Stitch by Stitch
May 30, 2009
Filed under People and Places
The area around Martinsville, Virginia once teemed with busy factories churning out raw fabric, underwear and countless sweatshirts. This town once proudly called itself “The Sweatshirt Capital of the World.”
That was before the world of manufacturing changed, and massive facilities in Asia could produce shiploads of garments for a fraction of the cost. The decline of Martinsville’s textile industry began in the late 1990s and a few years later was almost completely gone.
The story could have ended there, and still may. But a small new company, started by a former textile company manager, could be a sign of a second chance for Martinsville. David Stone intends to reinvent the fabric and garment business. He believes he can succeed where giants of American manufacturing failed, and in the process help revive his own troubled hometown.
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See for yourself:
Solid Stone Fabrics and Apparel is on the web at SolidStoneFabrics.com. You might catch a glimpse of employees at work through the window at their office and factory on Fayette Street in Martinsville.
Think Solid Stone is onto something? Heard of a similar story yourself? Let us know in the comments below!
John,
This Lee Countian worked at Sales Knitting Mill in Martinsville during the summer of 1964, the year before graduating from Flatwoods High School. I also worked next door to your father’s dental practice in Pennington Gap when you would occasionally accompany him for “on-the-job training” at about the age of two. One of us is getting old!!!!!! I have really enjoyed reading about your travels. You have made those of us who know you, and have known your family all our lives, very proud. Keep up the good work.
Betty