Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 13 M A R C H 8 , 2 0 2 1 F O C U S M A N U FA C T U R I N G name to Maine Stitching Specialties and it was off to the races. e company, which employs 11, still makes Dog Not Gone products. e company makes tick-resistant dog and people outdoors wear, but also makes the hotel draperies, hospital cubicle drapes it did as Dirigo, as well as American flags, the 1901 Maine flag, and anything else a customer may want if they can make it. One customer wanted wedge- shaped covers for a foam pillow used to help with nighttime reflux issues. "I went in with a little skepticism," Swain says. "But before you know it, he was selling hundreds at a time." at kind of flexibility is needed in a small shop like Maine Stitching, par- ticularly in the past year, as the hotel drape business slowed to nearly a halt. Drapes need to be replaced as they become worn through multiple wash- ings, and with little hotel business, that wasn't happening. "If you have a hole in one business, it needs to get filled," Swain says. at hole may be filled by the hospi- tal cubicle curtain side, though hospitals are waiting to see how their revenues are going to shape up after the unexpected year, where revenue-producing elective surgeries also came to a halt. e company's American flags, on the other hand, have sold really well in the past year. e company hand- stitches the flags, buying the blue field with stars from an embroiderer. "We make them one stripe at a time," he says. eir biggest customer is Renys, which sells them in its 17 stores across Maine. Swain says they not only sell them to a lot of Mainers, but to people out of state as well. "People like that they're made in Maine," he says. e Maine brand has a lot of value, he adds. Customers see it as a sign of quality. "Everything we make that we're not making for someone else has a tag that says 'Manufactured in Maine.'" M a u r e e n M i l l i k e n , M a i n e b i z s e n i o r w r i t e r , c a n b e r e a c h e d a t m m i l l i k e n @ m a i n e b i z . b i z Portland, ME dunhamgroup.com 207.773.7100 Local Knowledge. Regional Focus. Global Reach. Even in uncertain times, we're still in the habit of making ideas become reality for Maine businesses and business owners. Let's chat about how we can help shape your future. CONTACT OUR EXPERTS Mainers make it better. ME, MA, FL | HALEYWARD.COM | 207.989.4824 CONGRATULATIONS TO PURITAN MEDICAL PRODUCTS on your expansion to meet COVID-19 testing demands An employee-owned company supporting manufacturers as they grow Maine's economy If you have a hole in one business, it needs to get filled. — Bill Swain Maine Stitching Specialities

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