New Hat Store Opens in Downtown Waukesha

Monte and Mary Osterman will spend their future celebrating several important anniversaries on July 2.

They opened their first store on July 2, 2004. They were married July 2, 2005. And on July 2, 2012, they opened their second store, located in downtown Waukesha.

Copacetic, which includes the Life is Good brand, predominately sells hats for men and women. However, it also carries Smartwool socks and other products.

It all started years ago, when Monte Osterman wanted to buy a hat.

“There was nowhere between Chicago and Milwaukee to buy a hat,” Mary Osterman said with a chuckle. “He is of the entrepreneurial spirit. He said let’s open a hat store. … It was sort of a gut feeling and it worked. It was right.

“It came from a need. He wanted to buy a hat and couldn’t find one anywhere. Now he has so many hats, we can’t hardly store them all. But he wears them!”

The couple already had a store in downtown Racine, but was looking to expand the business. They choose at downtown Waukesha instead of a mall for several reasons.

“A store like this needs the foot traffic that is available in a quaint downtown area,” Mary Osterman said. “We need to be near other small businesses. The community of a small business is the best setting. … Our stuff tends to work best in a small boutique.”

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• Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays
• Location: 259 W. Main St., Waukesha
• Phone Number: 262-548-0200
• Website: www.CopaceticStores.com