Four looms, thirty-one staff, and a contract that ends in June. A week inside the last family-owned kit factory on the continent.
Monday
The looms start at six. The owner, who is seventy-one, starts at five, because the first hour is when the thread breaks. By eight the floor is loud enough that the staff talk in a sign language of their own.
Friday
The contract that keeps the factory open is a third of its output. It ends in June, and the club that holds it has not returned three calls. The owner says he will know by Easter. He has said that before.