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SALT LAKE CITY — A big celebration is planned in Salt Lake City in a few weeks to mark a milestone anniversary for a Utah business. And special guests have been invited from around the world to attend. It's a place many of you are probably familiar with — even if you've never walked inside the building of Utah Woolen Mills.
It's right there on South Temple across from Temple Square. This family-owned company is celebrating its 110th birthday this year. In this day and age of national chains and big box stores, not to mention online businesses, that's an amazing accomplishment.
The roots run deep here — it is a five-generation family-run operation.
Briant Stringham Jr., the 85-year-old chairman of the board, says his father and grandfather bought the business from another family-owned business in the early 1920s. "They were a good sized knitting company. That's what it was. It wasn't a full-fledged business compared to what it has developed into," he says.
The third-generation Stringham took over in 1974, and from there the business really took off. By then, Utah Woolen Mills had a hundred employees working in the company-owned factory, which had a blanket mill, tailoring shop, shirt, sweater and knitting department. At the time, Stringham never imagined that his son and grandsons would someday be running the company.
"It's amazing," he says. "I wonder how it happened, but I guess if you live long enough and somebody's willing to take the challenge of continuing a business, that's what happens. That doesn't happen very often. Five generations in a business … that's remarkable."
Today, Stringham's son Bart is company president, and his sons, B.J. and Brandon, make up the fifth generation. All began working in the store when they were kids. Fabric, thread count, pin stripes and all things "clothing" are certainly in the family's DNA.
As such, Utah Woolen Mills established a niche in the industry: personal service and best quality clothing lines at prices that stores in major cities can't compete with. And customers have noticed.
Customers include Jerry Stevenson, a longtime businessman and Utah state senator who's been a buying clothing here for many years. His wife, son and grandson are also loyal customers. "I'm a very dedicated customer. I don't think I've bought a suit anywhere in probably 20 years other than here."
When he was in his early twenties, Rickie Spurlock, from Jenson, Utah, first came into Utah Woolen Mills and had some clothing made. That was 37 years ago. "I had three tailor-made shirts. I had two long sleeves and one short, and I'm still wearing them today."
As with any business, there have been a few challenges over the years. When City Creek Center was about to begin construction, the Stringhams were asked to move. But since they held a long-time lease on the property, they opted to stay, even as the demolition and construction went on around them.
"As it turned out it was a great deal for us," says Woolen Mills President Bart Stringham. "We were made stronger. Internally we were very strong and our customer base sustained us. They came. In the dust and the mess they came because we have our own private [underground] parking. If we didn't have that, I doubt we could've made it."
As for the future of Utah Woolen Mills, that's where the fifth generation of Stringhams, B.J. and Brandon, come in. They are traveling the world bringing in product lines that haven't been seen in Utah in the past. If you want something that's one of a kind, from the men's department, or from the large women's department on the first floor, Utah Woolen Mills can offer it.
B.J. Stringham says, "We're all about fewer is better. Our customers appreciate that. They like the fact that when you buy something from us, you're not going to see somebody else wearing it. It's going to be yours."
There are only a handful of family-owned businesses in the country that have been around as long as Utah Woolen Mills. Many times companies fold because younger family members aren't interested in continuing. That's definitely not the case here. "My grandfather said my dad's vision was to become the best and finest clothing store in Utah," B.J. Stringham says. "He's done that. Our goal is to become the finest in the country. And we're well on our way."
