Our Story
American Jobs - American Quality
Allen Manufacturing, Inc. is a family-run soft-goods manufacturer trusted by startups and national brands alike for dependable die cutting, contract stitching and assembly & kitting. Since our founding, we’ve built our reputation on a simple promise: make things well, price them fairly, communicate clearly, and ship on time. That promise—along with practical process control and hands-on craftsmanship—guides every project that moves through our floor.
Our roots go back more than 90 years. Harry Allen began supplying parts to the shoe industry during the Great Depression, teaching the value of precision and resourcefulness. His son, Bob Allen, carried those lessons forward, building factories that produced shoes, safety equipment, gloves, handbags, and thousands of other soft-goods products over a 50-year career.
In 1974, Bob opened Fancy Stitchers. Fancy Stitchers began in a small factory in Auburn, Maine, with 15 employees, then quickly outgrew its Auburn location and moved across the Androscoggin River to its twin city of Lewiston, Maine. The Lewiston facility reached 105,000 square feet and 550 employees, producing 86,000 leather handbags every week. These bags were sold by Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, and Filene’s, among others. Until the mid-1990s, Fancy was the largest manufacturer of leather handbags in the USA.
In 1983, Mr. Allen and his four children founded a chain of handbag stores, Mainely Bags, located in outlet districts across the country. In 1991, after many successful years, the chain was sold. Around that time, his youngest son, David, entered the emerging internet industry, building an internet service provider. In 2004, a major provider acquired the business, and David joined that company.
In 2010, Bob asked David to return to manufacturing with the goal of bringing the company into the 21st century. In 2011, David purchased Fancy Stitchers and as a tribute to his grandfather, Harry Allen, renamed the company Allen Manufacturing, Inc. David and Bob then worked side-by-side for six and a half years—time that transferred a lifetime of practical know-how. Bob passed away in 2017, but the standards he lived by remain the backbone of our culture.
Today, we serve customers across the country who need consistent quality at a sensible cost. Some arrive with a fully documented spec; others come with a sketch and a timeline. We meet you where you are. Many projects flow through multiple services—pattern making, sampling, die cutting, sewing, inspection, packaging, packing, and shipping—while others tap a single process such as high-volume die cutting. It is your project, and the decision is yours.
Allen Manufacturing makes sword cases for the U.S. Marines; tote bags for numerous companies; sound-deadening parts for Toyota; notebook folios from recycled rubber and leather; wallets made from salmon leather, traditional leather, reclaimed denim, and bison leather; tool pouches for Harley-Davidson; fleece flip-flop socks; oven mitts; toiletry kits; handbags from used sailcloth, leather, and other materials; and hundreds of other items.
What sets us apart is repeatability. We build clear documentation, logical checkpoints, and right-sized quality controls into each job. That discipline produces predictable parts and assemblies—and it also saves time downstream. We think about how your items feed the next step in your operation, from packaging that speeds kitting to labels that simplify fulfillment.
We’re equally comfortable with small pilot lots and large production runs. Many long-time customers started with 100 units and scaled to thousands as demand grew. When volumes increase, our process notes and fixtures scale with you, protecting fit, finish, and function without reinventing the wheel.
Relationships matter here. You’ll speak with people who understand materials, tolerances, and timelines—and who will tell you honestly what will, and won’t work. We collaborate early to prevent late surprises, suggest practical improvements when they help cost or quality, and keep schedules realistic so your launch dates stay intact.
Made in the USA is more than a label to us—it’s a commitment to skilled work, reliable lead times, and accountable service. If you’re looking for a partner who combines old-school craftsmanship with modern process discipline, we’d be honored to earn your business. Talk to Allen Manufacturing and see how we can help make your project a success.