It all began in 1791 when Philadelphia became home to the very first carpet mill. Other mills opened throughout New England in the early 1800's, but in 1839, the industry was permanently changed. It was in this particular year that Erastus Bigelow invented the power loom for carpet weaving. That loom doubled the production of carpet in 12 short months and by 1850, production had tripled. That famous loom is now safely housed in the Smithsonian.
In 1849, the carpet industry saw the development of the Jacquard mechanism and Brussels carpet was introduced in Amsterdam, New York. In 1905, the Shuttleworth Brothers Company introduced a new carpet called Karnak Wilton, which was so phenomenally successful that a new building had to be built in order to handle all the orders. In 1920, Shuttleworth Brothers merged with a carpet manufacturer based in Amsterdam and later became known as Mohawk Carpet.
It wasn't long until a retailer by the name of Marshall Field modified an Axminster loom in order to create a rug that was woven from the back, in much the same way Oriental rugs were made. In 1926, the Karastan rug mill was established, making Karastan rugs available for the first time to the public by 1928.
During the 1930's, there was an increased demand for bedspreads which led to the development of the first mechanical tufting machine. The needle was later modified on that commercial Singer sewing machine, allowing for thick tufts of yarn to be passed into unbleached muslin, after which a knife that was attached to the machine would then cut that loop. Eventually, the rows of needles were multiplied to create rows of tufting that became known as "chenille".
Mat and rug numbers increased immensely in the early 1940's and by 1950, nearly half a million bales of cotton had been used as this industry became the third largest cotton consumer of cotton grown specifically in Georgia.
In 1976, Raymond P. Habib founded the Bloomberg Carpet Mill. He was assisted by twelve experienced employees who were as dedicated to maintaining the intricate craft of carpet weaving as he was. Now, under the strong leadership and dedication of Raymond's son, Thomas, Bloomberg Carpet is experiencing continued growth and expansion. Their commitment to quality and luxury, sustainable carpets remains a bedrock of the business. In fact, they are noted as the only carpet mill in the world to offer Wilton, Axminster and Velvet carpet, all in the same mill.
Bloomsburg Carpet – Made in America
Bloomsburg Carpet, Inc. manufactures quality carpet in the USA in a variety of styles and under the brand names; Silver Creek Carpet, Tuva Looms, and Bloomsburg Carpet. The Bloomsburg Carpet Mill is located in the Susquehanna River Valley of Pennsylvania and weaves luxury carpet made in the U.S.A.
For more information about the finest custom hospitality carpeting, please contact Bloomsburg Carpet today!
