soccer fields that is free. And there’s a gym there as well. It’s free and it’s pretty empty. So in the summer, it’s great. I get up early in the morning, bike out there, swim, do a couple of laps, work out at the gym, then hit the factory.

~Meredith Craig de Pietro