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THEPOSTATHENS.COM
FEBRUARY 18, 2025
VOLUME 115, ISSUE 21
see page 13
Hocking Hills Garment Center weaves jobs, sustainability into Southeast Ohio
EMILY STOKES & MAGGIE AMACHER | NEWS EDITORS
A
thens native Betsy Franjola repurposed a decommissioned Catholic church in Buchtel, Ohio, into the Hocking Hills Garment Center, a sustainable, community-oriented manufacturing facility. The center opened in October 2024 with Franjola’s idea to help create meaningful jobs in the community. Franjola has over 20 years of experience in the industry, starting her career in print and fabric development working for brands such as The Limited and Tommy Hilfiger. “I loved fabric development,” Franjola said. “I loved that combination of creativity and the technical side of things, and then you kind of layered in the strategy of timing and logistics.” Franjola’s first business, BFF Studio, is based in Los Angeles. It partners with 200 fashion brands’ creative and product development teams to help them source and develop fabric from about 12 different fabric makers worldwide. From there, Franjola launched her second business PREFACE, a small trade show dedicated to promoting innovation in the textile industry. She said she got the idea to start
HHGC after a conversation with her friend about poverty in Athens. “She said to me, ‘I just don’t understand. These people need jobs, and there is funding to bring industry back to this region, but no one is doing it,’” Franjola said. Franjola and her husband bought a box truck, which they called Large Marg. They filled it with donated fabric from a friend and personal belongings and drove it from LA to Ohio to start HHGC. She said transforming the church into a functioning factory presented challenges, including upgrading the building’s energy efficiency. “It’s hard as a startup, and it’s hard being in a 150-year-old building to do that out of the gate, but that’s also part of our plan for the long term, is seeing how our facility can also be more sustainable and energy efficient,” Franjola said. As part of the transformation, the building required a change-of-use approval from the state. Franjola said HHGC received grant funding from Ohio to help cover architectural fees and permits. “It was a gathering space, and now we’re changing it into a factory,” Franjola said.
Through creating local jobs and maintaining sustainable practices, Franjola wants to enter the space as a flexible factory that can fulfill a variety of orders. “If we’re going to make ‘Made in the USA’ sustainable and viable, we have to train people how to do it,” Franjola said. COMMUNITY STAFFING Hocking Hills Garment Center has a grant partnership with the Survivor Advocacy Outreach Program, which supports survivors of sexual violence, domestic violence, human trafficking and stalking by helping them find safe housing, childcare and workforce development resources. HHGC was awarded a $50,000 JobsOhio Inclusion Grant for critical machinery and equipment, which was supported through SAOP’s Appalachian Community Grant Program award for workforce training, according to an HHGC press release. Franjola said the cost of training ranges from $4,500-$5,000 per person. However, the grant provides funding for the training of up to Continued on pg. 2
An employee of Hocking Hills Garment Factory sews fabric for clothing, Feb. 5, 2025, in Logan, Ohio. Rolls of fabric used for practicing stitches lays of the ground inside of Hocking Hills Garment Center, Feb. 5, 2025, in Logan, Ohio. Photos by MEGAN VANVLACK | PHOTO EDITOR