The machines we use to create our woolen-spun yarn spent the last 50 years down the road from their original location. Over the past 12 months, a massive effort was put into place to bring them back from Skatutakee Rd. to join the rest of Harrisville Designs departments on Mill Alley in the center of the village. While it didn’t make sense financially, as it had no real impact on sales or profits, having everyone all under one roof, switching to renewable energy, and restoring the buildings back to their original historic purpose were all at the heart of the initiative. 

But what was the reason the machines needed to be moved back in the first place?
After Cheshire Mills closed its doors in 1970, John (Chick) Colony re-engaged the family’s - and community’s - textile knowledge as Harrisville Designs in 1971. By this time, the mill buildings were occupied by another non-textile manufacturing company. We needed to find a new space for our spinning machines. In an effort to continue yarn production within the village, we built a new building at 22 Skatutakee Road. The original Cheshire Mills machines were then moved to the new facility about 0.7 miles down the road. 

Uprooting the machines from their previous location and moving them up the road into Mill No. 6 took 3 weeks. It also involved bringing three-phase power from Main Street all the way down Mill Alley to the end of Mill No. 6. This project required digging, pounding ledge, trenching, and working closely with our electricians.

While the machines are what make our company hum, ensuring a positive working environment that enhances the well-being of our employees' day-to-day working experience was also at the core of the decision to move. Teams throughout Mill No. 6 now have industrial-sized windows overlooking the cupola, forests, village, river, and waterfall. Additionally, they provide natural lighting throughout the day, which was lacking in many of the former spaces.