A rare view inside Ashford Wheels and Looms, New Zealand
As textile folk, many of you are familiar with the New Zealand company Ashford Wheels and Looms. In fact some may own an Ashford product as they also sell hand carders, drum carders and many other tools and accessories.
They sell all around the world.
Me, I am the proud owner of a set of their hand carders and a drum carder, they are invaluable tools when it comes to my felt making.
Here’s a question: what have Lego and Ashford Wheels and Looms got in common? I will tell you at the end of the post.
Back to my story. You probably have experienced one of those rare moments in life where the planets aligned – a real ‘right place right time’ moment. This happened to me earlier this year. Last February, we did a once in a lifetime trip to New Zealand. At this stage I can’t tell you how many time zones we traversed but, travelling from Ireland, but were a long time in the air and we covered over 18,000km. I loved every minute of the trip and we factored in time to spend at the Ashford store in Ashburton on the South Island. So for anyone who has or is thinking about purchasing anything from the store, here’s some photos and a story that might fill in the blanks on your lovely pieces.
I was so excited when our hire car pulled into the car park. I jumped out and started talking to the first person I met. By sheer stroke of luck I was talking to the company’s owner Richard Ashford. My second bit of luck was that he and his lovely wife Elizabeth were about to lead a factory tour for an American group. He introduced me to the group (which I thought was very courteous of him) and off we all headed into the factory. The couple’s charisma and energy shone through during the tour. They were both about to retire from the family business making way for a new generation of Ashford’s to take over the business which has been on the go for over 90 years. I wish them both a happy and healthy retirement and I want to thank them both for making the morning I spent in their company so warm and memorable.
So if you are the proud owner of one of the 900,000 Ashford products which have been made so far in Ashburton, give us a shout and let us know what treasured item you own. If you are thinking of buying, the slide shows may well whet your appetite. Enjoy this rare view inside the factory.
Stockists are all over the globe.
My next stop was a wander around the store. Think kid in a sweet shop in this regard. The only issues that held me back were the fact that there’s only so much that would fit into the suitcase and the realisation that I can buy from one of many stockists in Europe – happy days! Here’s a sneak peak of the interior of the shop:
I hope you enjoyed these special holiday photos. Please feel free to reach out and tell us what Ashford pieces you own (or what is on your wish list)
Answer: both are highly successful companies who started out making wooden toys.