WESTBROOK, Maine — When Rachel Slade began writing about American Roots, a small clothing manufacturer in Westbrook, she had a pretty good idea of how to approach the subject.
“I wanted to tell a story about heroes, real American heroes,” Slade said. “People who didn’t come from a lot, but had a vision of what America could be.”
Slade’s new book, “Making It in America,” chronicles the long and winding road that Ben and Whitney Waxman have been on since they started American Roots in 2015. The subtitle offers a good idea of what the Waxmans were up against: “The Almost Impossible Quest to Manufacture in the U.S.A. (and How It Got That Way).”
“Manufacturing requires incredible grit and determination,” Slade said. “You cannot give up.”
Nearly all American clothing manufacturers have moved their plants overseas, usually to Asia or Central America, where costs are much lower. The Waxmans decided they would swim against that formidable tide and make clothing in America, using American-made materials. In addition, they insisted from the start on having union employees who received good pay and benefits.
Their main product, made at their mill in Westbrook, is a sturdy, high-quality hoodie that sells on the American Roots website for $108. Most of the workers who produce the clothing are immigrants who were eager to take jobs that native Mainers shunned.
“Making It in America” reads almost like a drama, as the company rises and falls and rises again and again, buffeted by inflation, labor shortages, the pandemic, supply chain issues, and a number of other daunting challenges. Yet, it has persevered and even managed to thrive.
In the end, the story left Slade optimistic about the prospects of reviving manufacturing in the U.S.
“I don’t think there are many people in America who could do what Ben and Whitney have done,” Slade said. “But then again, we all underestimate Americans.”