Tucked in the heart of Pawtucket, once a national powerhouse of American textile production, a third-generation family business continues to spin its legacy in yarn and fabric in a bustling factory built in 1917, as if untouched by time.
Behind the rhythmic hum of 127 knitting machines, North East Knitting Inc. stands as a rare survivor of the state’s once-dominant textile industry: still local, still producing and still finding new ways to grow.
The story begins with Rosalie DaRosa, a Cape Verdean immigrant who arrived in Rhode Island in her early 20s before starting the business in 1987.
“She’s the pioneer,” said her grandson Marcus DaRosa, 26, the third generation now overseeing the family’s manufacturing business. “She grew this to what it is today. This entire place, everything you see – this was her vision.”
One hundred percent of North East Knitting’s manufacturing is done on-site in a sprawling, 300,000-square-foot manufacturing space, where 130 employees work to turn 3,000 different raw threads and fabrics into wearable, usable materials.
Some of its textiles end up in military and law enforcement uniforms, medical-grade materials, or everyday undergarments – stretch elastic and knit blends that quietly support the clothes people wear every day.
The people who work at North East Knitting aren’t just employees – they’re part of the building’s story.
“It’s like a family. People want to work here,” Marcus DaRosa said.
The U.S. has experienced a decline of 78,000 manufacturing jobs in the past year alone, according to The Washington Post. Artificial intelligence and offshoring have presented very real challenges to stateside manufacturing.
“Every time some place closes down, we hear it,” DaRosa said. “We have people coming to us, worried: ‘Are we next?’ But we’re not. We’re pushing forward.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, North East Knitting produced fabric ear straps for face masks. “Before that, it was more of a simple, stagnant formula for our products. But once COVID hit, it was a massive opportunity for us,” DaRosa said.
As the industry around the company shifted, Rosalie DaRosa kept the machines running in Pawtucket. And she still does to this very day, her grandson said.
“My grandmother is our current president. She’s still here, active after, you know, 60-plus years of doing it,” he said. “I feel like I can still make a difference here. There are 130 families that rely on us. That means something.”
