Mainebiz

V O L . X X V N O. V M A R C H 4 , 2 0 1 9 14 "T hese walls, if they could talk," Whitney Reynolds says at Westbrook's renovated Dana Warp Mill building that's home to American Roots, the blanket and apparel maker she and husband Ben Waxman founded in 2015. Spread out over 14,000 square feet, it's more than triple the space of the tex- tile company's original Portland location. On a lower floor, Ben's mother, Dory Waxman, runs Old Port Wool & Textile Co. and a sewing school that trains mainly immigrant women as stitchers for American Roots and other employ- ers. Photos in the corridors of a bygone manufacturing era add to the ambiance. "We set out to bring something back, an industry that was all but dying in this country," Reynolds says, "so to end up in a building where textiles were originally being made is a pretty special thing." "And to actually provide healthy, safe, work conditions, because the people that worked in this mill 100 years ago did not have that," adds Waxman. "My mother calls it the magical mill. You've got a lot of makers in this place." American Roots, along with Flowfold in Gorham and Hyperlite Mountain Gear in Biddeford, lead Maine's new crop of niche textile makers. As traditional manufacturing struggles to attract young talent, the three are hitting their stride as they invest in technology, expand their reach and create jobs. Typically, for Mainers, they're also rooting for one another. "Our friends at Flowfold and Hyperlite are incredible and awe- some," says Waxman. "If there's one common theme for all of us, we're all a little nuts." From discarded sailcloth to high-tech wallets Flowfold, known for its durable, lightweight wallets and other outdoor gear made out of composite materi- als, was founded in 2010 by Charles Friedman and Devin McNeill, child- hood pals who were also at University of Maine together. Friedman, who grew up on Peaks Island, learned industrial sewing dur- ing a high school summer job at a Yarmouth sail loft, when he made bags and wallets from discarded sailcloth — initially for himself and then as gifts and custom orders from people who wanted to buy them. After graduating from UMaine with a civil engineering degree, he teamed up with McNeill to start a business. ough the name Flowfold came to Friedman in a dream, it's a geology term for a type of rock formation. "Luckily," he says, "the URL was available, which is the biggest hurdle to cross for a short word." Today, they run the company with their UMaine classmate James Morin and employ eight people at their new headquarters in Gorham. ey also work with independent designers and sales reps in three U.S. territories and with contract manufacturers in Chicago and Tennessee. e brand is well-known in Maine and even internationally (with Japan as its fastest-growing market outside the United States), owing in part to relation- ships with retailers L.L.Bean and REI it doesn't take for granted. "It took years to build up enough credibility to get the trust of these big retail companies," says Morin, whose recent trip to Japan included visits with L.L.Bean executives. "Once you have that trust, you have to do everything in your power to not lose it." As Flowfold relies on its outside man- ufacturing partners for expertise and pro- duction help with larger purchase orders, it's streamlining its own processes with a new 25-foot-long automated cutting machine Friedman says will be five to 10 times faster. It will also waste less fabric than traditional methods. e machine was financed in part from a $95,300 grant from the Maine Technology Institute, on top of an earlier $4,700 TechStart Grant to help with plant layout optimization and inventory management. A cut above Three niche textile manufacturers hit their stride B y R e n e e C o R d e s P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY F O C U S Flowfold, known for its durable, lightweight wallets and other outdoor gear made out of composite materials, was founded in 2010 by Charles Friedman (left) and Devin McNeill (not pictured), childhood pals who were also at University of Maine together. James Morin (right) has since joined the company.

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