The Willow Glen Resident

Photograph by Skye Dunlap

Sweet Thing: 'I feel like I'm contributing to Willow Glen's Renaissance,' says Joyce Alexy, whose Sweet Pea Hats grace the heads of many a Glenite.

Hatmaker hopes to bedeck Glen with flowers and lace

This chapeau creator even makes house calls

By Christine M. Lias

Joyce Alexy sits in the sunlit window of a Willow Glen coffee shop and smiles demurely under the shade of her flowered hat. Bright as the sun outside, her hat quivers with every chuckle, and the printed blossoms dance on the floral fabric.

Alexy loves hats and wants Willow Glen to share her passion for anything that covers the head.

"I would love to see everyone in Willow Glen wear a hat," Alexy says with a laugh.

Alexy launched her own line of headgear, Sweet Pea Hats, last month. She works mostly at home, individually designing hats to suit her clientele, but also sells a few at Alta clothing store on Lincoln Avenue. Prices range from $60 to $125, depending on the fabric and design used.

And the chapeau business?

"Very good, very encouraging," says Alexy, who has lived in the Willow Glen area for the last 23 years. She proudly mentions a wedding hat she is working on to send across the pond to England.

Alexy says she has always loved hats, from the time she was a little girl. And after working in the electronics industry, she decided to indulge her creative side. She had considered going into interior design but had always dreamed of owning her own hat business, and finally opted to make her dream a reality.

"I've always had a romance with hats [and wear] them whenever I can," Alexy says. "Floppy fabric ones when I'm feeling whimsical, happy, not a worry; straw with wide brims decorated with lace and flowers when I'm feeling more romantic and mysterious--all of them wonderful expressions.

"They are works of art," Alexy says.

Alexy began to make her own headgear when she could not find "that special hat" to suit a particular mood. People began to notice her hats on the street. Friends urged her to make copies. Then word of mouth got around and Alexy became the Willow Glen Hat Lady.

Jackie Dearborn, a salesperson at Alta, says the Sweet Pea collection is "extremely unique" and "very clever." Several of Alexy's hats are also on sale in Alta's San Carlos store. Dearborn said the hats have been selling well.

"It makes me feel such happiness to wear a hat," Alexy says. Her favorite topper is a huge white summer hat with a bow on the floppy brim, she says.

Alexy's son designed the pastel label that hangs from every Sweet Pea creation; the name was inspired by Alexy's own sweet pea garden.

"People in Willow Glen relate to yesteryear. We move at a slower pace, with grace and elegance," Alexy says about the hat's appeal. "I feel like I'm contributing to Willow Glen's Renaissance."

Alexy is working on new designs for the summer collection ("the straws"). She has created some children's hats and says she may make some hats for men in the future, although she has never designed any.

Currently Alexy individually designs hats based on the person and even makes house calls.

"I'll look at the color tones of that person, get information about their personality, if they like flowers or dark colors or plaids," Alexy says. This information aids in the creative process.

When asked if Sweet Pea Hats will become a staple in Willow Glen in the future, Alexy replies with an emphatic "Oh, yes!"

"Maybe I'll have a shop of my own here in town someday," Alexy says.

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