Shane Palmer and Virginia
Little talking over textile
machinery.
Upholding a Legacy of Textiles:
American Fiber and Finishing
Story by Chris Miller | Photos by Marty Bowers
T
he numerous textile mills that were
so commonplace at the end of
the 19th century and most of the
20th century brought great prosperity to
the citizens of Stanly County. These mills,
where people would often work 12 hours
a day, were the economic lifeblood of the
county and provided a strong sense of
community for many of the workers.
Those days are long gone as a
rapidly expanding global economy and
an emphasis on new technology and
automation has shuttered many textile
facilities around the country, including
most in Stanly.
Many once-prospering textile facilities in
the county are now empty and dilapidated,
serving as little more than architectural
fossils reflecting a bygone era.
But at least one facility still exists in
Stanly — American Fiber and Finishing
located near downtown Albemarle.
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Made in Stanly Magazine | 2020
The business is the leading provider
of woven industrial fabrics and the
second largest American manufacturer
of cotton balls.
American Fiber and Finishing
was formed in 1986 as the result of a
management buyout of the textile division
of the Kendall Corporation.
The company originally had two
facilities, one in Newberry, S.C. and the
other in Colrain, Mass. In 1996, to save
costs, the company moved its Colrain
operations to Albemarle and moved its
corporate headquarters shortly after.
Once stationed in Albemarle, the
company purchased a former Fruit of
the Loom plant at 225 N. Depot St. The
current headquarters is located right beside
the plant.
The plant has quite a history with the
county. According to AFF operations
manager Shane Phillips, one of the
buildings has been around since 1896,
when American Efird first opened.
American Fiber and Finishing originally
produced yarn (which was previously
produced by Fruit of the Loom),
but eventually stopped and focused
on producing cotton balls and selling
woven fabrics.
The cloth was made in Newberry and
sent to Albemarle, which produced a
variety of finished products, including
gauze and wiping cloth.
As the economy became more global
over the years, Newberry stopped
producing the cloth and actually closed
sometime in the mid-2000s, Phillips said.
Around 2006, AFF began purchasing
it from China and continues to
purchase cloth from China, along
with India and Taiwan.
Many of the fabrics shipped from China
go through a starch solution to stiffen them