Reinventing “Towel City, USA”: Textiles, Tourism, and the Future of the Southeastern Mill Town

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate how the loss of textile product manufacturing has impacted two rural towns in the southeastern U.S. In‐depth interviews were conducted with 33 residents in the two towns. Participants represented a variety of stakeholders, including local elected officials, business leaders and government representatives along with displaced workers, former textile firm executives, local community college administrators, and small business owners. Key issues within three thematic areas point to the need for both towns to reinvent themselves after the loss of textile product manufacturing. Both communities are focusing on the future through economic development strategies that include tourism to draw on the textile industry heritage of the area. Findings point to the impact of declining manufacturing employment on rural communities and the people that live within them, while highlighting how the industry can remain an important part of a textile town's identity.