Cycling apparel maker set up WNC factory near national forest with high hopes, now closing

Joel Burgess, Asheville Citizen Times
·2 min read
Kitsbow, which moved from California to Old Fort in 2019, is now shutting down.
Kitsbow, which moved from California to Old Fort in 2019, is now shutting down.

A maker of high-end bicycling clothes that set up a factory east of Asheville with high hopes of helping spark a domestic textile industry that treated employees and the environment well has had those hopes dashed.

Kitsbow Cycling Apparel has announced it will close its Old Fort plant after more than three years, The company failed, it said, to raise "enough operating capital to grow."

"Specifically, our recent Community Round of Financing (via WeFunder) raised about 50% of the $1 million target," CEO Dave Billstrom wrote. "While we used what we raised to launch new marketing programs and cover some operating expenses, we really needed the full $1 million to survive and grow."

The company, which made pants, shorts, shirts and other gear, in McDowell County, employs 41 people. It plans to close April 7.

Started in Petaluma, California, Kitsbow relocated in late 2019 to Old Fort near the edge of Pisgah National Forest, receiving more than $400,000 in combined economic incentives from the state and county, which were tied to job creation and investment in a new facility.

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The company used manufacturing and shipping methods company officials said increased efficiency and cut down on waste. In each of the three years it was open, the company had a payroll of approximately $2 million, Billstrom said, helping spark an economic resurgence for the town, which added two other manufacturers. The company was also a leader in an image change for the sleepy mountain town, which saw an uptick of mountain bikers, including families, making their way there.

The Citizen Times reached out March 22 to Old Fort Mayor Rick Hensley, but he didn't respond by deadline.

Regular employment peaked at 50 workers, though during the pandemic when the company in 2020 shifted to making badly needed personal protective equipment there were 60 behind the mask-making operation.

Laiisha Biddle, a skilled maker at Kitsbow Cycling Apparel, works on a face mask. The Old Fort-based company switched temporarily from manufacturing bike apparel to PPE in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo: Courtesy of Kitsbow)
Laiisha Biddle, a skilled maker at Kitsbow Cycling Apparel, works on a face mask. The Old Fort-based company switched temporarily from manufacturing bike apparel to PPE in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo: Courtesy of Kitsbow)

Kitsbow received a PPP loan of $233,000 on April 15, 2020. It was forgiven on Jan. 12, 2021.

In January 2022 workers and investors purchased the company, making it employee-owned. Workers make a minimum of $17 an hour plus 100% health benefits, Billstrom said, adding some are making $22 an hour.

In his letter about the closure the CEO encouraged employers to hire the 41 "rockstar" Kitsbow workers, who he said have "numerous skills, tremendous resilience and the ability to problem-solve and communicate with each other as an effective team in a manufacturing environment."

Joel Burgess has lived in WNC for more than 20 years, covering politics, government and other news. He's written award-winning stories on topics ranging from gerrymandering to police use of force. Got a tip? Contact Burgess at jburgess@citizentimes.com, 828-713-1095 or on Twitter @AVLreporter. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Kitsbow apparel co. closing business, WNC factory near national forest