Johnson Woolen Mills

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What products are listed for this advertiser?

Made in America Bib Overalls, American Made Capes, Made in the USA Casual Wear, Made in America Fabric Wool, Made in the USA Hunters Coats, Made in America Hunters Hats, Made in the USA Ponchos, Made in America Teddy Bears, American Made Vest Extenders, American Made Wool Blankets, Made in the USA Wool Hats, American Made Wool Jackets, American Made Wool Mittens, Made in America Wool Scarves, American Made Wool Throws, American Made Woolen Coats, American Made Woolen Pants, and Made in America Woolen Shirts.

Located in the village of Johnson, just north of the skiing mecca of Stowe, the clothing company still makes the same woolen shirts, jackets and the famous iceman's pants that have been best sellers for nearly 50 years. The heavy, 28 ounce forest green pants were named for the men who wore them while cutting blocks of ice from frozen ponds and lakes. In spite of the fact that icemen no longer ply their trade on those frozen expanses, the Johnson mill is still selling plenty of the amazingly thick, warm pants and much more old-fashioned cold weather gear as well. The mill's early owners catered to fishermen working in winter camps in sub-zero temperatures. Today's fourth generation ownership sells its products to cross-country skiers, snowboarders,hunters, ice fishermen, winter runnersessentially to a new generation of outdoors, sports-minded people who refuse to stay in the house in bad weather. As Vermonters well know, in order to survive winter, you must find something that you like to do outside. It's really that simple. And although the character of the customer has changed, the pants and heavy coats, shirts and jackets, are still essentially the same as they have been for over a century and a half. You may now see our clothing in an ever-increasing number of urban centers across the country as the concept of made in America takes on a special significance with the American consumer.

Beginning in Johnson
Vermont native Stacy Barrows Manosh is the fourth generation owner of the mill, bought by her great-grandfather Delmer A. Barrows in 1908. The mill had its beginnings as one of many making fabrics from the wool of local sheep. The clapboards of the old mill are painted to read: Founded 1842. The company's manufacturing now goes on in a more modern building next door to the original mill, which is now a company store and popular tourist destination. Workers in the new mill do the cutting, sewing, piecing, serging, and finishing of traditionally patterned, checked, and plaid hunting clothes, all made of a material that is 80 to 85 percent wool. The company store displays all of the freshly made winter garmets in a welcoming atmosphere of deep reds and greens that stand out against pine boarded walls and polished floors.

Traditional Tailoring
On the production line in the new building, a garment starts at one end of a room the length of a football field and is passed up the line of workers, each at a work table specializing in a single tailoring operation. Pieces are first cut from patterns on an amazing, bowling alley-like cutting table over 50 feet long, made of maple and birch flooring which was put in before the building was completed. otherwise, it never would have fit through the doorway. We have our own way of cutting and sewing garmets, according to Del Barrows, third generation owner and father to Stacy. A lot of people would like to know exactly how we do it. It takes about a week from the time the cloth is cut from huge 40 foot bolts of wool to the moment the Johnson tag is sewn in a garment. Stacks of bright green and red collars, cuffs and sleeves are ready to be sewn together for Johnson jackets. Well-worn cardboard patterns hang on the wall, used for the cutting of the traditional clothing made at the mill. Some of them are 50 years old and the styles they represent go back a century and a half to the days when the mill was first established, using water power on the banks of the Gihon river. With true Yankee frugality and good business sense, nothing is wasted at the mill. From the discarded ends of materials, mittens can be made, some by cottage-industry workers who freelance for the mill from their homes. Other scraps are bagged and sent off to a specialized factory to be ground up and recycled, still others end up in wool rugs.

Century-Old Patterns
Many of the plaids and patterns have been traditional with the company for at least a century. One of the few changes in Johnson's wool has been the addition of some nylon for added strength. Another change has been the cutting back of the thickness of some of its garments. According to Mr. Barrows, some of the pants we used to make we don't make any more because they were so heavy. Today, instead of the heaviest pants, people wear insulated underwear with somewhat lighter-weight outer pants. Although Johnson Woolen Mills supplies such big names as L.L. Bean, there are numerous small mom & pop stores among Johnson's retail outlets. Company officials say that because of the relatively small size of Johnson Woolen Mills, they can do many things that larger companies simply can't or won't do. In addition to opening a new manufacturing facility in the mid 1980s, the main innovation at the mill has been the addition of a ladies' line and a childrens' line. Because of the addition of the new lines, a new color pallet made up of softer colors was introduced including light blues and violets.. .a real shocker for some of the company's traditional customers who were used to the traditional hunting patterns.

Barrows Famiy Ties
We're native Vermonters. We go back to the 1790s said Stacy Barrows Manosh. The family came over here from England and settled in Irasburg, VT. My great-great-grandfather is buried there. They were farmers and then my great-grandfather became a retailer and he owned a store in Woodsville, NH. About 1905, this great-grandfather bought a half interest in the Johnson mill from its owner I.L. Pearl, and in 1907 he bought Pearl out altogether and changed the name to Johnson Woolen Mills to better represent what the company did. And now, over a century and a half and four generations later, Johnson Woolen Mills continues making world famous products, integrating old world values with new world ideas, all with a very bright eye to the future.

The following is a reply from Johnson Woolen Mills to our question – "Are your products American Made?"

All of our products are made in America and At our factory in Johnson.

How do you know the products you have listed are Made in the USA?
Before including products in our database we review the advertiser’s website and/or contact them to ascertain the origin of their products. Some advertisers sell both Made in USA products and foreign ones. Therefore we highly recommend you review FAQ 2.

We immediately investigate any complaints regarding deceptive Country of Origin claims. If we determine an advertiser's claim is not truthful we will immediately remove the product/s from our database and suspend our relationship with the Company making the claim.

To document your complaint, email us by using our Contact Us page. We can only respond to complaints that have been submitted in writing.

What does Made in USA mean?
There is no law requiring most products to be labeled Made In USA, or have any other disclosure about the amount of U.S. content. However, for job creation purposes (see our Big Secret tab), if you have a choice between an imported product and one with no country of origin on its label, choose the product without a country of origin over the imported one. This is true because the product without the country origin on its label has at least some American labor in its content and the imported one most likely does not.

Note: Imported products are required by law to country of origin on their label and products partially Made In USA do not. To answer this question completely reviewing our Labeling Tips 1, 2 & 3. These tips are accessible from scrolling to the bottom of our home page clicking Browse All Tips button.