TopHat Retired

[Oldcarjunkie]

I don't picture him being very inclined to do that, but that's just my opinion.

you can only ask, We could even invite him to meet and greets and Im sure someone would buy him a few beers or dinner. I know i would.

 

[SmokingGun]

Damn! Sorta wish I would have had the chance to wish him well. Like so many others here, I always left a show with something he had for sale. I've been buying from Skip at shows since - I'm guessing 1990 or so....in MD and PA.

Here's hoping he'll do a few shows from time to time!

Anybody know where he's from?

 

[R357]

Gunshows won't be the same without him there.
I'm surprised he didn't sell the business though, it would have been a neat one to see keep going.

 

[drew_acid]

It was a little more direct than that,..... "PAY TOP HAT or DIE!", if I recall correctly.

He and that sign were always 2 things good you could count on at a show.

 

[BlindViper]

TopHat was fun

 

[xcavater]

No he didn't. He's at York.

 

[Slimjim]

Yea, who spread the rumor, hes setup at york.

 

[todbiker]

He was a chararcter

He and that sign were always 2 things good you could count on at a show.

I seem to remember a sign to the effect of
"unless you can outrun something that moves 1000fps, don't steel from Tophat"

Like someone mentioned, his merchandise organization was challenging, but I always seemed to manage finding a few things I needed at a good price.

 

[crfakm4]

Saw him at York today also. What gives?

 

[howard762]

As soon as I saw this thread I wondered if he was at York. Glad to hear he is. I wouldn't know where to buy targets if he had retired. (Well, I would but it wouldn't be the same)

 

[fivepointstar]

I spoke with Tophat today and he said it NO. he doesn't know how spread the rumor but he was at the Frederick Show. took last week off and then ready for the York show. Great prices as usual.

Kudos to TOPHAT!!

 

[RCH]

Hooray!!! That's great news, the world is back to normal!

And 100 years before the mast for the #%@*$ that started this rumor and got us all depressed.

 

[ZHammer]

Someone asked him about retirement in front of me...well, apparently he's heard it all day long. Said it was starting to grate his nerves.

 

[fivepointstar]

TOPHAT had great price on Russian AMMO!!! wow, $95 500 rd 9mm, the .223 was a good price too!

 

[Jasonshooter]

Top hat did not retire ,,, I bought targets from him today at the York show ....

 

[RAJay]

I read through this whole thread the other day. Obviously, the information was wrong.

It was funny though, because today was my first gun show. I was walking around in York and I saw a guy on a giant chair wearing a top hat. I thought "That's strange I wonder how many vendors wear top hats?" As I moved around the booth, I grew to assume that this was the "infamous" "retired" TopHat.

 

[R357]

Someone asked him about retirement in front of me...well, apparently he's heard it all day long. Said it was starting to grate his nerves.

Yeah he was sour on the subject when the doors opened this morning. But he did thank my dad and I for our purchases and ?jokingly? told us never to come back again.

You just can't find customer service like that anymore. I for one am, thankful that he is still around.

 

[AliasNeo07]

Are there 2 Tophats?

This. I was at York today and I swear I saw him at his booth...

 

[lx1x]

This. I was at York today and I swear I saw him at his booth...

same tophat... there is only one.

 

[monkey]

I saw him there today as well. He was the only familiar face to me from my gun show experience in Maryland + Virginia.