Upholstery Icon Passes Away
November 23, 2009
F. Naomi Taylor, founder of Douglass Industries and Absecon Mills, passed away November 12th, 2009 after a brief hospitalization.
Mrs. Taylor and her husband, Howard (who predeceased her in 1991), started a weaving mill in Pleasantville NJ in 1946. It closed for a brief period when Howard, a Captain in the Army Air Corps, was recalled to serve in the Korean War. After he returned, the mill was reopened and eventually flourished into two businesses, Douglass Industries, a fabric distributor in Egg Harbor City, NJ and Absecon Mills, a contract upholstery weaving facility in Cologne, NJ.
Mrs. Taylor led a very full life as both a businesswoman and a community leader. Under her guidance, Douglass Industries flourished into one of the leading fabric suppliers in the Hospitality market. Her vision and eagerness to engage cutting edge designs, fibers and finishes led Douglass Industries and Absecon Mills to the forefront of the upholstery market.
A driving inspiration and formidable presence in the textile industry, many will remember Naomi for her accomplishments, as well as her ever-present kindness and sense of humor.
Mrs. Taylor and her husband, Howard (who predeceased her in 1991), started a weaving mill in Pleasantville NJ in 1946. It closed for a brief period when Howard, a Captain in the Army Air Corps, was recalled to serve in the Korean War. After he returned, the mill was reopened and eventually flourished into two businesses, Douglass Industries, a fabric distributor in Egg Harbor City, NJ and Absecon Mills, a contract upholstery weaving facility in Cologne, NJ.
Mrs. Taylor led a very full life as both a businesswoman and a community leader. Under her guidance, Douglass Industries flourished into one of the leading fabric suppliers in the Hospitality market. Her vision and eagerness to engage cutting edge designs, fibers and finishes led Douglass Industries and Absecon Mills to the forefront of the upholstery market.
A driving inspiration and formidable presence in the textile industry, many will remember Naomi for her accomplishments, as well as her ever-present kindness and sense of humor.
