11102010 Rugnews.com Field Trip to Karastan Plant in Eden, NC

At Karastan's historic Eden, NC plant, l to r: Lathan Mills, manager of product development for Karastan; Lissa Wyman, editor and publisher of Rugnews.com; Christine Manicad, associate buyer of area rugs and lighting for Macy's.com in New York, and Charlie Harrington, Karastan plant manager.

By Lissa Wyman

EDEN, NC -- I have been reporting on the floor covering industry since 1970 and have always had a particular fondness for Karastan.

As a young reporter, I interviewed Walter Guinan, the legendary president of Karastan in the 60's and early 70's. After Walter worked his famous Irish charm on me, I was hooked.

Over the years, I think I have interviewed every top dog at Karastan and I have followed the company since the days it was owned by Fieldcrest Mills to its present position as part of Mohawk Industries.

Back in the "old days," I was always invited to the elegant lunches and dinners Karastan hosted for its salesmen and customers during the markets in Chicago and San Francisco.  I have also been on hand at many beautiful resort venues to report on the company's dealer conferences.

But until October 2010, I never visited Karastan's manufacturing plant in Eden, NC. So when Steve Roan, vice president of the Karastan Rug division of Mohawk Home, invited me on a tour, I jumped at the chance.

With me on the field trip was Christine Manicad, associate buyer of area rugs and lighting for Macy's.com in New York. Our hosts at the plant were Lathan Mills, manager of product development, Carol Motsinger of the design department and plant manager Charlie Harrington, who led us through a mile-long journey through the historic building, parts of which dated back to the early 1900's.

I didn't realize that the trip to Eden (population 15,350) would pack such an emotional  wallop. The history of the American rug and textile industry came alive for me, and I felt the presence of ghostly companies of the past.

History of Axminster Rugs at Karastan

The first Karastan Axminster rug came off an Eden loom  at 2:02 p.m. on April 8, 1928.  When we visited on Oct. 20, 2010, Karastan Original Collection rugs were still being made on the company's  Axminster looms.

 717 Multi-Color Panel Kirman from the Original Karastan collection is 73 years old and still the company's top seller. Axminster-woven of New Zealand wool, it retails at over $1,000 in 6x9 size.

Karastan's 50-color  717 Multi-Color Panel Kirman design in the Karastan Original collection was introduced in 1937 and is still the company's all-time best seller. 

Over the years, Karastan has modernized the  Eden facility  to include Karaloc woven and Van de Wiele wilton looms. (Machine-tufted Karastan broadloom is produced in other facilities)

Karastan's Place in The
 History of US Carpets and Rugs

When Karastan first manufactured Axminster rugs in Eden, the company was owned by Marshall Field. Based in Chicago, it was both a textile manufacturer and one of the most famous retailers in the country.

At that time, the textile industry had already started its migration from the northeast to the south. In Lowell, MA, known as the birthplace of the American textiles industry, carpet mills such as Bigelow Carpet Co. had left town as early as 1914.

In the 20's and 30's, several carpet mills were still producing woven carpet and rugs in the northeast.  Companies such as Mohawk, Firth and Alexander Smith (which later became part of Mohasco), Lees Carpet (later to become part of Burlington Industries), Magee Carpet, C. H. Masland and Bigelow Carpet made various woven carpet constructions  such as Axminster, velvet and wilton weaves until the1980's.

Many of the "old-line" woven carpet mills moved to the South and began to make modern machine-tufted carpeting in the 50's, 60's and 70's. Others faded away.

Mohawk Industries, Karastan's parent company,  has a long lineage in the American carpet and rug manufacturing industry. The present company evolved from Mohasco Industries, which was the parent of Mohawk, Alexander Smith and Firth Carpets. Since the 1990's, "old-line" names such as Mohawk, Bigelow and Lees have become part of the Mohawk Industries family of brands.

History of Axminster Looms

Both spool and gripper  Axminster constructions were developed from the original jacquard loom technology invented in Axminster, England during the Industrial Revolution of the  early 19th century.

Halcyon Skinner, an American who was employed by Alexander Smith, is credited with inventing the spool Axminster in 1878.

Today, Karastan is the only U.S. maker of spool Axminster rugs.

Modern electronic gripper Axminster carpeting is  made all over the world and most often found in contract installations, particularly in the hospitality field.

When  Karastan developed advanced Axminster technology in 1928, the new manufacturing process was considered so revolutionary that the trade press reportedly  referred to the first  Karastan rugs as"Mystery Rugs."

Axminster rugs can contain up to 50 colors, which has  been a major selling point since the looms were invented. The depth and  detail of a traditional hand-knotted rug can be reproduced using this manufacturing technique.

The fact that  Axminster rugs are also virtually indestructible is another major selling point. Karastan invited visitors to walk on the rugs at both the 1933-34 World's Fair in Chicago and the 1939-40 World's Fair in New York. Nearly 5 million people walked on a Karastan  rug in Chicago and 9 million people walked on another Karastan rug in New York. After both Fairs, the rugs were cleaned and restored to their original condition.

(The Chicago World's Fair Karastan rug was recently on display at Macy's Historic State Street store. To read about it, click here.)

 11.10.10