BISMARCK, ND (KXNET) — "I've worn a hat all my life," Bob Kuch, hatter with DDC Custom Hat Works, shared.And you ask any cowboy, you don't leave home without it.A father of three, Bob Kuch spent much of his life working on his ranch near Hannover, North Dakota.Then he started to dabble more in farrier work, caring for horses' hooves and feet."I learned from my grandfather when I was probably 13 or 14 years old, and then I just did our own horses and a few other ones, and then pretty soon, more people would talk me into it,” Bob said. “And pretty soon, I guess I was probably in my late 30s, 40s when I started traveling."Bob traveled hundreds of thousands of miles, traveling from Arizona to New York, Canada and back to North Dakota.But between the travel and the physical demands of the job working on horses, he knew it was time."The saddest day in my life was when I knew I had to quit and I had to say goodbye to my clients,” Bob lamented. “That was the hardest day."Bob moved to Bismarck but needed something to occupy his time.Always interested in a good hat, he decided to get a job at Boot Barn."I started out a long time ago,” Bob said. “I'd do hats for my friends and for myself, my boys and  that's kind of how that got started."Bob worked at Boot Barn for nearly two years, when a new opportunity presented itself."One day, Kyle appeared on the scene, and he said, ‘Well, let's make hats.’ So that's kind of how I got here," Bob stated.That is when DDC Custom Hat Works was born, located in the newly owned Arrowhead Cleaners."Come in and do whatever is necessary if we're making a new hat or a client comes in to get a hat repaired and fixed,” Bob said. “Well, we'll do that."Whether it be a cowboy hat or fedora, making a hat is no easy feat."It'll be a raw product, it's flat and round,” Bob explained. “And then, of course, you got to size it and shape it. It's got to be steamed. And then, after it's steamed, then you start with the lining, and the sweat bands got to be sewed in. Then we shape it. That's about one of the last things that a last thing is to put the ribbon on."And there are a number of gadgets used to get the perfect fit."This is the conformer,” Bob explained. “This is what's put on your head. And all these are adjusted so it's tight against your head.If it's a quiet day with no interruptions, Bob says he can comfortably make a hat in two days.Some of his creation include a custom hat for Miss Rodeo North Dakota, and he even made a hat for one of the characters in the movie "Medora!"Bob says he's open to making virtually any kind of hat."If somebody comes in with an idea, I'm willing to give it a try," Bob exclaimed.And if you don't have a style in mind, leave it to Bob to come up with the perfect creation."I could make a nice fashion hat for you that would look real good," Bob chuckled.He doesn't only spend time making new hats.Margaret Sackman says Bob can take an old beaten hat, and bring it back to life. "We love Bob here,” Margaret Sackman, presser, Arrowhead Cleaners, said. “ I brought in three of my dad's cowboy hats, he wore a cowboy hat all of the time. They meant a lot to me. I didn't know what to do with the hats, so I brought them to Bob. They’ve een sitting in storage, lots of cobwebs. I would like for family to maybe wear them. He cleaned them to best they can be, and my son is wearing one."Margaret's hat is one of many he's revived since he started."I just done a hat for a guy, we made him a new hat, and he was wearing a hat that was a total mess. And I said, ‘Why don't you just leave that here?’ I said, I don't know how much I can do with it, but I think I can make it look pretty good,’" Bob said.Just how good?"It's about 75-percent  anew, and it was destroyed," Bob emphasized.And his customer was stunned by the transformation.Finally, one of Bob's most recent additions is branding.He's got over 100 brands available, taking his little branding iron to an old practice hat.So day by day, Bob creates, cleans and repairs hats, and plans to do so as long as he is able."I think the day I give up on this world to be the day I can't put my boots and hat on."Bob Kuch, happy hatter, is Someone You Should Know.