Giancarlo Esposito visited Paris Hatters on Friday, June 12, while in San Antonio for SpaceCon at the Freeman Coliseum. Store manager Alex Sledge says the TV legend bought three hats and even posed for photos with her and her infant son. The 109-year-old hat s
Friday, June 12 started like any other day for Paris Hatters—until Giancarlo Esposito walked in.
The longtime TV star was in San Antonio for SpaceCon, an event running Friday through Sunday, June 14, at the Freeman Coliseum. Esposito is scheduled to be at the convention all three days for autographs and photo-ops, but he also made time for himself.
Store manager Alex Sledge said Esposito “was so nice. and really funny too.” In a direct message. she added that he bought a black fur felt Stetson Stratoliner fedora. a black straw Dobbs fedora. and a speckled brown mix straw Stetson fedora. She also said he stopped to take a photo with her and her infant son. and posed with one of the store’s hatters.
Sledge said Esposito mentioned he’d been in San Antonio before, seen the store’s tower sign, and had “always wanted to stop by.” She credited the timing with letting him shop while he was in town for SpaceCon.
Paris Hatters is 109 years old and is among the oldest businesses in San Antonio. Run by the third and fourth generations of the Cortez family, the shop predates the River Walk and has long been a downtown staple—an easy, familiar stop on celebrity itineraries.
The store’s website lists visitors including Johnny Cash and wife June Carter Cash, Merle Haggard, B.B. King, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, and many others. The rhythm of celebrity arrivals has been steady over the years. In March, Led Zeppelin legend Robert Plant popped in before playing a show at the Majestic Theatre. Most recently, actor John Turturro came by while he was in San Antonio to cheer on the New York Knicks.
For visitors today, Paris Hatters is still set up the same way: 119 Broadway, San Antonio, TX 78205. Its hours are open 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Giancarlo Esposito Paris Hatters SpaceCon San Antonio Freeman Coliseum Stetson Stratoliner Dobbs fedora celebrity shopping