Garment Industry Oral History Collection

Interview with Dale Rice
Title
Interview with Dale Rice
Description
Interview with Dale Rice about his family's experience in the Kansas City garment industry. Dale recounts the story of his grandfather David coming to Kansas City to work as a production manager at Stern-Slegman-Prins and later splitting off to start Rice Coat Company, which was later bought out by his sons, Frank and Lou. Dale discusses joining his father, Frank, in the business in 1968, and seeing the downturn in business which he attributes to imports, changes in fashion, shifts in the retail industry, and notes that he was one of the last remaining local manufacturers before ultimately closing the company in 1993. He also discusses the work of patternmakers and designers, and shares stories about working with his father.
Date
2005-08-23
Object Type
Video Recording
Interview with Seymour Weiner
Title
Interview with Seymour Weiner
Description
Interview with Seymour Weiner about his life and experience working in Kansas City's garment industry. Weiner recalls his Polish immigrant parents owning an alterations and pressing business, going to work for garment industry "trimmings" supplier Hammer Brothers as a young man, starting a company called Krest Originals, and discusses the business model of an "item house," which manufactured a limited number of items. He discusses the shift in the marketplace from locally owned specialty stores to department stores and national chains, the change in the labor pool in the 1960s, the role of labor unions in the industry, and changes in the relationships between businesses and banks over the decades. After closing his factory, Weiner went to work in sales for Betty Rose Coats, and recounts financial and fashion reasons for the decline in the local and domestic garment industries.
Date
2005-05-20
Object Type
Video Recording