The L. C. King Manufacturing Company in Bristol, Tennessee, makers of Pointer Brand, will celebrate one hundred years of continuous operation in 2013. It’s now run by Jack King, the fourth generation in family entrepreneurs committed to American ingenuity and hard work.

The company is one of the rare American businesses left today with this kind of heritage.

Pointer Brand Overalls are the product that connects our past with our present, something we’ve been making from the get-go. Our customers around the rural south are some of our most loyal and we hope to carry on that tradition for another hundred years. In the spirit of the American Dream, L. C. King has grown with the times and makes things that are in demand today.

That’s one of the things that has defined us recently - listening to what our customers want. With our Pointer Brand Special Make line, we are designing and crafting new products that are wanted from Japan to New York City.  We do everything in our power to listen intently to every suggestion, every business opportunity, and every new fan’s opinion to make decisions about the future products. We believe we have the best customers in the world; they are truly what define us today, just as they did when Landon Clayton King created the factory in 1913.

Beyond our heritage, the culture of L. C. King stands apart. The people who work here are dedicated and believe in what we do - and Jack believes in them, just as his father did. It’s not just about being an American company alone, it’s about representing American workmanship and providing for families who are your neighbors.

And it’s about American style, too.

Designers from all over the world come to L. C. King to explore partnerships or just to experience what it’s like in our factory. The worn wood, the vintage sewing machines, the knowhow. It’s all here and it’s 100% authentic.

Starting with the fabrics, zippers, buttons, and thread, we do everything possible to keep it all in our country and contribute to American jobs. We believe in the spirit of American manufacturing, informed by our past and today changing with the times as the world outside wakes up to the kinds of things our great country can produce.

You can find us in places from fashion boutiques in Hong Kong and Tokyo to co-op stores around the South.

For a soft-againt-your-cheek feel, we threw on a pinwale corduroy collar. And with the addition of the warmer-than-your-bed's blanket-lined body, and the quilted nylon-lined sleeves, this thing is thick. Though it may have you starting out the season like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, after one tough-weather winter and plenty of hard washes in your trusty ol' Maytag, you'll find this thing's worn in quite well.

All this is to say these are virtually bomb-proof. Be forewarned.

Special thanks to highoncollege for his post a couple days ago announcing our restocking and kr0n0s for his great post about a Fall Casual Wardrobe Guide.

Everything is 100% hand crafted here in Bristol, Tennessee, USA. We do our darndest to keep up with demand, so we are especially appreciative of anyone who is patiently waiting for us to get done with the next lot!

A lot of good things are happening here at Pointer Brand as we gear up for our ONE HUNDREDTH YEAR next year! We are proud to be continuously family owned and operated and one of the last surviving textile industries in America from back in the day.

It means so much to us to be part of the Reddit community and we will listen to everything you have to say.

L.C. King Manufacturing owner Jack King laughed when asked what qualities enabled the Seventh Street clothing maker to be named as a “Top 300 Business of the South” by Business Leader Magazine.

“It’s a testament to giving your customers a lot of love and just making great products,” said King, the fourth generation of the King family to own and operate the L.C. King company, famed for their Pointer Brand jeans and clothing.

“We have a lot of pride in being a company that does worldwide business, but one that loves our local roots and local customers and neighbors,” King said.

King’s company also can take justifiable pride in its ‘Top 300” ranking from Business Leader Magazine: The firm was ranked No. 47 among Southern businesses on the prestigious list, which measures numerous factors including business achievement, community involvement and financial performance. The company does more than $1 million in annual sales, according to Jack King.

“What’s really gratifying to us is that our products can be found everywhere from Farm and Feed stores in the rural U.S. to high-end boutiques in Hong Kong, literally,” King said.

Added King: “We’re viewed as a novelty product by many customers in Asia and we’re really enjoying our growing popularity there. But we’ve never lost sight that we’re a Bristol company, so we serve our local neighbors and customers with the same passion.”

King said L.C. King currently has 25 employees, but the owner expressed confidence that he’ll be dramatically expanding his workforce over the next year or so.

“Ideally, I’d love to add 50 new workers and help 50 more local families thrive,” King said. “I have faith we can get there and accomplish that.”

In addition to jeans, L.C. King produces a wide range of clothing, including jackets, coats, caps, T-shirts, coveralls and an upcoming line of coverall jackets. The company is largely believed to be the only American textile firm still owned and operated by its founding family.

Jack King accepted the company’s “Top 300” honor from Business Leader Magazine during a recent awards dinner in Nashville.

Hurry, ends June 30th! This is a radio interview with Bristol, TN's LC King Manufacturing 4th Generation Owner, Jack King. Pointer Brand needs just a few more votes to be eligible for a small business grant through MissionSmallBusiness.com from Chase and Living Social. News segment from Bristol Broadcasting's Joe Byrd as heard on Supertalk 92.9 and WXBQ on June 22, 2012.

Pointer Brand is one of those very well priced American workwear companies that has been here since the 40’s.  Rather than being fueled by the heritage/workwear movement, the brand remained staid and continued to produce their garments as necessary without any serious regard to trend. They do their own thing.

Showcasing for the first time at PROJECT, a trade show in Las Vegas, Pointer Brand looks to make their presence a bit more known to the buyers with a wide selection of garments – including some newly rediscovered silhouettes from their past – at a reasonable price.

Our favorite takeaways were two chore jackets including the one shown below with a shawl collar.  Not your average look and fairly unique to the market.

These days it seems if you want to sell a product, all you need to do is slap the image of a dog on it. So an authentic—historic, even—dog-inspired label, such as Pointer Brand, stands out from the pack.

The Pointer in the Pointer Brand logo isn’t some imaginary dog conjured by Madison Avenue types to capture hunters’ imaginations. He’s Carolina Bill, the favorite birddog of Landon Clayton King. Legend has it, Bill was “very intense” and “showed excellent style and character” on point—making him the perfect inspiration for a line of tough and durable working clothes.

King founded the L. C. King Manufacturing Company in Bristol, Tenn., in 1913. He reasoned that if he could raise championship birddogs, he could produce championship bib overalls, coveralls, carpenter jeans, hunting apparel and denim chore coats. It’s a leap but there’s no denying this classic, affordable outdoor wear is well-suited to dog-centric activities. The indigo shop apron, for example, is a perfect match for grooming sessions.

Pointer Brand is seriously old school. Having survived two floods and a fire, it still operates out of its original location, with great-grandson Jack King now in charge. The clothes are sold mostly in mom-and-pop shops—as well as in über hip specialty stores, including Hand-Eye Supply in Portland, Ore. They do have a website, but they still take phone orders by hand.

The best part of the website is Pointer Brand People, an online bulletin board with photos of customers sporting the denim, duck cloth and hickory-stripe apparel, frequently with their dogs. Customers who send in photos receive either a free Pointer Brand cap or T-shirt.

Made in the USA – L.C. King Manufacturing Company, Makers of Pointer Brand

This is the L.C. King Manufacturing Company  in Bristol, Tennessee.  It was opened in 1913 as a maker of jeans and overalls.  That’s not so unusual, because at one time there were dozens of small jeans factories scattered across the South.  What makes L.C. King so unusual is they are still in operation today.

I had no idea there was still a jeans company still making jeans in the US, especially not one a short drive away.  But thanks to The American List located at A Continuous Lean, I found out about the company, and proceeded to invite myself over for a look around.

What an experience!  Though I write about clothing history, and live deep in textile country, I had never been in a clothing manufacturing plant.  I was amazed by so much, especially by the mix of the old and new, by tradition and computer-age technology.

The photo above shows the original building, built in 1913 by Landon Clayton King.  The factory was later enlarged to the size they have today.

 

 

I was met by the plant manager, Marinda, who took me around and showed me the operation.  She explained not only the process of making the products, but also told me about the company.

 

Things like, why the company’s brand name, Pointer, comes from a dog.  Well, Mr. King loved his bird dogs, especially Carolina Bill, who became the model for the company’s logo and advertising posters.  The old sign above hangs in the factory.  And you still get Carolina Bill’s likeness on every Pointer product.

 

And this is Jack – Jack King, that is, the owner and fourth generation King to run Pointer Brand. He was working, filling orders.  One thing I learned, everyone works hard in a clothing manufacturing plant.

 

This is the original office of the company in the oldest part of the building..  Today, this is the pattern making room, a process Ill show in tomorrow’s post.   You can barely see LC King on the wall on the far wall.

 

Above the pattern room is the cutting room.  It runs for most of the depth of the original building.  The denim is stretched out on the long tables in as many as 42 layers.

 

And here is a view of one of the sewing rooms.  There is a room for dungarees and overalls, and another room for jackets.

 

In tomorrow’s post I’ll show a bit of the process of cutting and sewing the garments.  In the meantime, you should check out the Pointer Brand website.  It’s incredible to see a site where almost everything is made in the US.   Also the denim itself is made in South Carolina, with the exception of the Fisher Stripe.  Unfortunately, they could no longer source it in the US, and so it has to be imported.

Here’s another look at the handsome Carolina Bill.

The America Ground

Around the turn of the century, Landon Clayton King was raising championship birddogs.  In 1913, seeing a need for tough and durable work clothing, he founded The L. C. King Manufacturing Company.

L. C. King believed that if he could raise championship birddogs, he could produce overalls and jeans of the same distinction. Carrying on the family tradition four generations later, Pointer Brand is recognized worldwide.

The L. C. King Manufacturing Company is proud to make everything in the U.S.A. Having survived two floods and a fire, it still operates out of the original location in downtown Bristol, Tennessee.  The employees make bib overalls, coveralls, carpenter jeans, hunting apparel and denim chore coats. Several employees have retired after 50 years of service.

Simple Threads

Not everything that’s worth having in your closet has to cost an arm and a leg; this chore coat is a perfect example of that.  Pointer Brand is a workwear company that still proudly makes all their products in Bristol, TN – the same place L. C. King founded the company in 1913.

This chore coat is crafted with a domestically sourced, heavy weight duck canvas – it’s called ”duck” because it comes from the Dutch “doek” meaning “linen canvas.”  It's a perfect layer for the beginning of the cooler months.

There’s plenty of space to store your belongings with four front pockets plus one for your writing utensil of choice.  It is double stitched throughout the interior of the jacket for durability.  Pointer Brand brass buttons run down the front and are on the cuffs with the popular Pointer logo stitched onto the front pocket, all making for nice, subtle details.

A Continuous Lean

Who says that all clothing made in American has to be expensive?  Having recently been turned onto Pointer Brand, I was shocked to see that my friend Mark ordered two jackets and a pair of painter shorts for less than $150 dollars!

The Bristol, Tennessee based company, The L.C. King Manufacturing Company, has been making classic work wear since 1913. The Pointer website has a store locater plus you can order from their online store.  Even work wear Meccas like Dave’s on Sixth Avenue don’t sell this stuff.  Pointer is a true diamond in the rough.

The value for money (as the Brits say) for Pointer Brand is extremely good.  It is especially good when you consider the prices of the clothing from companies like Carhartt (which I like, don’t get me wrong) and most of those goods are made outside the U.S.