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Michigan Ladder Company in Ypsilanti closes after 120 years
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YPSILANTI, Mich. – The coronavirus pandemic has been hard on Michigan’s economy, especially small businesses.
The Michigan Ladder Company opened in 1901 on the shores of the Huron River in Ypsilanti. The company became the oldest and last wooden ladder manufacturer in the country.
“This is the kind of thing, as I’ve said to others, will haunt me for the rest of my life. What is it I could have done differently?” said owner Tom Harrison. “In the fourth quarter of 2019, China began shutting down and we didn’t understand that we had a pandemic on our hands.”
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Michigan Ladder Company closes after 120 years in Ypsilanti
Updated 12:02 PM;
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YPSILANTI, MI A longtime ladder manufacturer in Ypsilanti closed after 120 years due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Tom Harrison, owner of Michigan Ladder Company at 12 E Forest Ave., announced the closure in a Facebook post on Thursday, April 8, citing difficulties due to the state-ordered closures of non-essential services to curb the spread of COVID-19. The company then put out a press release with the announcement on Thursday, April 8.
The company was founded in 1901 and made “millions of ladders” that were shopped across the world, according to the company announcement.
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Operations have ceased and doors have shut at the Michigan Ladder Company after more than a century in Ypsilanti. President and owner Tom Harrison says that the pandemic shutdown was tough, but supply chain issues were the final rung in deciding to close. When you can t get materials in a timely manner to make a ladder, then I m in the same situation I was in a year ago, which is I ll lose more customers.
The open letter posted to their website shares news of their closing and also their rich history. Very proud of the fact that, you know, here we are the oldest ladder manufacturer in the United States, founded in 1901 in Ypsilanti, and we re in our original location, and we use and occupy our original buildings, and it s just kind of a really great story in the community plays a big part of that.