Three White Hats

How A Store Become a Hub for a Community

The Country General Store in Van Nuys has supplied the San Fernando Valley and the Greater Los Angeles area with quality Western wear since the 1950s. Rick Stanoff has “had the honor” of running the place since 1972.

Walking into the joint is not like stepping back in time but rather jumping through a portal to another dimension — one that never really existed. The walls are lined with hundreds of boots and hats, a wide range of Western styles and brands. For decades, the Country General Store has outfitted movie stars, politicians and cowboys (real and cosplayers alike).

Rick and his team not only aim to deliver quality customer service (which they do), they want to foster connection to the community.

My first trip to the Country General Store was well before I established any bona fides in the LA country music community. I purchased a few shirts and headed out, but I felt connected to the place. In the months after, Grand Ole Country Bunker hosted a customer appreciation day at the store and I had the privilege of serving as the master of ceremonies.

During the promotions for that event, I met Stanoff and spent some time getting to know the man who had carefully built a Western wear empire in the Central San Fernando Valley.

Sitting in his office, he showed me three white hats on the wall. One belonged to Gene Autry, the next to Roy Rogers and the last to Ronald Reagan. Stanoff stressed that each of these icons of Western culture gave him these hats to display in his store.

He also told me of the countless mega-stars of screen and music who visit his store anytime they are in town to update that perfect Western fit.

But he’s most excited about outfitting someone in the right pair of boots or hat for the first time.

My lovely wife wanted a new pair for her last birthday so, of course, we went down to the Country General Store. She had a picture in her head of the kinds of boots she wanted — and so did Stanoff. In the end, he was right. He picked out a boot she wasn’t interested in and they were perfect. She wears them all the time.

Stanoff represents a very old school approach to the industry — one based on relationships and culture.

So it’s completely unsurprising that he has leveraged these relationships to collect an incredible collection of high-end Western wear and gear to auction off to support the LA Equestrian Center through the Los Angeles Parks Foundation.

On March 22, 2025, the store will host Gallop to Give, a fundraiser to support the Equestrian Center’s fire relief efforts. In the wake of the January 2025 LA Wildfires, thousands of horses needed temporary shelter, and hundreds still need support as their home stables were no longer standing.

Volunteers and staff at the center have stepped up — tirelessly supporting these huge and very expensive animals.

Now, Stanoff and his team want to step up and support this vital organization. All proceeds from the auction and raffle will go toward ongoing efforts.

I’m honored to serve as the auctioneer, and it would make me incredibly proud if all my LA area subscribers came by the store around 5 pm for the big auction.

I spoke to Stanoff last night and he said, he really “wants this to be great. You know for the people who make our community great.”

People like Rick. Come on down to the store and be part of the community.