Transcript: #7 Innovation and embroidery crises

Marcel Anderwert

In 1901 Rohner & Tobler was founded as a company for yard goods and «nollen» embroidery. (Nollen = small woven or embroidered dots, like satin or flat stiches.) In 1903 the patrons acquired the house which had been built shortly before by Emil Tanner as a typical turn-of-the-century building with a factory hall and flats. The long semi-detached house with its dominant ‘side towers’ and the nicely framed balconies on the upper floors is a striking feature of the neighbourhood. Note the wooden ornaments which look like embroidery. In 1906, the two business owners separated and went their own ways. Ferdinand Tobler continued to run the business with colorful embroidery and over the years added other buildings with production facilities and flats: the «Kamelhof», which we have already seen, the large building we have just passed, two buildings on the Schulstrasse, where hand embroidery machines were located, and the large semi-detached house on the Oberstrasse. The main building, in front of which you are standing, served as a business building for finishing, sales and as an office. At the best of times the company employed over 90 people. The embroidery crisis forced the company to reorient itself: Around 1929, the whole business was converted to the production of socks and of stockings made of artificial silk and wool. Circular knitting, warp knitting, and linking machines were purchased. Here, too, the houses served both residential and commercial purposes. Elsa Nänny, the eldest daughter of the stocking manufacturer Willy Tobler, describes:

«In our house at Heidenerstrasse 16 there were two halls, the machines were at the bottom. I was always a bit scared there because it was oily, and I was afraid of slipping under the machines and getting stuck there. Behind them was the heating room, and in the upper hall was the warp knitting production. There the stocking blanks were linked, sewn, sorted, and checked. When a drop stitch was discovered, the mistake had to be fixed. From there they were delivered to the dye works. I think they came back from the dye works in bundles of twenty. Later, bundles of dozens were made.»

The business was firmly in the hands of the patron. That was the only way to ensure the necessary quality. This was not always easy for the employees. Ferdinand Tobler, Elsa Nänny's grandfather, ran his factory with a strict hand. Elsa remembers the following scene:

«I was in the business a lot, but especially in the forwarding department, less in the embroidery house. It smelled so good of yarn, so I liked to be there. Once I was standing next to the bobbin winding machine where Mrs. Hohl was working. My grandfather was just passing by. He inspected the halls twice a day. Mrs. Hohl had just shown me how to do the weaver knot when winding. The thread broke again, and the poor woman was so flabbergasted by the presence of the patron that she was unable to make the knot. My grandfather just stood there looking. I showed her with a finger gesture how to make the knot. She was so thankful and said it just didn’t occur to her anymore. Of course, that remained in my memory too.»

Due to the strong competition from American nylon stockings, the Tobler company was later forced to change again. Since 1982, today’s factory is specialized in the manufacture of hospital accessories. Thanks to niche products, the company has been able to survive and offers up to six jobs. Today, the business and the production are located in the modern new building.

Jeanne Devos

Because of the one-sided focus on the production of textiles, life was not always easy. Many companies had to close due to lack of sales or lack of successors. Many jobs in the village were lost and the population of Rehetobel declined. Only a few were able to survive, and they had to find new niches in the market again and again with innovations and constant adaptations. The Jakob Volkart company produced finest fabric in Rehetobel for many years. Walter, son of the company founder, still knows exactly when he realized that the textile industry was in decline:

«The almost unbelievable reason why we finally stopped was the following: I was at a fair and bought a scarf, probably from China. It was so cheap that we couldn't even have bought the production material for that price. In those days we were producing very successfully. After I told my father, ‘Textile products are now being made abroad for cost reasons.’ At first Portugal was very strong, then the entrepreneurs moved production further and further away, to Thailand, then to Singapore and, strange enough, now to South Korea. It would have been useless to continue investing here. Production would have declined continuously. And another reason was that our specialty was curtain production. And where do you still find curtains today?!»

Now follow me to the original center of the village by walking up the road ahead of you. At the top take the stairs onto the main road and cross it. There you go to the former village square with the fountain on which the postillion stands.

You are now at location 8.