David Rotman

David "The Hatman" Rotman, You give Dave a sunny day, a piece of the sidewalk to put his fold-up chair, friendly faces and he was at home. One of the last Jewish Kensington business/store owners, he was ready to enter into a conversation with almost all comers. He came by his career honestly having learned the trade from his father Israel and mother Cypa. He impressed many with his knowledge of the product and could tell you more than you needed to know. He loved his family, friends and religion. He enjoyed it all. A concerned citizen with a Jewish conscious. Dave passed one day before his 97 year. Shalom Dovid

I always loved visiting the Rotman Hat Store as a kid in the ‘70s and ‘80’s because of Dave’s warm and engaging personality. He could strike up a conversation with anyone in the street and everyone loved him. He really came into his own when he took the reigns of the store in mid 1976 after the passing of his parents Israel (we called him Srul) and his Mom Cypa (who only spoke Yiddish) and ran it with his old sister Molly. He eliminated the low end products like Arrow shirts and ties to focus only on Stetson and Borsalino hats, and thus built a loyal following, impressing everyone with his product knowledge. His mother and my maternal grandmother Yetta Spitsberg were sisters, and the daughters of our patriarch the Zaida Markel Rayman, who had a hat factory at University and Dundas until retiring in 1946 at age 80. He spent the last 14 years in Terrace Gardens, having sold the store in 2009. I visited there a month ago, but it was at dinner time.