Next time you succumb to temptation and purchase a box of decadent Godiva chocolates, take heart; your indulgence is supporting a local business. The elegant ribbons that adorn the chocolatier’s signature gold and dark brown boxes are made right here in Greene.
Godiva has been the largest customer of L.A. Najarian Manufacturing for more than 15 years.
The narrow fabric textile manufacturer has a long history as part of the local business community. Founded in 1932 by L.A. Najarian, the mill celebrated its seventy-fifth anniversary last year.
The business has, of course, changed a great deal over the years. Gone are the days when traveling sales staff showed samples of that year’s line of fabric ribbons. They continue their weaving tradition, but no longer stock finished ribbon. Now, the company thrives on custom orders, like that of Godiva.
It is still a family-owned and operated venture. Dick Najarian, whose father founded the mill, relinquished the reins to his son-in-law Mitch Anderson a few years ago. Dick remains involved to a certain extent, but Mitch, his wife Christine and their 10 employees handle the daily operation of the business.
The factory was probably best know for its factory store, The Ribbon Mill, which closed in 2000. The first time I walked into that store, I was probably 16 years old. As part of the Homecoming Committee, I was on a mission to secure the supplies necessary to craft sashes for annual event.
I’ll never forget that first visit. I was absolutely overwhelmed by the sheer volume of colorful ribbons in every conceivable color and pattern, lining the walls and shelve.
When I walked onto the manufacturing floor at L.A. Najarian last week, I was no less overwhelmed.
The day of my visit to the mill at 17 Willard St., the factory’s state-of-the-art looms were clattering away, well on their way to completing the 500,000 yards of red and pink ribbon that comprised Godiva’s Valentine’s Day order.
There were also beautiful spring green ribbons that will adorn the chocolatier’s spring line, an elegant black and white design for a Chicago area jeweler, a special order of vintage floral decorative trim and two varieties of glaring industrial safety tape meant for highway workers and law enforcement.
Mitch walked me through each step of the process involved in making the ribbon. From design, to warping, to the set up of the machines and the weaving itself and then on to the finishing room where the ribbon is starched and pressed before being “blocked” or rolled, I had a chance to not only see the process, but try my hand at it as well.
The verdict? I’d never cut it. While Mitch does hire temporary staff at some times during the year to meet peak demand, I am quite certain I’ll never be considered for employment.
I failed miserably in my attempt at keeping the tension and tying the tiny knots necessary to tie-in additional thread ends when reloading the looms.
I was determined to redeem myself when Mitch had me try my hand at warping. My task was to essentially separate the threads on the warping beam with a metal ruler. I broke a sweat from the tension of it all, and thought I was doing rather well. Until it was pointed out that I missed three ends.
We proceeded at that point to the finishing room. No sweat, I thought. Even I could roll ribbon, right? Not so much.
I’ll admit that I was pretty discouraged at that point. To cheer me up, Mitch let me try my hand at the final step in preparing the ribbon for shipping: Hammering the cardboard flanges onto the roll and stamping them with the order number. This I could do. And it was a great stress reliever!
Despite my ineptitude, I enjoyed my time at the ribbon factory. I learned so much about the process and about this amazing manufacturer. I have to thank Mitch, Christine and their staff for their amazingly patience. I know holding my hand took a lot of time out of their day.
I’m happy to report that the experience ended on a high note. Mitch set me up with The Evening Sun logo and his computer, and with his patient assistance, I was able to design a custom ribbon. A roll of the elegant, black and white Evening Sun ribbon sits beside me now as I type.
For more information visit L.A. Najarian’s websites at www.ribbonmill.com or www.aramribbons.com.