Bond Products is celebrating 75 years of success as a family-owned and operated business this year! We are excited to hit this milestone, our 75th anniversary, with you, our customers. The company means so many things to the people who have been a part of it for years, and we want to thank you for being a part of our story.
The History of Bond Products
This company was started as the National Tapestry Company in 1910 by John Milnes. It manufactured high-end upholstery fabrics to begin with and, when the economy grew more challenging, diversified into making narrow tapes that were used in the garment industry and for the manufacture of military uniforms.
John’s grandson, Kenneth Bond “KB” Milnes, began Bond Narrow Fabric Company in 1947 with a focus on distributing narrow fabrics. He and his brothers, Wesley and Arthur, with his nephew, Richard Milnes, added cotton carpet binding tape to the company’s offerings. This tape was made at a local Philadelphia mill. They sold narrow woven, knitted, and braided tapes and cords, sewing threads, elastics, and more to the garment and lampshade manufacturing trades.
In 1963, Bond introduced the first “one-pass” narrow binding tape in 13/16″ width. It could be applied with a zigzag stitch sewing machine using a clear monofilament thread on the top side and a conventional filament bobbin thread. By the late 1960s, Bond was the leading manufacturer of this type of carpet binding tape.
The company’s next major innovation was hot-melt carpet seaming tape, developed by KB Milnes when sewing and latexing seams were still the norm. This was a popular item in Bond’s product line for a number of years, and we still sell it today.
In 1980 we introduced a non-woven synthetic binding tape that became a major seller. Our sewing equipment division debuted in 1987, and we expanded into the machine market. Our line of machines now includes carving and cutting equipment and a wide variety of specialty products used in the creation and installation of carpet and rugs.
Brian Milnes took over the family business from his father, Richard, in 2002 and has run it for the past two decades. Our workroom is now available to the public for training on the machines we sell. We also hold open house events for our customers so they can see what it is we do and how our carpet binders and other equipment work. We continue to add new products regularly. The most recent, our ProDrive product line of quality floor fasteners, has been popular with our customers for the past several years.
Happy 75th Anniversary to Bond Products!
Over 75 years and under four generations of Milnes guidance, Bond Products has offered innovative products and accessories to the floor covering trade. We are proud of our history of invention, continuous improvement, quality products, and service. We appreciate our customers and look forward to earning your business everyday. Here’s to the next 75 years!
