Sydney Salas graduated from Texas A&M University in 2025 and immediately headed down a road less traveled.

Her bachelor’s degree was in public health, but she had another field in mind. Salas flew to Denver in May 2025 with her mother, Christina Lopez, who is a State Farm Insurance agent in McAllen. Lopez was yearning to saddle up and fill an untapped niche. 

“I wear a lot of hats and I’d be wanting to do something creative,” Lopez said. 

The insurance agent had researched where she could learn to shape and brand hats and found just where to do it in Denver. Lopez asked her daughter to be her business partner. Salas agreed to the mother-daughter business partnership.

“As soon as she graduated, we went to Denver,” Lopez said. “By July, we had the location, but there was a lot to do to build it out and get the permits.”

Salas and Lopez got started by working pop-up markets. 

“People started asking us on social media if we were taking at-home appointments,” Salas said. 

They would schedule appointments at their home, allowing customers to buy and decorate western hats. 

“It really took off,” Lopez said.

They could hardly wait for their storefront to open.

Opening A Storefront

It was October 2025 when Lopez and Salas held a soft opening at Johnston’s Hat Co., on north 10th Street in McAllen. They opened the public the following day.

Johnston is the maiden name of Lopez’s mother, Janie Johnson Lopez. The plaza address is on 10th Street but faces Martin Avenue, which has been serendipitous since Janie Johnston Lopez’s father was named Martin. His picture sits prominently on a shelf in the shop. 

Johnston’s offers a wide variety of western hats for men, women and children. There are also guayaberas and other men’s shirts, and boutique-style apparel for women. Lopez and Salas are in the process of becoming official vendors for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and the University of Texas. They plan to create custom UTRGV and UT shirts.

Their brands include Fraulein boots and hat brands that include Rodeo King, Twister, GiGi Pop, Gone Country, Laramie and American Hat Makers. Services include hat resizing, shaping, decorating and branding, and boot branding. Johnston’s custom hat bar includes a variety of ribbons, lace, brooches, feathers and beads. 

“We have learned how to bring hats to life,” Salas said. “I can paint on hats and I’ve learned how to stitch.”

Meeting Challenges

Their trail has had some bumps.

Salas is a triplet and the only girl in the trio. Lopez had adjusted to her empty nest while all three were in college. Her sons are still in college, but Salas has moved back home. There have been challenges in living under the same roof again.

“We have to have our separate time to let things pass and then have a discussion and move forward,” Lopez said. “It has brought us closer together too because we have to depend on each other.”

Salas takes care of Johnston’s customers while her mother runs her insurance business. Salas also manages the shop’s social media accounts. 

“It has been a lot, but we’ve learned to navigate,” Salas said. “My mom has a lot of experience in business. I am very hands-on and work a lot, but I need to understand there is a lot going on behind the scenes that my mom takes care of, like inventory and planning events.”

Lopez and Salas take their hat bar on the road to parties, nonprofit fundraisers and other events throughout the Rio Grande Valley and beyond.

Customers have taught Salas the importance of being a good listener and how to be intentional with her creations. Lopez feels a sense of pride that she and her daughter are local ladies who have filled a niche and are doing it together.