HENDERSONVILLE, North Carolina — “We tripled sales this year over last,” says Stephan Michelson, owner of The Oriole mill which started up in 2006. 

Along with co-founder and  design director Bethanne Knudson, the pair have cobbled together used equipment in a former frozen food warehouse a stone’s throw from Asheville. Michelson’s dream is to generate a $10 million business by picking and choosing the business he wants from customers who appreciate high end heirloom quality fabrics and quick turnaround on all orders. The Oriole Mill produces and markets cotton and wool jacquards and dobbies in the $25 to $100 cost range to niche markets.  

“The signature of this mill is large repeats which produce a distinct look and engineered patterns, “says Knudson, a graduate of Kansas City Art Institute and a former JacQuad software master. Oriole also uses differential shrinkage to produce some interesting fabric effects including smocking and pleating for pillows. Michelson comes to Oriole with a PhD in economics from Stamford University, a successful blues musician and a successful business career providing statistics to legal firms. Textiles were new to him when Oriole came into existence but he knew he wanted to make “good fabrics.” Bethanne Knudson and Stephan Michelson

He deplores the MBA mentality which says that inventory costs money, so eliminate it. “If you don’t have inventory, you don’t have a business,” he laughs. Right now, it is easier and faster for Oriole to buy mercerized long staple Egyptian Giza cotton yarn than some some domestic qualities because the Egyptian product is stocked in Chattanooga, TN while the US product is made to order. “Of course, there is no mercerized cotton yarn available in the USA,” Michelson says. Oriole buys some wool yarns from Pharr Yarns and the finer wools from Kent Wool, both based in the USA

Oriole is a boutique mill employing some novel ways of doing business. The 72,000 square foot facility is also home to Western Carolina Sewing which cuts and sews the fabrics on site. This is how Oriole is able to quickly produce the finished articles for top of bed including throws, shams and coverlets; baby wraps, aprons and components for sport shoes. Pet and home products are scheduled for production by first quarter 2014.   

 For the past two years, Oriole has also started to supply piece goods to the furniture industry through Lee and Mebane Belmore, the North Carolina furniture sales rep sisters. This has resulted in several placements, including a page in a well known catalog.