Emma Ferrington & Reliable Rug Factory
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Emma Ferrington inherited Reliable Rug Factory from her deceased husband Warren E. Ferrington in 1890 and quickly expanded services and products. You can still see the remaining building on Keo Way. According to a 2020 Des Moines Register article, this building was cut into at an angle to accommodate the building of Keosauqua Way in 1920 and plans are currently in development for its renovation.
The Midwestern has this to say about her and the business:
During the present month a new line of business is added to the rug making, that of manufacturing mattresses. The factory runs the year round from forty to fifty employees constantly at work... Orders come unsolicited from all over America. Six or eight traveling salesman are also employed... The rugs made of old carpet, are beautiful, really works of art. The new branch of industry will be carried on in the old church on the corner next to the rug factory... She is most capable and intelligent regarding her work and thoroughly enjoys her life of activity. Emma Ferrington passed away in 1935. She is buried next to her first husband, John J. Owens in Woodland Cemetery.
Files
Reliable Rug Factory
Black and white illustration of a factory with a streetcar in the bottom left corner. Text: Oldest and Largest in the State. Beautiful rugs made from old carpets. Mrs. W.E. Ferrington, Proprieter. 840 11th Street, Des Moines, Iowa. | Source: Fort Des Moines, Des Moines, Iowa. Described and Illustrated. | Date: 1904
Mrs. Emma Ferrington
Mrs. Ferrington successfully ran and expanded the Reliable Rug Factory upon the death of her husband, Warren E. Farrington. | Source: A Narrative History of the People of Iowa... | Date: 1931
Reliable Rug Factory
Interior of the Reliable Rug Factory with employees located at 840 11th Street. Woman on left side has a slight circle around her head. Provided caption: Grandma Wise at the Reliable Rug Factory. | Source: Angrick Collection, Special Collections, Des Moines Public Library | Date: Unknown
Reliable Rug Factory
Reliable Rug Factory at 840 11th Street, Des Moines, Iowa. Text: Reliable Rug Factory. Hand Power Only. - Heat Stoves. Lights Kerosine. Map includes Builders Yard and storage buildings. | Source: Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa. Sanborn Map Company, Vol. 1. | Date: 1901
Reliable Carpet City - Ferrington Place
Image of Reliable Carpet City, formally location of Reliable Rug Factory found on Keo Way, Des Moines, Iowa. Inscribed above the door: Ferrington Place. | Source: Google Maps | Date: 2017-09
Woman Rugmaker Cornered Middle West Dye Market
Dealers Offer Mrs. Emma Ferrington 1,000 Per Cent Advance for Her Dye Supply. And yet they say women have no business sense and their place is in the home. One woman in Des Moines has demonstrated her business ability and sagacity by buying early to avoid crowding later. She is Mrs. Emma Ferrington, proprietor of the Reliable Rug factory, 840 Twelfth street. | Source: Des Moines Tribune. | Date: 1916-05-12