Bollman acquired Kangol, an English brand that gained cachet in the U.S. when hip-hop pioneers like Run-D.M.C. and LL Cool J began sporting it, in 2001. By then, production had already moved to China.

The 149-year-old Bollman Hat Co. billed last year's return to the U.S. as an effort to create jobs, but the company's CEO now calls it " a bigger challenge than we could've ever dreamed" ADAMSTOWN ...

Work has begun to redevelop a former hat factory that has stood empty for 15 years. The Kangol factory in Cleator, west Cumbria, once employed hundreds of people and made four million hats a year ...