Some might say Syanne Dominguez is in her true “Girl Boss” Era.

A professional by day, the Oakdale businesswoman and entrepreneur is truly on top of something as the founder and creator of Felt + Feather. A custom hat business the crafting enthusiast first launched in spring of 2023.

Introducing the mobile business to the Oakdale community just prior to the 2023 La Grange and Oakdale rodeos was strategic and an overwhelming hit.

Now, just about a year after that initial launch, Dominguez has found herself in the company of whom she considers some of the best in a brick-and-mortar location.

“It came much faster than I anticipated. I figured at my one-year mark, that was my goal, my one-year mark,” the hat creator shared of transitioning from private parties, the Oakdale Morning Market and special events to a permanent address.

Yet as last year’s Morning Market was coming to a close, the founder of Felt + Feather was approached by the owners of Cotton and Sage, as well as Bronze Beauty Bar and presented with an opportunity she had once dreamed of.

Cotton and Sage owners Lucy Lloyd, Ashley Harris and Kaylee Cogburn, along with Bronze Beauty Bar owner Carly Rodrigues offered her a spot in their 226 E. F St., Oakdale, space. A partnership which would prove to be a unique triple threat for the community as well as shoppers visiting the 95361.

“I envisioned myself there from the get go,” Dominguez said. “When I thought about a brick and mortar it was doing something with them. Inside of Cotton and Sage, that’s exactly where I saw myself.”

The business owner said she had confided in a girlfriend prior to the partnership taking place that she felt they shared a similar vibe and the collaboration would be fun.

“That’s exactly what it’s been,” she continued. “They’ve welcomed me with open arms and we’ve just really created something special there.”

Now with the addition of Dominguez’s hat bar, customers can find everything from an outfit, to a spray tan, piercings to the perfect rancher or trucker hat to complete their look.

“It’s really been something very special,” Dominguez said six months since joining forces with the two businesses.

Felt + Feather is mostly by appointment; however, Dominguez and her team do staff the hat bar Fridays from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. After hour events are also offered on occasion with all three businesses extending hours for private party events.

“I had a vision for a long time that this was what it would look like,” she said of the cozy hat bar situated in the center of the shop. “I knew I wanted my aesthetic to kind of match what they had. It just sort of fit well.”

With a permanent hat bar set up in the space, customers can customize a variety of hats; trucker hats being the newest of the customized selection.

“Trucker hats are very popular. I’m constantly in either a ball cap or a rancher or flat brimmed hat. In true Syanne fashion, I needed to customize it,” she said of adding the trucker hats to the collection.

The hat enthusiast further shared the popularity, as well as the affordability of the hats made it a great addition to the Felt + Feather assortment.

“It can actually be made to fit your style. I think that’s what makes this so special,” she said.

The customized hat bar features bar stools for customers to get cozy and create the hat which exactly suits them. Be it a trucker style, felt hat, rancher or straw, Felt + Feather has accessories to suit the varying styles.

“Cowboy hats have really made a comeback and it’s not just rodeo,” Dominguez said of following the trends. She recently started carrying a quality cowboy hat that requires very little by way of styling but is popular among customers.

Now settled in to her brick-and-mortar location, Dominguez noted she appreciates the teamwork and camaraderie shared by the business owners in the space.

“I hate to sound cliché, but the women supporting women. We’re a little family at 226 East F Street,” she said. “It’s a match made in heaven … a match made in fashion heaven.”

While she continues to work her fulltime job away from the shop, the hat creator shared the side hustle known as Felt + Feather is everything she had hoped it would be.

“I love it. It’s so fun. I look forward to the weekends when I’m down there on Saturdays. I get to create. I love to create, it’s my favorite thing to do,” she said. “The look on people’s faces when you turn that hat around and show them, it’s everything. Oh my God, it’s just everything.”

Equally as valuable as teaming with the women of Cotton and Sage and Bronze Beauty Bar, Domiguez acknowledges the importance of the team which helps her with customizing the hats for her cherished customers.

“A big thank you to my girls. I don’t want to throw everybody’s name out there, but they know who they are,” she said of her helpers. “All my employees of the month.”

As for the continued success of Felt + Feather one year later, Dominguez is not surprised.

“I knew people would love this, because I loved it,” she stated. “The one that I went to was half of what I have, I loved it. It was fun. The idea of creating something that was perfect for me, I knew people would like it. I knew they would want this.”