Allentown Afterthoughts

Local blogger Mike Molovinsky alternates between nostalgia pieces and posts on current issues. (Sometimes, as with his noble campaign to preserve Allentown’s Depression-era WPA park infrastructure, he merges the two.) I sometimes disagree with his thoughts on current events, but always appreciate the history and snippets of memory he preserves. He has a nice post up about Allentown’s textile-industry past, pegged to the 1881 Adelaide Silk Mill at 3rd St. The city, he reminds, had over 140 textile factories by 1928.

He takes a swipe at the Lehigh Valley Heritage Center:

The Museum now has a show on reducing electricity consumption, based on it’s experience. I can understand the topic for the Da Vinci Science Center, but our local Historical Society?

I found the lightbulb-show-in-a-history-museum a head-scratcher too.

One correction: Molovinsky says that the “last remaining factories have closed.” Though it’s under the radar screen, Allentown remains a thriving textile center. As my friend and 6th Street neighbor Rich Flagg has shown me, there are dozens of textile businesses packed into the old warehouses on Jordan and Front Streets, along the Jordan Creek.

UPDATE: Mike Molovinsky emailed me with a response to the last point:

The union, “Unite” would take great exception with your observation about continued production.  The businesses you refer to are called “shops”, and generally occupy a small section of what were previously textile factories. The shops specialize in two things;   quick turn -a -around, and filling small shortfalls.  They are non-union.   Clothing per se is now manufactured offshore.  Only vintage clothing has the union made USA label.

UPDATE: I heard from Rich Flagg, who responds to Mike Molovinsky’s comment:

I just read your blog on the textile industry.  I do have a few comments to address.

1.) Non-union does not make these companies “non-companies”.  They still exist and do a business.  They are simply, non-union companies.

2.) As for quick turns only.  That is a very good point.  The reason these companies survive is because of the quick turns.  Companies like Majestic Apparel, Urban Outfitters and Under Armour to name a few ,use this to stay ahead of the competition and deliver product to the selling floor when the consumer wants to buy it.  These companies program their buys so that they can get the benefit of inexpensive product to fill the floor, and as something becomes a “hot seller” they fill in immediately with local product.  Rather then dismiss this amazing asset that off shore manufacturers cannot supply, I think we should recognize this and help exploit this to bring business to Allentown.

3.) There are also other non branded companies in the cut and sew industry here in Allentown.  Summit Apparel, Fessler Industries that use these companies to sew garments seen on floors across the nation with “store labels” or “private labels” in them.  Not to mention the production of medical garments and slip covers that no one ever checks for the “made in label”.

4.) The “Unite” people should take exception with this.  Its shows exactly what kind of job they are doing.  After all Tama Manufacturing was one of their success stories.

5.) Agreed these shops represent a small percentage of the industry that did exist in the Valley, and that is sad.  But the key word to this is “exist”   Rather then finding a reason to dismiss these tax paying companies and search for the next Bethlehem Steel or Mack Truck, why not simply build and support what we have.  Rather then bring in to Allentown the new and neglect what is here..lets find ways to support our businesses and our neighbors.

We have some assets here.  Quick turns, skilled labor and knowledge.  Is this industry perfect, no.  It has a lot of problems.  But the things I list as assets are things that this city was original built on.  This industry can compete because these assets exist already.  You and I both work to save our historic architecture.  We should be looking at our historic businesses in the same manner.

Siting one example of success, we need to look at the retail store “American Apparel”.  The owner set out to run the operation vertically.  Designing and marketing clothing that was geared towards the “needle” that exists in an area.  Originally started in one of the Carolina’s it then moved to LA, it is now a publicly held company.  As of 2008 the company employs over 10,000 people and operates over 200 retail locations in 18 countries. All American made product.  I am sure they have had some decrease since 2008 due to current state of the economy.

If only Allentown could take something that exists to this success.  Does it have its problems, yes.  But someone took an existing asset and moved forward.  We have come to the time, where we need to say “how do we do this” rather then “it will not work because….”

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 9:41 am. You can follow any comments on this post through the RSS 2.0 feed or by subscribing to email updates below. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.