OUR HISTORY
We started operating as HBI Textiles in 1990, but through acquisition, can trace our humble beginnings back to a time when this Singer sewing machine was a sophisticated piece of equipment. That means we’ve been doing this for a very long time.
During the first years, HBI was making sporting goods (gun cases, rod-and reel cases, outdoor bags, etc.) in a basement by founders Jeri Cullen and Doua Lee. In effort to expand, Lee and Cullen purchased Kamtex, Inc., where they both had spent time as employees. Kamtex was started with just $1,500 by Tom Kaiser, and was originally founded in an effort to help Asian refugees find work. Kamtex grew very quickly and focused on hiring people who couldn’t get jobs elsewhere. People who couldn’t speak english, and even some ex-convicts. At this point, HBI/Kamtex was operating out of a factory located in the east side of St. Paul, MN.
The HBI Journey continued when Lee and Cullen purchased an old dairy farm in Maplewood, MN (almost 30 years ago now). What was previously a dairy barn was restored and turned into a factory and remained the home of HBI for 30+ years. The homestead is recognized by the historical society as being one of the first dairy farms in all of MN, and is a registered, historical landmark. We’ve since followed our roots and return HBI to the original stomping grounds and currently run operations just blocks from were Kamtex once resided.
In February of 2022, Lee and Cullen moved towards retirement and HBI was acquired by the founders of The Rogue Cooperative. HBI remains our name and our vision continues to follow a very similar path to the vision held over 30 years ago.
The Rogue Cooperative manages multiple American made lifestyle brands as well as helps other businesses grow and promote their own American made stories. The Rogue Cooperative is an advocate for Made in USA but had also been using HBI’s manufacturing services for multiple years prior. It was through great respect for the business that Lee and Cullen had built, along with a shared passion for the work they were doing, that The Rogue Cooperative found HBI to be a perfect addition to their own path for growth and development. Cullen and Lee remain active consultants.
THE BARN
HBI got its wings in this very barn, located in Maplewood, MN. And let’s just say.. it will always be a part of who we are. The homestead is recognized by the historical society as being one of the first dairy farms in all of MN. The Esperson dairy farm as it was called, used to take up most of the neighborhood- now mostly developed.
Surrounded by housing developments, the barn sits on acres of land offering a nice oasis from city life. Customers often claimed a level of satisfaction when making a trip out to the barn. Once there, they would often times catch a glimpse of a few visiting deer.
The main floor is where leatherwork was conducted and was home to most of the heavy equipment. The loft was designated for textile work and is where most of the sewing work was accomplished.
In addition to the barn itself, a number of items used for production were also rooted in history. Most of which we have moved to our new location and still use for production. Our cutting tables are nearing 100 years old. We use a packing station that we believe is just as old and was originally purchased from a local hospital. Our splitter and cutter are the workhorses of our operation and from a time when things were built to last. We keep our leather stamps in a vintage typeset chest. We have nutting carts for storage as well as old wood crates once used to store feed.
A STORY TO TELL
We’d love to take this time to share an interesting story that we hold close to our heart, involving some unexpected visitors. A few years back, a car pulled up to our business and out stepped an elderly woman and her daughter. They introduced themselves and explained that the elderly lady had grown up in this home and that it was her parents who had owned the Esperson Dairy Farm, which used to take up much of the neighborhood in which we reside— now, mostly developed.
It was clear to see their emotions as they shared with us a history from many years before. Their hearts were clearly full as they saw we had re-purposed the barn and were running an American made manufacturing business from within those very walls rooted in the history of the Esperson Dairy Farm. It was a perfect intersection of stories both old and new.
After some lengthy discussion, they went on their way and we did not hear from them again. Until recently, that is. Again, unsuspectingly, the daughter reconnected with us and mentioned that a few months after their visit, the mother had passed away. But the real reason for her contacting us was to see if we wanted to have an old sewing machine that her mother owned, as well as her mother before.
She explained that it used be in the barn and she has always remembered seeing it there growing up. She thought it was fitting that the sewing machine be at home, back in the barn where it used to reside over 100 years ago. So with much joy and honor, we have returned this sewing machine back to its home, where it is as relevant now as it was back in the day.