From building homes to Derby hats, this Louisville woman is pursuing her lifelong passion

Shawn Siener knows a thing or two about breaking new ground.

When the 50-year-old isn't building beautiful patio homes in Louisville, she's designing and handcrafting stunning hats for the Kentucky Derby. It's quite a juggling act because as we know in Kentucky, fancy hats can be a full-time business this time of year, especially with the lead-up to the 150th Kentucky Derby.

"I have been working every spare moment for months and have over 400 hats and fascinators in my new store," Siener told the Courier Journal. "If you had told me I would be doing this five years ago I would have said you are nuts, but here we are."

A lifelong passion for design in home building and hat making inspires this Kentucky woman to keep going, even in the busiest of times.

"I love building patio homes and I love making beautiful hats," said the owner of Claymore Construction and the Nice Hat boutique. "I just love beautiful design in any form and when I see how happy my work makes others, all the long hours are worth it."

Siener opened her boutique in February in Middletown and told the Courier Journal that "Nice Hat" refers to the compliment offered by passing strangers at Churchill Downs on race day. After two decades of receiving "Nice Hat" compliments as she walked through the race track, Siener got serious and opened Nice Hat at 11750 Shelbyville Road, where she specializes in handmade silk flowers.

"I create the flowers on my hats by hand cutting every pedal," she said. "Every flower is entirely hand made. I never use ready-made flowers from a craft store."

Siener also hand-dyes her flowers, hat straw and fabrics to match a customer's request.

"In my 20s, I started working in construction for a builder and around that same time I needed a hat for the Derby but couldn't afford one so I made my own," Siener said. "Like other milliners, I started making hats for myself and my friends and when the word got out and the requests kept coming, I started holding special events to sell my hats around the city."

When she decided to leap to a permanent location, the builder/milliner remodeled a retail space in Middletown and opened in time for the historic 150th Kentucky Derby. Soon after the store opened, a well-respected hat maker, Kathy Ollinges, stopped by to offer advice.

Olliges, the former owner of Dee's, spent decades making hats for women and men heading to the Kentucky Derby. Her store had been the go-to location for hundreds of locals in the weeks leading up to the "Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports." When Olliges and her husband, Larry, announced Dee's was closing in 2023, loyal customers were frantic to find a new location to pull together their Derby ensembles.

"I appreciate Kathy's advice and more than anything, she's given me an idea of what to prepare for," Siener said. "She told me when the spring collections arrive in stores, it can feel overwhelming with the number of customers who are suddenly ready to put their Derby outfits together with the perfect hat."

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Ollige's warning has proven to be true, but Siener is ready.

As someone who moves seamlessly between the challenges of building a bathroom or patio to designing elegant wide-brimmed hats and feathery fascinators, breaking new ground and running a retail business is another exciting challenge.

"I am learning something new every day, from ordering labels to creating social media content; the list is endless but my family has all pitched in and we'll all work together right up to Derby Day on May 4," she said. "I believe you can do more when you are willing to listen to others."

Reach features reporter Kirby Adams at kadams@courier-journal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Nice Hat owner Shawn Siener makes Kentucky Derby hats, fascinators