About Aaron Hats

Entrepreneurs Living Their Dream

In 2003 Aaron and MaryAnn Kesmetis sold their Fifth Avenue home in Lowell, MA, quit their jobs, said farewell and headed north. But their move was neither unplanned nor a whimsical decision, rather it was a well-thought out dream that the couple chose to make a reality. Now three years later the entrepreneur duo is celebrating the third anniversary of their retail hat shop, Aaron Hats and life in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Aaron Hats opened doors on June 28, 2003 and is located in the heart of North Conway in Norcross Circle.

As routine Conway-area vacationers, the lifelong Lowell residents said the idea of permanently relocating to the Granite State had always been a reoccurring thought, but it was only recently they decided to seriously weigh their options. They acquired a special fondness for the area and recognized that the only way to move and survive lay in an entrepreneurial endeavor.

Aaron, a product of St. Joseph's High School, goal was to one day operate his own business. With a particular fascination for western hats and love for the state's simplicity it seemed only natural that a hat be their avenue north. "I went to Parrott Hatters all the time; I really respected how a business could do so well for that long. That was always an inspiration for me," remembered Aaron Kesmetis. "My grandfather, Anthony Kesmetis used to go there all the time. That was the place to go - people would come all the way from Boston."

Although Aaron toyed with the idea of purchasing the 75-year old Lowell stronghold and favorite of their grandfathers, Anthony Kesmetis and Victor Tremblay, Aaron said the timing wasn't right. But finally the timing was perfect.

Determined to move north he and MaryAnn scouted out the area. They decided a wooded lot tucked along a Scenic Road beneath Cathedral Ledge was perfect for a custom log home and a storefront in Norcross Circle would suit their specialty shop just fine. "It was kind of now or never," said Aaron Kesmetis. "It was the type of thing that we may never have the opportunity to do again. So we ran with it."

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