'Say Yes to the Press': Howdy Hat Bar MKE hits the road in style! 🧢✨

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- If you see a hot pink tent at a local bar, festival, or farmer’s market—it’s not a mirage. It’s Howdy Hat Bar MKE-- a mobile trucker hat bar where every patch, pin and press tell a story.

The business is the brainchild of newlyweds Gracie and Luca Coviello, a Milwaukee couple who turned a vacation spark into a full-on fashion flame.

“We came across a build-your-own cowboy hat bar while visiting family in Arizona,” Gracie said. “They had a tiny corner with just trucker hats… the experience was fine, but we wanted to make it great and bring it to the city that we love.”

And so, Howdy Hat Bar MKE was born—complete with custom patches, hat chains, accessories, and a signature phrase Gracie coined: “Are you saying yes to the press?”

Customers step inside their vibrant pop-up booth, pick out a hat, load it up with personal flair, from dinosaurs to dog-mom patches, and then watch it come together in a 30-second heat press.

“We don’t let any ugly hats walk out of the building,” Gracie said. “That’s not the Howdy way.”

The experience has been a hit across Milwaukee, from baby showers to Summerfest.

“Their jaws hit the floor,” Gracie said. “People dive right in. It’s the craft that got out of control.”

Gracie and Luca say they’ve seen customers from age 3 to 80, all tapping into a creative itch without needing to take up a new hobby.

“It’s fun for everyone,” Luca said. “Even if people don’t make a hat, they come, hang out, and vibe with us.”

That vibe includes loud music, dancing in the booth, and a community-first mindset. In fact, the couple credits much of their success to support from the BMO Small Business Spotlight and the Milwaukee maker community.

“Nobody’s gatekeeping,” Luca said. “We all lift each other up.”

It’s also a love story. Gracie came up with the idea in a dream—and Luca immediately said yes. She even quit her full-time job to make it happen.

“We get to hang out together 22 days this month,” Gracie said. “Not many couples can say that.”

“I’m down 1000 percent,” Luca added. “It’s her passion and I’m lucky to help support it.”

Each hat Luca wears (and there are many, she jokes she sleeps in one) includes a personal touch. Her go-tos? Butterflies, smiley faces and a pawprint for their dog, Zulu.

Now, the couple is expanding into retail collaborations, new products like can koozies, and even teasing another mobile concept on the horizon.

“It shouldn’t be this easy, but it really is,” Luca said. “We’re just living our best lives.”

Whether you’re in it for the patches or the pink tent vibes, Howdy Hat Bar MKE is proving that home is where the hat is.