Stitching an American Classic

Stitching an American Classic

Clothing manufacturer Jim Antosh doesn’t worry about keeping up with the latest fashion whims. In fact, his company has been sewing the same pattern for 101 years.

Round House bib overalls haven’t changed since 1903, when Shawnee Garment Manufacturing Co. opened in Shawnee (pop. 28,692), Indian Territory—now Oklahoma. The company is the state’s oldest manufacturer, and Round House overalls are among the last made entirely in America.

"Overalls will never be as big as jeans, but that’s fine with us," says Antosh, 48. "We’ve found our niche. We’re not big enough for the big boys—Levis, Wranglers—but we’re plenty big enough for us."

Round House overalls are found near the chicken wire and garden seed in rural feed stores and stacked on shelves of small-town department stores scattered throughout the southwestern United States. Round House overalls also are sold in bigger outlets, such as Atwoods, and online.

Shawnee Garment stitched its niche during the town’s railroad boom when steam locomotives for the Santa Fe and the Rock Island railroads pulled into the roundhouses in Shawnee for repairs. The maintenance buildings with giant turntables inspired the Round House brand name.

Gone are the railroad workers who wore the company’s hickory-striped overalls, but enough loyal customers remain to keep 55 employees sewing about 1,200 pairs each day.

"They’re practical. You don’t have to wear a belt and your pants won’t fall down. You always have a free pocket and a strap on the side for your hammer," says customer Robert Barnard, 71, a professor at Seminole (Okla.) State College who owns four pairs of bib overalls. "In the last six months, I’ve seen many gentlemen in Pottawatomie County buried in their overalls."

The company’s employees are a loyal bunch, too. Two-thirds of the employees have worked at Round House at least 10 years, and many have worked 20 years or more.

Carol McDonald, 60, has been serging and hemming for 24 years. Linda Love, 61, who began sewing overalls in 1965, left to raise a family and returned in 1979. Christy Sisco, 76, retired twice and came back as a part-time worker in October 2002. Both Love and Sisco say the money can’t be beat.

Employees average $9 to $10 an hour, but some earn as much as $16 an hour. No one has ever been laid off. If business lags, they build up inventory or work fewer hours.

Antosh credits hard-working employees with keeping the company in business. "I think if you work hard and produce, you should be rewarded," he says.

Antosh, who bought the factory from his father in 1979, is as practical as his product. To save time, he visits far-flung customers by helicopter.

"Most of these towns don’t have airports," he says. "In Checotah, Oklahoma (pop. 3,481), I’ll land at the funeral home and walk to the store."

Personal service is the way for small companies to compete, Antosh says. His mom-and-pop stores can’t afford to stock all sizes and they depend on a quick turnaround on orders.

To celebrate the company’s centennial in 2003, employees stitched the world’s largest overalls. Measuring 17 feet, 4 inches long with a 174-inch waist and an 8-foot, 6-inch inseam, the whopper pair is stored on a flatbed wagon in a shed, which houses Antosh’s helicopter.

And speaking of size, 20 years ago the company’s best-selling waist size was 34. Today it’s 42. Round House overalls range from children’s sizes to a 74-inch waist and come in blue, stripes, brown, black, white and camouflage. The classic carpenter’s style has a nail apron.

The overalls, which sold for under $1 a pair a hundred years ago, now cost $26 to $32. Yet, despite the price increase, Round House overalls are as practical as they were a century ago.

Marti Attoun is a frequent American Profile contributor.

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