Located in Ellerbe, this family-owned business might be small in relation to some of our other Richmond County industries, but their impact is huge, especially in the wake of COVID-19. Owners Rodney and Polly Mabe from Derby have mastered every aspect of knitting and sewing in their start to finish hosiery mill, Affordable Hosiery.
With 35 years of experience, they both began their careers in textiles in 1984 at textile mill in Robbins. Rodney served as a head fixer, where he maintained and repaired knitting machines, and Polly as a supervisor for fabricating pantyhose. Upon the closing of the mill, Rodney worked at another similar mill before he partnered with his cousin to open their own plant in Biscoe for several years. In 2014, they opened Affordable Hosiery, a 24-hour operating finishing mill, and up until the recent crisis, they mainly manufactured regular fashion hosiery, including women’s pantyhose and medical compression socks that were purchased by distributors in New York and Texas.
Aiding the global pandemic, 80% of their current production is for face masks. With their main distributors being located in areas where the virus is rampant, the couple was unsure of the future of their mill; but with their versatile expertise, they decided to focus their efforts into a product that would not only sustain their business and employees, but also one that would offer aid to people all over the world. They have designed their own signature mask in addition to a private contract for the production of another specialized mask. With this contract, they are projected to manufacture around 70,000 masks per week by next Friday.
Rodney anticipates the hiring of additional experienced sewers to accommodate the increasing demand for the masks. Regarding COVID-19 working guidelines, they have always maintained at least 10-12 feet distance between workers and practiced many other of the precautionary measures set forth by COVID-19 recommendations, such as hand washing and social distance.
When asked about the difference between homemade masks and the ones created at the mill, Rodney said, “The fabric we use is doubled, so the knit is tighter, which prevents particles from coming through.” In essence, the tighter the stitching, the more protection and the less permeable the mask. This is accomplished with a 400-needle sewing machine that is typically used for ladies garments, such as hosiery.
Making it a full on family affair, along with the well-experienced, hard-working couple, their two children have also played key roles in the family business. Their son Derrick currently supervises the knitting machines, daughter Tabitha is a skilled toe-sewer and boarder in addition to her career in nursing, and Polly’s brother also serves as a knitting supervisor.
We are beyond proud of this family-centered business in Richmond County and take pride in knowing that such an essential item as protective facial masks are being designed and manufactured right here in our community.
Meghann Lambeth is director of the Richmond County Tourism Development Authority. She is writing a series on how local industries are contributing to the COVID-19 effort, which will also be published at the Richmond Observer. You can read the original post here.
