Stafford's oldest surviving textile mill is ending its 160-year operation.
The parent company of Warren Corp. said it will lay off the remaining 85 employees and close within the next year.
Pier Guerci, chief executive of the Italian company, Loro Piana, which owns the mill, told the Journal Inquirer that the manufacturing base in the U.S. has eroded in the last 15 years.
Many one-time customers have for years been buying fabrics manufactured at a lower cost overseas.
The plant produced luxury worsted and woolen fabrics for men's and women's clothing. Its textiles included cashmere, camel hair, silk and worsted wool.
It received two federal grants last year valued at $1.4 million.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
