Why: No one seems to know.
The best guess is that as the country began to come of age and
transportation allowed for access to more store-bought items, Hardwick decided
to utilize his retailing experience along with his knowledge of farming. He was working by the age of 15, went into
the retail business at 19, lost the business and paid back his debts out of his
own pocket, and began again in mercantile at age 30. He also bought a farm, which he worked simultaneously,
and it’s possible that his livestock afforded him more potential than imported
shelf items which could by then be purchased elsewhere.
Many of Hardwick’s 400+ employees as well as its CEO’s are
family to one another, and have been serving the company for multiple
generations. Nancy Deakins who heads up
Advertising, and Tommy Hopper as President, are descendants of the Hardwick family. Jim Park, whose uncle was Sales Manager, is
the Vice President of Sales, today. One
of the aspects about the plant is that it is all on one story, and everybody
knows and sees everyone else. “If a
customer needs something special,” notes Park, “I can just walk out onto the
floor, talk to a supervisor, and put the item into work.”
First known as the Cleveland Mills, 1880 marked the founding
of the company with five owners who ultimately became one—C.L. Hardwick. The firm was besieged by fire as many as four
times, but as the building and its contents were repeatedly destroyed and
rebuilt, each time forced modernization with positive change and growth to
occur in spite of damage and loss.
The Mills weaved what was known as “jean cloth”—a heavy-duty
twill or kersey for pants that was created in Virginia .
It was roughly 76% wool, and 24% cotton, with the cotton being on the
inside close to the leg for softness, and the 22 oz. wool fabric being on the
outside. Once the goods was woven, it
was transformed into “Dollar Pants,” due to their low cost.
Over time, Cleveland Mills evolved into a manufacturing
plant as well as a mill, making “hundreds of thousands of dollars,” according
to company records of 1920; in 1925, it became Hardwick Mills with the family’s
name attached. During its heyday,
Cleveland Mills was the largest facility of its kind in the world. It produced the fabric and it made the
garments: Suits, overcoats, knickers, and boy swear. It produced plaids, various weaves, and solids. It transformed from industrial wear to dress
attire, with pleated and then plain front pants, and it followed the all coat
styles of the day, from the earliest part of the 20th century until
modern times. Even during the Great
Depression, Hardwick managed to grow. Its
motto was “Off the sheep’s back, and onto the rack.”
Ultimately, with huge Post War demand for ready-to-wear
garments, and with the invention of synthetics, Hardwick decided to abandon its
line of overcoats, boy swear, fashions that had gone out of style, and to sell
its mill. Instead, it became a
manufacturing plant alone, and went full force into men’s wear for dress and
sport. Since 1980, it has added a lady’s
line to complement the men’s garments; however, Hardwick is ultimately a medium
priced line that is sold in retail men’s stores. Today, it produces suits, separates, and
sport coats. Its inventory is not so
much a matter of variety, but rather of volume regarding the products it
handles.
The current 175,000 sq. foot one-story facility was built in
1974, when the company was producing over 10,000 coats and pants per week. Strictly American made, the company has
continued to adapt with the times and now focuses on career apparel for groups
and corporations plus its sales to men’s stores and individuals. Keeping inventory plentiful for superb
customer service, but keeping the economy keenly in mind, anything that doesn’t
sell is discontinued. “Patterns for sport
coats eventually run themselves out,” cites Jim Park. “We temper current styles with what we think
is the best.”
The Hardwick line is very traditional—conservative. Manufacturing in the
South, its focus has been influenced by the population;
heaviest sales seem to be in the Midwest and the Sunbelt ,
where people prefer classic grey, black, and navy—“the marry ‘em and bury ‘em”
colors,” smiles Jim. It used to be that
Hardwick made blazers in a myriad of colors, but due to the lack of interest,
had to cut them. “We find that since
we’ve narrowed our focus to certain items rather than many, our sales have
greatly increased.”
Despite society’s more recent trend toward casual dress, Jim
feels that the future is very bright.
“Sure, there are folks who are loyal to their pocketbooks and want to
buy offshore, but we see the economy improving, people are getting back to
dressing up, and there’s a lot to be said for being an American made product.”
“The age of our customers is unlimited. We appeal more to the middle-aged person, but
we’re also reaching out to people in their 20’s. We have an excellent value in our garments;
our history and tradition speak for themselves; we go out of our way to be a
team and a family, and take care of our customers. If someone calls and says ‘I’ve got to have
this for a special event,’ we do our best to accommodate. People can count on us.”
One of the best aspects of Hardwick in more recent years is
its ability to do special orders. “We’re
not a custom house,” reminds Jim, but we did uniforms for the Second World War,
and now for the Salvation Army, pants for umpires, or certain colors or styles
if there’s enough for a special request.
It’s a great place to work, and after 25 years, I only hope I’ll be here
for many more.”
