HIGH POINT — Richloom Weaving, a part of parent company Richloom Fabrics Corp., will permanently cease production at its 1914 S. Elm St. plant in High Point on April 4, according to a WARN Act notice posted last week with the N.C. Department of Commerce. Fifty-four jobs will be eliminated as part of the closure.
Headquartered in New York City with operations in North and South Carolina, Richloom is a third-generation, family-owned and -operated textile manufacturer servicing the upholstery, decorative jobber, hospitality, casual outdoor furniture and other industries. The company offers a range of products from prints and wovens to decorative textiles and finished product and has offices in Shanghai, North Carolina, South Carolina and Indiana.
Michael Saivetz, president and CEO of Richloom, said that Richloom Weaving represented a small part of Richloom’s overall operations and that the company will continue to manufacture textiles across the globe. He added that several factors negatively impacted Richloom Weaving’s business, including a challenging retail environment.
“On Monday, Feb. 3, we announced plans to close Richloom Weaving in late March or early April,” Saivetz said. “When Richloom acquired the High Point-based weaving operation, our goal was to revitalize a business that had experienced years of decline.
“While we saw initial success, demand for the mill’s products declined significantly post-COVID,” continued Saivetz. “The retail landscape has shifted dramatically, with bankruptcies of major home furnishings retailers — including Big Lots, Badcock Furniture, American Freight and over-the-counter retailers like JoAnn Stores — further impacting the business. Richloom Weaving represented only a small portion of Richloom’s overall operations, and we will continue to manufacture textiles globally, including within the U.S. Richloom remains headquartered in New York City, with U.S. offices, showrooms, and distribution centers in High Point; Greenville, S.C.; Clinton, S.C.; and Elkhart, Ind.”
Richloom was founded by Fred Richman as Richloom Fabrics Group in 1957. Richman’s son, Jim, joined the company in 1972 and led it for 35 years until Saivetz, nephew of Jim Richman, was named president in 2023. Richloom participates in the biannual Interwoven textile trade show and maintains a showroom on the ninth floor of Market Square Tower in High Point.
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