made in wnc

NC manufacturer, and now has the perfect rope custom-made for her.

Lile said she knew from the beginning she wanted to participate in her own local economy and culture, and using a NC manufacturer is one of the ways she keeps her product-making close to home. She said some of her fabric designers are located in WNC as well, and the cotton used in her rope is US-grown and milled. “It’s about as local as we can get in the global textile industry,” she said. “Local may mean different things depending on the items. Keeping our sourcing local may mean that we can’t have everything we want in the store, but that has helped us to keep our focus on what it means to have a local touch.”

The exploding tourism industry in WNC’s High Country has helped her company to grow rapidly in recent years. Lile said she has definitely seen an uptick in foot traffic, and that since August of 2020, the average number of people walking through the door “shot through the roof.” She said her online business has also grown since the beginning of the pandemic as more people began feeling comfortable ordering things online.

“By April of 2023 I had already purchased a million feet of rope from my manufacturer,” Lile said. “In 2022, it took until September to reach that mark.” While much of that rope is used by her and her team for their baskets, she said she also ships her rope to other makers around the country and assembles DIY kits that allow people to make their own baskets. She said this combination is adding up to about 10 miles of rope per week.

The Mountain Thread Company ships kits and rope to all 50 states regularly, and Lile said her baskets have traveled to places like Scandinavia, China, Iraq, and several countries in Africa. While she would rather have everyone come into her Blowing Rock store in person to see, touch, and feel her baskets, she said she is happy to share a little part of her craft and WNC out into the world.

The TDA and the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce have been big supporters of her growing local business, according to Lile. She said lots of independent businesses exist because they each have their unique niche and lots of local support.

“Blowing Rock is a great, creative place that does a great job of attracting tourists,” Lile said. “Some of these independent businesses on Main Street have been here for 40 years or more. There are a couple of franchises, but it’s mostly people doing their own thing in a place that they love, and it’s a great community to be a part of.”

Nick Williams

Smoky Mountain Jet Boats

Nick Williams, President of Smoky Mountain Jet Boats and Needmore Trailers, wouldn’t operate his business anywhere other than Western North Carolina.

With the help of Hall Marine Designs and Naval Architect Rob Schoefield, Williams and his team of 10 manufacture custom aluminum boats and trailers in Bryson City. “We’ve been working with Hall Marine Designs out of New Zealand for over a decade,” Williams said. “They are truly at the forefront of designing small aluminum boats.”

Once the boat design work is completed, it must be sent to the US Coast Guard for approval. The next step, according to Williams, is for a company in Slidell, LA to cut 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick aluminum into “puzzle pieces,” which then are shipped to Bryson City to be welded into the actual boat.

One of the benefits aluminum offers is the ability to create one-off designs. Williams said fiberglass boats must be built using a mold, but with aluminum, it’s easy to change designs. To date, he and his team have built over a dozen differently designed boats.

Williams also said aluminum is much more lightweight than fiberglass or steel, which when paired with a powerful engine, allows for really fast-moving boats. He said his company is the only in the country that makes these types of passenger jet boats.

“It’s a thrill ride,” Williams said. “Clients don’t come to us looking to buy a boat; they come to us looking to start a