Can Chucks Ever Be Made in the USA Again?
Will the Lumberton plant ever open its doors again? While the hope that chucks could be made in the USA again is something that most long time chucks wearers wish would happen, this seems more and more unlikely, especially with the acquistion of Converse by Nike, who built their entire shoe empire around imported shoes from Asia. One of our correspondents recently did some research on this issue, and here is his first report: “I tried to find out what was left of the Converse plant in Lumberton by calling Gary Church of American Athletics fame in Charlotte, NC. He toured the plant in its final days. Some of the machinery is still there, he thinks. Some of the machines were sent to China. He thinks if someone with a million or so would like to make USA chucks it could be done. Most of the Converse emplyees are still around, many of them working for Converse all their lives. Gary said the manufacture of chucks is complicated from melting large masses of rubber to stiching and putting the
