
The Westborough Weaving factory at 69 Milk Street, now known as the Westboro Mill, has had several productive lives over the past century. Photo/Courtesy of Phil Kittredge
WESTBOROUGH – The Westborough Weaving factory at 69 Milk Street, built on the corner of Spring Street in 1902 by Edward C. Richard, has a new, stimulating life as Westboro Mill.
Colorful freeform weavings, as well as tremendous pulleys and gears, drape from the ceilings. Giant wooden bobbins are transformed into tables. A spinning wheel, a vintage sewing machine, and other artifacts of the cotton industry decorate the halls. High ceilings, exposed beams, and brick walks are complemented by a crisp black and white color scheme.
Rick Kaplan, a commercial real estate developer from Franklin, transformed the building with business associate Casey Killam of K Commercial Real Estate Service.
When he saw the former mill for sale in 2016, “I fell in love with the building,” Kaplan recalled. “I asked one of my associates, Casey Killam, to be my partner on this project.” Killam already knew this building because he had grown up exploring the mill when his father worked as a master electrician there.
“Our goal was to restore the mill’s character by providing TLC,” said Kaplan. “For example, the walls had been painted a factory green with maroon trim, so we painted them white with black accents. The old, mismatched furniture in the halls was thrown out, replaced with comfortable sitting spaces with colorful streamlined furnishings. Vintage photographs of Westborough in the early 1900s—when Westborough Weaving was established—recreate the town’s industrial past.”
The mill at 69 Milk Street has gone through several productive lives. At the beginning of the 1900s, Westborough Weaving’s looms produced cloth tape or narrow fabric strips.
These had numerous uses, from industrial ties, apparel stays, and bindings to bag straps. Westborough Weaving continued here until 1929, when manufacturing moved to South Carolina, where labor was cheaper and the cotton supply closer.
Next the Kenworthy Brothers moved into the factory circa 1932. Their 25 employees manufactured parts, such as rubber inner soles, for the shoe industry. They also laminated fabric and produced canvas sneakers. During World War II, the company waterproofed rain gear for the U.S. Army. Kenworthy Brothers, eventually run by Herbert Kenworthy Jr., continued at 69 Milk Street until 1965.
Polyform then occupied the mill. Its 80 employees produced polyform, Styrofoam, and molded plastic products until the factory closed in 1987. In the late 1980s, James Levin bought it and converted the building into office space.
Instead of the click of bobbins and the whir of looms, Westboro Mill now resounds with the labor of the 24 businesses listed at the front entrance. These include lawyers’ offices, financial services, Advocates Training Center, Miach Orthopedics medical devices, and other professional offices. Some of the retail tenants include MetroWest Yoga, Simply SoHope, Textured Petite Salon, Bright Eyes Beauty Bar, Ancient Wisdom Healing Arts, and Maxcricket Sports.
Some of the tenants commented on their experiences at the Westboro Mill.
“We carved out my office from one long factory room to make a lobby, my paralegal’s office, a conference room, and my office,” attorney William Bloom noted. “I grew up in Brooklyn, where my dad owned a knitting factory, Buddy Knitwear, which was started by my grandfather. As a kid, I worked in the factory and learned to operate an industrial Singer sewing machine to sew knitted collars and sweaters. I also learned to run the big steam presses—it got so hot that it felt like a real sweat shop!”
“Now, surrounded by the exposed beams and brick walls of this old factory, I feel right at home,” he added. “That’s what attracted me to set up my office here.”
Sean Corcoran, a Westborough native, works at the Advocates, a training center for the 2,500 employees who staff 90 programs for families and individuals with mental health, behavioral or physical challenges.
“I love working here and seeing in the halls all the old factory memorabilia like the spinning wheels, pulleys, and the old photographs,” he said. “This building is amazing—it’s like working surrounded by Westborough history.”
Owner Rick Kaplan agreed. “This is a unique place,” he said. “The old mill has a lot of character; it is not a cookie cutter building in a strip mall.”
Westboro Mill illustrates how the town’s economic future is greatly enriched by its past.