Online styling company Stitch Fix bought the buildings and equipment of Mohnton Knitting Mills in Berks County, Pennsylvania, the Reading Eagle reported Nov. 24, 2017.
The purchase
Property records showed Stitch Fix paid $210,000 for 22 Main St. in Mohnton and $90,000 for 120 N. Sterley St. in Shillington, including the knitting, cutting and sewing equipment inside. The mill was founded in 1906 and had about 15 employees, including one knitter, when it was sold.
Small-scale plans
Stitch Fix, which had just listed on the Nasdaq, said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it would use the mills to “experiment with making very small quantities of apparel to test with our clients” and had “no plans to manufacture apparel in any meaningful quantities.”
A company job ad described the setup this way: “Fabric made in the Shillington location will be completed by our cutting and sewing team in Mohnton, creating a finished garment made in the USA.”
Background
Former president Gary Pleam said the mill had employed about 75 people at its peak in the 1980s and early 1990s. He blamed global competition after the North American Free Trade Agreement for moving much of that work overseas.
FAQ
What did Stitch Fix buy?
Two former Mohnton Knitting Mills buildings in Mohnton and Shillington, Pennsylvania, with their knitting, cutting and sewing equipment.
Will it make clothes at scale?
Its SEC filing said no; the mills were for testing very small quantities.
How old was the mill?
It was founded in 1906.
Source & credit
Source: Reading Eagle: “Clothing giant Stitch Fix buys Mohnton Knitting Mills”, Nov. 24, 2017.