By Bob Tedder • Nestled in a copse of trees on Pee Dee-Wadeville Highway stands a set of interconnected buildings identified by a small white sign as Woodland Hosiery. There, owners Jimmy and son Adam Bowles graciously shared their passion for their operation on a recent tour of their business. In some respects the tour was like a time machine. The cadenced clicks of mechanical knitting needles and the rhythmic swoosh of pneumatic turners evoked an age where these sounds were once prominent features of North Carolina’s industrial landscape. These sounds, combined with the Bowles’ voluminous knowledge of the industry, in some respects make this family-owned business a functioning museum of hosiery technology.

However, it is the passion and fortitude of its owners that transforms this museum into a thriving and, more importantly, a currently expanding business. In spite of a disastrous 2011 fire the enterprise has risen like a phoenix from the ashes. With 12 full-time and six seasonal employees, Woodland returns a significant amount of dollars annually to the local economy. The factory does knit exactly what one would suppose a hosiery mill produces, but as the tour developed a decidedly non-footwear product came to the forefront.

From no-show footies to thigh-high stripes, Woodland Hosiery manufactures traditional products which are sold both nationwide and to the local public. The Bowles’ enterpertunal response to market demands from such diverse sources as the San Francisco Ballet and Pennsylvania’s Society of Friends is indicative of the skills necessary for success in such a competitive industry. However, it came as a great surprise to the tour group when a unique relationship between North Carolina and New Hampshire was revealed. Woodland is the sole and exclusive supplier for Harrisville Designs Friendly Looms which are do-it-yourself potholder kits. Although total figures are proprietary information, Woodland Hosiery does knit an amazing number of those stretchy cloth loops necessary to handcraft a 7- or 11-inch potholder. When cotton loop numbers are considered with those of another unique product, throwaway socks, one reaches a satisfying conclusion. In a small set of interconnected buildings near Mt. Gilead the sound of whirring needles proudly preserves a slice of North Carolina’s textile history.