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Bollman Hat Company - PHOTO/PROVIDED
Bollman Hat Co. acquires former peer after 2021 closing
Adamstown-based Bollman Hat Company has acquired dyeing and drying equipment from G.J. Littlewood & Sons for its hat making operations, preserving a piece of the textile and wool industry.
Employee-owned Bollman said it acquired the equipment after a flood in September 2021 forced Littlewood to close.
The oldest hatmaker in the United States, Bollman said while it has always piece dyed its wool felt hats in house, it contracted with Littlewood for decades to fiber dye some of its wool to create heathered colored hats.
Littlewood was founded in 1869 on Main Street in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia and Bollman in 1868 on Main Street in Adamstown about 56 miles west.
“Bringing these historic operations together helps to preserve an important piece of the textile and wool industry and, along with it, American jobs” Don Rongione, Bollman president and CEO, said. “Our employee-owners are learning how to produce the outstanding color that was part of Littlewood for over 150 years.”
Bollman said it is now using the equipment to dye cleaned wool for its mixes and swirl hat styles and provide contract wool dyeing for other companies.
Bollman’s expertise in wool processing includes its scouring plant in San Angelo, Texas, which washes wool and provides warehousing operations for the wool industry.
“It was a devastating day for Littlewood on September 2, 2021,” said Bob Littlewood, former president of Littlewood. “Realizing that our family business of 152 years and five generations is now over. It meant a lot to us when Don from Bollman Hat reached out and expressed interest in bringing these two historic operations together. Having our machinery and our processes being used at Bollman makes Littlewood feel as if they still have a role in the industry.”
