The sentence “Hats Trimmed Free of Charge” on the old Lit Brothers Department Store building was one of the first things I noticed in one of my early morning strolls around Philadelphia.
I’m a self-confessed hat addict and I don't think I would have somehow missed it out of distraction.
"Hats Trimmed Free Of Charge" referred to the fact that, if you bought a hat from the department store, the trimmings were added at no additional cost.
Brothers Samuel and Jacob Lit opened their store at Market St. between 7th and 8th Sts. in 1893. At the time the store was considered as more affordable than many others and also boasted an important millinery department.
In 1977, as more and more competitors arrived on the market, the chain went out of business, but, when the building was redeveloped and reopened as office and commercial spaces, the iconic "Hat Trimmed…" sign was left on its façade.
I'm actually glad they left it as the sign sounds more like a tribute to millinery than to Philly's "cast iron" building or to the department store that once occupied it.
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