Friday Shipping

3 Paid Internships available at Merrow for the Summer 2010

We're opening up three positions for summer internships. Send an email to owen@merrow.com for more information.

1. brand/product marketing
2. php/web design
3. graphic design

We're looking for brains, energy and a work ethic. Everything else is optional. A 2nd language preferred (but not required). The Marketing Team at Merrow is led by Nate Murray (read about him...), and spends its time and energy designing new marketing material, writing and distributing newsletters, building websites and coming up with clever ways to communicate the value of the brand

Pay is nominal (around $10/hr), but you get great experience, hopefully a terrific recommendation and the opportunity to spend 2-1/2 months doing something consequential.

We are located in 30,000 sq. foot loft space in Fall River, Massachusetts. About 15 Minutes from Providence, and 45 Minutes from Boston. Please apply by email to owen@merrow.com

A NOTE FROM LAST SUMMER'S INTERN:
From one college student to another,
As a summer marketing intern, this is what I’ve learned: Merrow is a passionate company, and an intense/relaxed environment, if that makes sense... There's no dress code, and you can be sure you'll find lots of puppies running around the office. The expectations at Merrow are simple: get the job done. You'll find that you'll have much more responsibility than at most companies, but also be doing more interesting things and getting much more experience. Merrow's got a whole lot of energy and spunk, and if you are those things too, you will enjoy working at Merrow. At the end of the summer, you will have worked hard, enjoyed some laughs, and gained a ton of real world experience.

Stitch Sample Beta Program

Stitch Samples from Merrow

A Beta Program for Merrow Agents.

Starting May 1st 2010 we're sending out stitch samples each week to our agents. We are choosing samples that come from the current weeks production of machines in Fall River,MA.

Each sample comes from an active production run of Merrow Machines.

We are doing this to help Merrow agents become aware of the Machines currently being produced, the myriad of problems that Merrow solves on a day-to-day basis, and to encourage our agents to introduce the samples to their customers. 

We will also be posting all new samples on the blog. 

If this service is helpful, please let us know. It is a Beta Program and will be modified to offer the most value to the market.

Regards,

Charlie Merrow

TODAY'S SAMPLE

APPLICATION: EDGING FIBERGlASS, a rolled edge

MACHINE: MG-3DWR-7 V.M5702

STITCH WIDTH: 4MM

PRICE: USD 2989.00

SUMMARY: The customer required that Merrow add a finished overlock edge to the fiberglass material. The stitch is designed to contain the loose fiberglass material, and prevent the raw edge of the material from fraying.

The development of the stitch through a complete production run of machines took 3 weeks. The stitch width is 4MM wide and is rolled. The Machine runs at 5500 rpm.

This Machine is prepared with a vacuum waste remover and a puller on a modified MG Table from Merrow.

The machine is available for immediate delivery.

Thread

Once in a while a customer will call and change everything. In this case it was a customer several years ago who couldn't believe we wouldn't sell her thread. We had a meeting, thought about, and after a quick discussion decided that unless we could offer some specific value around thread Merrow would not sell thread. Our informal policy was that we would only begrudgingly offer thread to order.

But the more we talked with people, the clearer it was that the world of thread was confusing for the Customer at best, and downright un-navigable at worst.

The business side was more grim. Margins are ridiculously small, the quantity of colors and sizes make inventory a nightmare. Customers often need custom dye lots.... Enough of a hassle to make the most organized among us shed a bit of a tear at the prospect of tackling such a beast of a problem.

So we developed a game plan that would aggregate knowledge, inventories, and specialty applications -- leverage technology to manage the bits & pieces. Most importantly we decided that the way people shop for thread is by color, and we worked hard to mimic the process.

The result is the beta release of Boston Thread.

We are starting with common cottage industry applications and thread selection from two great companies. The project will change and evolve over time, it will become a store tailored to color based, application specific, thread selections.

The site has lots of interesting and innovative features -- we'll probably profile them here in time. Meanwhile, take a look: your suggestions will shape the site, SO please let us know what you think -

Charlie

Merrow Tags

What's on the Merrow Site.... As we replumb and begin managing a new release of Merrow.com here's a pretty picture of what's there:

  72-D3B     Merrow Apps     70-Y3B-2     14-48     A-90-3-N     Ziggurat Table, with Air Motor Kit     Community     6-A-7     70-1D-7     Products     6-90     Store     M-110-A-5     A-90-7-N     Merrow Video     Merrow #85 Looper     6-91-K     MG-3DW-7     MG-3U     A-90-3     Needle Carriers     Classic Sewing Table     6DT     Support     72-D3B-R     Merrow #120 Lower Looper     Needles     Cutters     Merrow #97 Looper     8D     Merrow #110 Lower Looper     6-91-F     14-46     4BD     Blog     Merrow Login     6-91-E     8SD         Tables and Motors     Needles and Loopers     4DT     MG-3DW-2     the Merrow Blog     Merrow #100 Looper (Lower)     Merrow #105 Looper (Upper)     6-91-K-N     A-90-7     Contact Us     Classic Table, with Electric Motor     Locate an Agent     2SD     Merrow #79 Looper     Home     70-D3B-2     Loopers     HOOK8     70-D3B-2-CNP     Tables     MG-2DNR-1     Classic Sewing Table, Assembled     6-91     Battery Powered Table     Sewing Machines     How Old is your Merrow?     Merrow Refurbished Machine     Merrow #94 Looper     Merrow Home     HOOK59     Merrow #92 Looper     Merrow #72 Looper (Lower)     7SDT     5D     M-110-A-1     About Us     6-91-H     Manuals & Instructions     M-110-A-6     M-110-A-1-N     Service Account Login     6-90-C     Merrow Store     6-A-7-N     70-D3B-2-RAIL     MG-3Q-3     Needle Selector Tool     View Stitch Samples     3D     B2SD     Ziggurat Sewing Table         Merrow #99 Looper     Merrow #77 Looper (Upper)  

How to clean finish chenille fabric?

Every once in a while a yahoo answer brings up a good question. For years we've manufactured the best machines on the planet for the delicate fabrics. The cutting mechanism coupled with the operators ability to get close to the needle & knives allows us to manage fabrics like chenille & other delicates very well.  The 2DNR-1 (which is available red & green) would be what we'd recommend for 'Devon'.

Happy sewing!

sewing the emblem ... with Ursula 1000

an oldy but goody

how does an emblem get edged? with a merrow of course.... :-)

American Apparel Merrow Hems

AA has been loading up new product and we were emailed the Merrow® Hem products...
an example:

Great Stuff! We love to see AAs clothing... especially the Merrow stuff!

Happy Valentines Day

xoxo
from the team at Merrow

sewing machine history stuff

a reader of the blog sent me a link to the ehow article titled : What Does a Serger Sewing Machine do asking whether the Merrow history was correct

Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!

Well the article is certainly closer than most! However the author neglects to note that the father/son team first perfected the looping stitch with one thread (now known as the Whip Stitch) and modified this to trim with three threads, creating the first automated overlock stitch. The implications were broad and this invention changed how clothing and garments were manufactured.

Great stuff though -- we're proud to carry on the tradition!

Sewing Machine Service FAQ

We've fielded a number of questions about the Sewing Machine Service from Merrow -- we're going to use the blog to answer them and build a more substantial FAQ page that should get posted next month after we gather more data...

Q: how old is my sewing machine
A: we're glad you asked. How Old is your Merrow?

Q: this is a great program, but I have 40 machines can you come here to service them? 

A: we'd love to, but no. What we can do is set up a dedicated service window for your equipment and have some percentage of the machines (say 10 at a time) come in on a palette and be turned around together and quickly.

Q: i need it returned FASTER than 5-7 days....

A: and we can help. we have an expedited program, just call us and let us know how quickly everything needs to get done.

Q: do you replace the gaskets? 
A: we replace any beat-up gaskets that need to be replaced. almost all the gaskets are replaced as part of the $299 program, however there are one or two exceptions

Q: I really like my local mechanic, why are you taking business from him?

A: we also really like your local mechanic. and if he can take care of your Merrow then PLEASE send it to him/her. We're offering this service for all of the Merrow customers who don't have a local mechanic anymore, but want to keep their machines in tip-top shape

Q: can I send in a non-Merrow Sewing Machine (juki, union special etc...)
A: not right now. for the time being our $299 program is only applicable to Merrow Sewing Machines.

Q: Is this an international program
A: Not right now. Plans for rolling it out in the UK, India, Brazil, Mexico are underway however. If you'd like to be a Factory Service Provider let us know -- if you are in some part of the world that needs service, also let us know.

Q: for $299 what do I get 'free'
A: obviously having paid $299 nothing is free... however for $299 you get the following
          1. shipping (3 ways) :: box to you --->. machine back to us ---->; machine back to you
          2. upper & lower loopers
          3. upper & lower cutters
          4. needle
          5. 3 hours labour to clean and service the machine

Q: what happens if the service is more than $299 AND I DON'T WANT TO PAY  
A: if you send in a machine and we can't service it without adding/replacing parts, or need to spend more than 3 hours on it-- we'll call you and let you know what the additional charges are. Keep in mind we WILL NOT charge for additional labour, just parts. If you still don't want to pay (you bought the machine for $50 on ebay and don't want to pay $650 in replacement parts) we have two options for you.

1. we will offer you a credit for the machine if you purchase a new one. The credit averages $600 (not bad if you bought the machine for $50 ....)

2. we will ship it back to you and charge you just for the cost of freight (usually around $90)


Q: is this only for broken machines?
A: no. machines need to be cleaned, tuned, re-oiled, and have general maintenance done. This program does this especially well.

Q:how old is my machine? Is there any agism in the service program
A: we'll be posting serial # aging (carbon-dating) information later this week. If your machine pre-dates the korean war chances are we'll take a shot at it but we can't guarantee anything.

Q:can you make me another M-XXYY, or A-3DW-1 machine, I love the one I have and want it duplicated
A: maybe. one of the things we've been pretty good at is standardizing parts over the years. Chances are we can make an MG class version of that A class machine. Send in a stitch sample and we can try.

Q: will you just buy my machine back if it's DOA
A: sometimes. we have prepared a fair and generous buy-back program for machines that are somewhat salvageable salvageable. If the machine is just a bucket of parts chances are we'll be nice about it, but simply send it back.


PLEASE EMAIL service@merrow.com with more questions. As we get them we'll post the answers to the FAQ. 

some social communication thoughts....

this blog has been a great way for us to post general information about things going on here. After a year or so of using twitter, the blog, stumble, facebook, merrow community etc. I have to say that the Company is ready to:

a. dump twitter -- we've tried and i have to say it's a real waste of time
b. spend more time blogging
c. revamp the Merrow Community

AND e. perhaps spend less time worrying about whether content has made it through all the various social communication vehicles

--
back to blogging
--

Merrow introduces $299 factory service for sewing machines

Happy New Year!
and with that an announcement:
Today we're launching the new service program for Merrow Sewing Machines....

the details:
(and i'm preemtively owning up to this just being copied from the service page...)

The $299 Merrow Factory Service Plan includes:

• All shipping and handling costs.
• A Merrow machine box with foam inserts to ensure safe transit.
• Machine disassembly, cleaning, & assessment by a certified Merrow technician.
• Replacement of the upper and lower loopers with new Genuine Merrow loopers.
• Replacement of the upper and lower cutters with new Genuine Merrow cutters.
• Replacement of the sewing needle with a new Genuine Merrow needle.
• Customized sew-off by a certified Merrow technician.

Machines enrolled into the Merrow Service Program are completely disassembled, inspected, and then placed in the production queue alongside brand new machines. By incorporating the service program with our regular production line, we can afford to service machines less expensively than the typical service provider.


Our certified Merrow technicians deal with hundreds of machines a week. Because of this exposure, we are able to spot minor issues before they become larger problems, and, more importantly, before these problems shut down business for multiple days.


Additionally, if you determine that the cost of a repair exceeds the value of your machine, Merrow will offer to buy back your machine, and grant a $200 credit towards the purchase of a new sewing machine. Merrow machines boast the best longevity on the market, though after years of use, it may be more cost-effective to purchase a new machine than to continue to service an old one.


The in $299 price does not include the cost of additional required or recommended spare parts. During the initial machine assessment, any damaged or worn parts will be flagged by a certified Merrow technician, however, no additional work will be done without customer approval. A Merrow customer service representative will call you after the initial machine assessment to review the status of your repair as well as any additional costs. All additional parts will be offered at at a 10% discount with no labor charges.


All machines will be shipped via UPS standard ground, or the equivalent. Machines will be insured for a value of $500 each. Additional insurance may be purchased prior to shipment. Call your Merrow customer service representative for details. All insurance claims are void if the sewing machine is not shipped drained of oil in Merrow supplied packaging.


It is highly recommended that customers provide fabric, thread, and stitch samples with all factory service machines. A certified Merrow technician will use these items to replicate your stitch during the customized sew-off. If these items are not provided, your machine will be sewn off according to factory standards

We're excited.... This should allow Merrow customers to keep running machines regardless of available local service. Order a new machine or buy a used one without worrying about service. 


And we re-build them alongside the new ones

Right now this is a US based program. We're working on ways to offer it internationally. Give us a ring with questions (or email service@merrow.com)


Enjoy!

some threads we've been dabbling with...

along the way we found some Sulky threads...
and we like.

Merrow Pie Baking Contest Day 1 & Day 2 & 3

so the pie baking contest begins...
and it's a barn burner.

**update**
we have a winner:
1st place: Julianna
2nd place: Robyn
3rd place: Justin

totals:
12 pies entered
fastest eaten: justin's Meat Pie
slowest eaten: owen's medical mystery pumpkin
most manipulation during serving: robyn
best decoration: nate's UCS Pie
prettiest: Lev's Cherry
dog's favorite: owen's chocolate
best quiche: charlie's quiche
best delivery: donna's apple

Best Overall Pie: Julianna's Apple

--
congrats to all!
Happy Thanksgiving
An updated slide show from Day3:





We're writing on day two after consuming 8 pies (7 dessert, one outstanding quiche)

The rules are:
1. everyone votes on several categories
2. there are no rules
3. winner gets $100

Day 3 is tomorrow. This is awesome.

something a little un-work related

this weekend two folks from Merrow climbed up and through the white mountains-- and over 105 miles, 5h 25min. and 6000 calories.

sometimes the intensity of the week, even our weeks here, can be eclipsed by one Big saturday




View Larger Map

welcome: Nate Murray

Merrow enthusiastically welcomes Nate Murray to the Merrow team in Fall River.
-- Nate starts by teaching us something....


...Danielle offers him a more subtle lesson of her own (get off my turf...) --


Nate's Bio:

Nate Murray is a designer with over ten years of experience in the architecture and graphics fields. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Boston College and Masters of Architecture from the Boston Architectural College, where he was awarded the William E. Nast Scholarship Award for best portfolio. Mr. Murray has worked for multiple prestigious Boston architectural firms in both a design and architectural capacity, and served as liaison in the BAC’s initiative to implement a Building Information Modeling Curriculum with area firms. In addition to his design and scholastic duties, Mr. Murray taught Rhinoceros Software at the BAC and served as teaching assistant for the course ‘American Contemporary Architecture’ taught by Mark Brus.

beautiful merrow stitch

on the blogrolls another lovely garment with merrow stitching

Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!

enjoy....

the short story about the painting project at Merrow

on a southwest flight from Chicago a week or so ago I sat in the middle seat. after apologizing to the left and right I hunkered down for a couple, three hour flight back to providence, ri.

and then we start talking. an air force colonel (maybe lt. colonel) to the right and an artist to the left. He flew A-10 warthogs and stealth bombers, she had been in Albuquerque studying a technique of paint on tar-paper.

the great right brain left brain drama manifested in airplane seats. seriously, this was unreal.

he sent an email a couple days ago clarifying a sovereign airspace issue we discussed at some length.

she showed up in fall river and started painting. and we begin an interesting new project at merrow...



southwest airlines-- i've got to give you credit for the greatest middle seat flights i've ever taken.

enjoying work

taking a break from talking about stitching, or the economy: today we talk balance.

this spring i've been fortunate to work with a number of great people, and some of these folks happen to be in some really remarkable locales. when it became apparent that an important project needed to be moved ahead with some face to face meetings, i jumped a Southwest flight to Salt Lake City.

we got done what needed doing then jumped in the car for a quick trip up to Snowbird.

this summer we're working harder than ever --we have some really cool stuff going on, and in spite of a tough economy we're making progress--  but balance is key and I think everyone at Merrow understands that enjoying the process is more important than just about anything.

and to be clear -- The novelty of skiing in June still hasn't worn off ...

the Branded Stitch

we have been busy.
and we have developed the worlds first Branded Stitch.

It means a lot to call a stitch a Merrow. Merrow sewing machines incorporate a unique cam-driven technology which achieves more consistent, technically superior stitches. The result is that products, like this one, that are stitched on Merrow machines have better seams, last longer, and wear better. Stitching matters, we know it, and now so do you. Visit merrow.com to learn more about how this superior product was made.

Here's the first tag out of the box....

There will be lot's of more official stuff to come .... but the story remains the same. Great stitching exists, and there's a way to pick it out in the marketplace: find the tag!

Cashmere pullover with Merrow Seams

some more Merrow from Orvis

Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!

Edging emblems -- or sewing a merrowed border

When it comes to emblems, we edge 'em. This week we're going to profile companies that use our machine to do this

first up -- and in no particular order is Allentown Industries

Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!

Michael Kors ...merrow stitching on zappos.com

some merrow contrast stitching to get the day going

Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!

thoughts on a bad economy

The turret is the hanging desk that i call home for the balance of the work day. On this desk sit a laptop connected to a monitor, a slew of papers, cup of coffee from Uncle Jon's and a bunch of other miscellany.

Here at the Turret for the past couple of weeks I've been having conversations that often include 'we're just going to wait it out -- get to the the other side [[of the recession]].' The last man standing type of thing.

Is it possible that this '..get to the other side..' idea is a responsible plan, ( considering it's offered almost unanimously)?

Can't be. It violates a simple rule I'd like to call the 'don't do what everyone else is doing' rule.

First of all there are a couple of broad stroke assumptions that, if wrong, screw you -- Let's not talk about 'the other side' as if we're crossing the delaware and there's a storm a brewin'.

Please.

What we're talking about is a future that may or may not resemble what we so resolutely believe it should be.

Second: i'd argue that the risk profile of 'waiting it out', likely is higher than the exact opposite, possibly defined as a situation where one does everything possible to influence the outcome.

In this case it is the people that take broad proactive steps to affect their future that may have the best possible chance of being in decent shape over the long haul.

The calls i'm taking seem to me one of the best indicators that now is the time to swing big. If you don't define the 'side' that you're struggling so hard to get to ... perhaps it doesn't exist.

Pirates -- data -- Pirate Data!

is this the most important data point. ever?

we're hiring

Reply to: see below
Date: 2009-02-16, 2:25PM EST

The Merrow Sewing Machine Company is a world leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of quality, high-performance, industrial sewing machines. Established in 1838, the Merrow brand is one of the most recognizable in the industrial sewing industry.

We are currently looking for a part-time or full-time bookkeeper. Candidates must have strong organizational skills and an ability to handle varied responsibilities.

Responsibilities for this position include, but are not limited to:

- Accounts Payable
- Accounts Receivable
- Collections
- Journal Entries
- Bank Reconciliations
- Processing Invoices

Qualified and interested candidates, please send resume and cover letter to owen@merrow.com.

Merrow is located on Bedford street in Fall River. 15 minutes from Providence.

We offer a great working environment and business culture. Please visit our website for more detailed information. http://www.merrow.com/

Custom Building 70 class sewing machines & tables

This week we're working on 70 class production.

The product line is designed to join fabric together and in an effort to create a full service line we offer a custom built table and will sew off whatever fabric will be used.

Each machine is hand-built and then sewn off on the appropriate table using the specified thread and fabric.

Below are some of the pictures of the stuff we're working on.

Merrow Newsletter - February 2009

 Monthly Newsletter - February 2009 a review of Merrow.com This month we've been profiled by Kathleen Fasanella of the Fashion Incubator. Her headline 'the best (sewing machine) site on the internet' got our attention! "I’ve been meaning to tell you about the Merrow website for a long time. This is the best example of what any industrial products website should be like as any I’ve ever seen. The landing page is friendly and accessible as you can see below." "I hope you enjoy learning about overlock sewing machines on their site as I have (maybe you’ll even buy one). I haven’t gone through but a tiny portion of the material because I keep getting side tracked with just how well all of the features are so nicely and intuitively done. The cut to the chase summary is if you ever have a question about overlock machines, Merrow should be your stop. All sites should be this nicely done." ______________ for more of this review please jump over to the fashion-incubator Merrow on Twitter A few weeks ago we started 'tweeting'. It's great. The feedback is interesting and it gives us an opportunity to shed some light on the goings-on here at command central. Follow us on Twitter! 70-D3B-2 Production February has been all about the 70 class machines. The service plan, new production, and custom set-ups have really kept us busy. Merrow agent CRM software -- beta release-- Over the past several months we've developed new software for our agents. (that's right -- this is Merrow built!) We've integrated email automation, google maps, our own CRM structure -- and have begun rolling it out on a limited basis. Basically we let our agents see where the customers are, what equipment they're running and have access to loads of email statistics relating to the last email campaign in XYZ country. If you're interested send us a note Here's a sneak peak: Communication In order to keep everyone talking we're integrating Skype with Asterisk & Merrow CRM. You can get started by hooking up with us on Skype. our username is:  merrowusa In Case You Missed It Here are some new articles and Merrow features we recently announced on the Merrow Blog: Fashion-Incubator review of Merrow.com Stewart + Brown Merrow hems new Fabric Warehouse prep the Gas Hose Heist Merrow & the HBO John Adams project dumb sewing video snow & face plants Best, The Merrow Team Overheard onTwitter kfasanella @merrow_machine You have the best internet site in the entire garment industry. I'm writing a review of it today. --- meechele7 @merrow_machine Love Ugly Betty, I think that sewing machine looks a bit scary though. --- arkadyrose @merrow_machine I'm in lust. I am also crying at the price. --- sleenie @merrow_machine For those who prefer not to sew much, pre-edged blanket fabric would be a welcome choice vs fringed fleece. Great idea! --- zugsterbags @merrow_machine The little sewing machines are so cute! (the dog too) --- violetteclark @merrow_machine Wow..sure could have used your wonderful machine on my handmade clutch to serge the edges - http://www.violette.ca/blog... --- Random Quote: from QuotationsPage.com "If you have a harem of 40 women, you never get to know any of them very well." -- Warren Buffett Translate this Email *|TRANSLATE:EN|*

merrow // technology // our role in the community

this morning i had a note on my desk, it read:

If you produce a clothing line, you'll want to see the best sewing machine site on the internet http://bit.ly/NYp2w

today we're going to repost a blog post from the fashion-incubator. Why? the glowing review of merrow's website has something to do with it...

...but that's not all. We believe that at our core we're a member of a large community, and that our job in that community is to interact with this group and bring awesome sewing machines with us. The judgment of the community matters. When you write about us we're going to pay attention --

In 2009 our website is our public face, the days of being able to visit the community are largely passe. However interaction with the community remains critical -- and perhaps even more important considering the amount of information that is available today.

That's why we use Twitter, and I spend much of my time writing code, wrestling with SQL & PHP.

Merrow has built every piece of technology (or adopted & modified) that you see. And there's a lot you can't see that our agents & distributors use.  

Merrow is a sewing machine manufacturer. We do not forget that. But our community needs more from us than a sewing machine... in many respects our job is to illustrate not just 'how' to do something but 'what *else*' can be done. 

We need to represent why Merrow equipment and Merrow itself creates opportunity for people and companies who design and manufacture sewn products.

In 2009 we will work harder than anyone in our industry to do this -- to enable people to make things, and hopefully along the way use Merrow machines to do it. We believe that we can change the dynamics of this industry by employing technology, listening to the community and building great sewing machines. 

Regards,

Charlie Merrow

Merrow Sewing Machine Co.

With no further ado: the article from the fabric-incubator (reposted from this link http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/the-best-sewing-machine-site-on-the-internet/ )

The best (sewing machine) site on the internet

Posted by Kathleen Fasanella on Feb 11, 2009 at 4:23 pm / Machines & Equipment / Trackback

Many web sites that serve the production needs of the apparel industry are awful. It’s not something most of us complain about as we’ve become accustomed to being grateful that they have a site at all when untold others still don’t. Until recently, the site amenities of the largest supplier in the industry was limited to pushing a button to make a globe spin or shoot off fireworks; the height of web site programming circa 1993.

I’ve been meaning to tell you about the Merrow website for a long time. This is the best example of what any industrial products website should be like as any I’ve ever seen. The landing page is friendly and accessible as you can see below.

Merrow manufactures industrial sewing machines; the only ones still made in the United States. If you’ve heard the term “merrowing” or merrow stitching, the speaker is usually referring to an overlock or serge stitching. Joseph Merrow was the inventor of the overlock sewing machine. Merrow had an interesting life; the family’s business was producing knit fabrics. When the family’s mill burnt to the ground in a gunpowder incident (Merrow’s dad had a gunpowder patent), Joseph went on to develop crochet sewing machines. Talk about making lemonade out of lemons.

Today, Merrow is owned by Joseph Merrow’s two great great nephews Owen and Charlie Merrow (Joseph never married or had children). They are also, coincidentally enough, great grandsons of Lena Bryant who is better known as Lane Bryant. I suppose with a family history of innovation, it’s not surprising their site is so great. By the way, the company is really tiny with only 26 employees. The owners are also quite young, in their early to mid thirties. I can only imagine their youth is one reason the site is literally designed with today’s entrepreneurs in mind. In addition to the multi-faceted site with podcasts and videos, they have a ning forum, blog and they even twitter! I’ve never been wild about ning forums, they’re pretty but not as functional as other options but all in all, I’m not about to argue about it since no one else does anything approaching this magnitude of accessibility.

With most suppliers sites, you really have to wade through cryptic menu options to find out anything, or even to discover whether the information is to be had at all. Or what you even need, or what the thing does. For example, have you ever tried to find a sewing machine manual on a supplier’s site? It is the biggest headache ever but not so on Merrow’s site. Here’s a screen capture from their site with instructions on how to locate a manual:

I hope you enjoy learning about overlock sewing machines on their site as I have (maybe you’ll even buy one). I haven’t gone through but a tiny portion of the material because I keep getting side tracked with just how well all of the features are so nicely and intuitively done. The cut to the chase summary is if you ever have a question about overlock machines, Merrow should be your stop. All sites should be this nicely done.