In the past, between designing for the entertainment industry and being the head of the costume department at Fullerton College in California, Mela had only made her hats available to the public at Costume College and a few other select venues. The opening of Atelier Mela in Fullerton, CA in 2016, allowed Mela's creations to be enjoyed by a more diverse clientele while allowing Mela to design and create a much wider range of head wear including vintage inspired hats, historical reproductions, whimsical Disney Bound hats, romantic bridal confections, modern fascinators, raceway hats, floral fantasy wreaths and headpieces, along with a wide range of men's head-wear. The majority of our hats are created in-house, by hand, using traditional techniques. These techniques include hand blocking, hand rolled edges, custom dyed or vintage trimmings and handmade flowers, helping to insure that each hat is one of a kind. 

In February of 2020, the Fullerton store was closed in preparation of moving the company to Salem, Oregon. On October 1, 2021, we opened a new store front inside the Willamette Heritage Center, 1313 Mill St., Salem Oregon. We are proud to announce that we are once again open to the public along with taking private commissions.

You can contact us at ateliermela@gmail.com and we can arrange to discuss your design via Zoom, email, phone or in person.