Lucy began working at Firth Carpet after graduating high school in 1958, as a secretary for the purchasing agent.

Transcript

Lucy graduated high school in 1958 and there were not a lot of jobs available. She had two aunts who worked at the Bargain Store and they recommended Lucy for an office job there. She worked at the Bargain Store for a while before a former counselor from Port Byron High School called her to say that because of her high grades she should look into applying for a job at Firth Carpet. She worked in the purchasing department which was a prestigious job, as secretary to the purchasing agent. Lucy recalls Firth Carpet being “a place women could find work that was not dirty and was really quite safe.” Columbian Rope had a lot of accidents and the shoe shops were dirty and smelly. 

She describes the company as almost entirely self-sustaining. They had a printing shop right on the property where they printed all their own labels and office stationery. A woodshop made benches for the factory floor so employees had somewhere to sit down when they needed a break. A tool shop would sharpen shears and repair tools and machines. Curriers were employed just to go between the different departments and buildings with messages. 

Lucy describes the carpet making process: A railcar would bring in wool directly to the wool room where it would then go to the carding and spinning room where it was spun, dyed, and put onto drying racks. The wool was then spun onto spools. The looms were run by both men and women. While Lucy was employed, there were four women who would design the carpet patterns, hand painting each design. The loom operators would set up the patterns and there would be another employee to watch the weaving as it took place to make sure there were no mistakes. Once the carpets were woven, they would be rolled and placed into storage. Each was then laid out on a clean wooden floor to be inspected, cut, and the edges bound. A woven jute fiber backing was adhered and a label would be sewn on and then carpet would be packaged and moved to the warehouse for shipping. 

The railroad spur was right next to the factory which made shipping very easy for the company. “I can remember carpets going to England, I can remember carpets going to Spain…it was amazing,” says Lucy. 

The work environment was nice and Lucy says the company did a lot for the families of their employees like hosting picnics, and organizing sports teams. Another perk Lucy remembers is employees getting remnants of carpets to use in their own homes.