Textile Jobs

Staff Photo by Margaret Fenton Donnie Shelby packs down yarn into the barrels as it comes through a mercerizing process that gives the material a sheen. The R.L. Stowe Mill will close in the next few months, after 107 years in operation in Chattanooga. As more textile jobs have gone overseas, the market for yarn to make upholstery, socks, etc. has decreased substantially.