A Carhartt train car in heart button from 1910 is pictured. Carhartt will be opening a location in South Tyler this fall.

Popular work apparel store Carhartt is coming to Tyler.

With its sign already up, Carhartt will soon call the Village at Cumberland Park home and is set to open the fall.

As the plans continue to unfold for the Tyler store, let’s look back at the history of the business that started over 130 years ago and is still going strong.

The year 1889 was a time of steel, steam, and locomotives, according to the company’s website. It was also when Hamilton Carhartt & Company was founded by its namesake, known affectionately as “Ham”, and began producing overalls with two sewing machines and a half-horsepower electric motor in a small Detroit loft, the website states.

Some early failures led Carhartt to switch gears and focus on market research. After talking directly with railroad workers, he designed something that fit their needs. Under the motto “Honest value for an honest dollar,” the Carhartt bib overall was created and rapidly evolved into the standard for quality work wear, according to the Carhartt website.

By 1910, Carhartt had grown to include mills in South Carolina and Georgia, as well as sewing facilities in Atlanta, Detroit, Dallas, and San Francisco. The brand expanded internationally to Walkerville (Ontario), Toronto, Vancouver, and Liverpool. A Paris facility and a New York office and warehouse later followed, the website states.

In times of international conflict, Carhartt committed to “backing the attack.” The company offered seven Carhartt facilities to the government for the purpose of creating uniforms for the U.S. military in World War I, the website states.

During World War II, Carhartt produced coveralls for soldiers and support personnel, jungle suits for Marines in the Pacific, and workwear for women entering the factories on the home front, the company website read.

In addition to bib overalls, many garments in today’s product line have historic roots.

The Carhartt Archive holds ads for the legendary Carhartt Chore Coat dating back to 1917, according to the website. To this day, the coat remains mostly unchanged.

In 1929, the stock market collapse hit Carhartt just as hard as it hit the rest of the country. The company came close to shutting its doors for good, according to the website. “Keeping the business alive was a testament to the tenacity, passion, and ingenuity displayed by Carhartt and his sons during that time,” the website reads.

Even with the challenges posed by the Great Depression, Carhartt continued to support workers’ rights.

When Carhartt died in 1937, his son Wylie became president of the company. Wylie played a crucial role in the “Back to the Land” program, which led to the opening of new operations in rural Kentucky, according to the website.

Four sewing and cutting facilities still operate in Kentucky and Tennessee, and the original Irvine, Kentucky factory – completed in 1932 – now houses the operations center for Carhartt’s supply chain, the website states.

The younger Carhartt was also instrumental in creating Carhartt’s first outdoor wear products: The Super Dux and Super Fab hunting lines of the early 1930s.

Wylie’s daughter, Gretchen Carhartt, married Robert Valade, who assumed leadership of the company in 1958, according to the website.

In 1972, Valade, Vice President of Sales Gust Feles, and Executive Vice President of Manufacturing Don Rasinen “formed a nucleus that changed the face of Carhartt forever,” according to the company.

They purchased new production facilities and were able to do a significant private-label business for several stores including Sears, J.C. Penney, and Montgomery Ward. This provided Carhartt with the needed revenue to continue to expand its production, the website states.

In 1975, a heavy-duty hooded jacket, dubbed the Active Jac, was introduced, and the style remains the top-selling jacket for Carhartt, according to the company.

During the 1970s, massive orders for the construction of the Alaska Pipeline helped grow the brand, and Carhartt :undeniably showed that its products could survive and thrive in the most rugged conditions on Earth,” the website states.

The Carhartt brand became popular with consumers outside blue-collar trades during the 1980s and 1990s. More people began to learn about the brand as big names in the hip-hop music industry started to wear Carhartt.

Interest expanded into Europe, leading to the Carhartt Work In Progress label in 1989, which targets consumers in Europe and Asia who “value refined details and design that remains true to Carhartt’s brand DNA,” according to the website.

In 1998, Mark Valade, Hamilton Carhartt’s great-grandson, became the president of Carhartt. Under his leadership, the company established operations in Europe and a global E-commerce business.

It launched dozens of Carhartt-owned retail stores, a full women’s line of products, and an successful line of flame-resistant garments. It introduced new technologies as well, such as Quick Duck, Storm Defender, Rain Defender, Carhartt Force, and Carhartt Force Extremes, according to the Carhartt website.

In 2013, Linda Hubbard assumed the role of president, becoming the first non-family member to hold the position.

“With entrepreneurial vision and determination, Hamilton Carhartt and the next three generations of the Carhartt family established a brand that has stood the test of time,” the website states.

Carhartt has global operations in the U.S., Mexico, and Europe. The company employs more than 2,700 American workers, 970 of whom are UFCW union members, according to Carhartt.

Carhartt’s “Made in the USA” line is inspired by American workers and features some of its most iconic garments. It produces these products in four facilities located in Kentucky and Tennessee.

Carhartt also owns and operates manufacturing and finishing facilities in Mexico, and its European headquarters is located in Amsterdam. In all, Carhartt employs more than 5,300 employees worldwide.

The popular work apparel store with the logo: “Carhartt. Outworking them all since 1889” will soon be opening in Tyler.

A sign on the door indicates the company is currently hiring and provides information on how to apply.

Carhartt will be located at 8916 South Broadway Avenue in the Village at Cumberland Park.

For more information, visit www.carhartt.com.