About Us
From Doug Kreinik...
Kreinik Manufacturing Company makes thread. The family-owned business began in my parents' home in the early 1970s, and grew to sell world-wide, shipping from our factory in Parkersburg, West Virginia, USA. Last year we celebrated our 50th anniversary.
My mother, Estelle, was a professor of couturier design and did needlework as a hobby. My father, Jerry, was an inventor and engineer for the US Navy and private companies. These talents merged to establish a thread company founded on meeting the creative needs of needleworkers at a time when there was very little variety in materials. They knew from history that needlework could be more than plain wool or cotton—colorful silks, textural metals, and dimensional embellishments have been used in embroidery for centuries. They wanted to bring these materials to needleworkers in the modern age.
Jerry and Estelle were true innovators of the embroidery business in the United States. Estelle created one of the first needlework organizers on the market, and they developed a drapable needlepoint canvas for clothing. In the late 1970s, they started importing and selling silk threads. When they saw a need for less expensive and easy-care threads that could replicate real metal embroidery, they created metallic braids and then metallic ribbons. In 1983, when I joined the company, we moved out of the house with our growing thread line and into a larger building in Parkersburg, West Virginia.
Today Kreinik makes a variety of silk and metallic threads for the needlework, crafts, fashion, costume, film, and fly fishing industries. Kreinik threads are used worldwide, from homes to schools and universities, to fashion houses like Kate Spade, and movie costumes like Game of Thrones and Hocus Pocus 2. Our goal has always been to help you create the most interesting, beautiful, useful threads for your personal creations and businesses.
In April 2024, my wife and I decided it was time to retire and move closer to our grandchildren. I sold the Kreinik lines to a fellow thread maker, Rainbow Gallery, located in California. Machines and stock will move across the country in late April, and there will be a time when Kreinik threads won't be available. However, Rainbow Gallery will get operations up and running as quickly as possible, and continue producing threads for your creations, hobbies, and businesses. I can't leave behind a community and business that I love, so I will stay involved as much as I can. Thank you for letting us be a part of your life.
Happy creating,
Doug Kreinik
We are members of:
- American Needlepoint Guild (ANG)
- Embroiderers Guild of America (EGA)
- Project Healing Waters (PHWFF)
- American Fly Fishing Trade Association (AFFTA)
Frequently asked questions:
Q: Can I buy directly from Kreinik?
A: We sell only to businesses, and require a copy of your business license and tax id number to establish a wholesale account. You can purchase Kreinik items from our website but orders don't come from us directly. When you create an account on the site, you can select from a group of shops (many prefer to choose a shop geographically closest to them), and this shop will fulfill the order.
Q: How long does it take to get an order from your website?
A: Since shops fulfill the orders, and there are thousands of products on the Kreinik website, it may take one to three weeks to get some items (if a shop doesn't have it in stock). It's impossible for a shop to stock every Kreinik item, and that's why it may take longer. We actually make Kreinik threads, too, so there is some manufacturing time involved in some cases. We know you are anxious to get your order, and we do our best to get products to shops as soon as possible. While our factory operations move from West Virginia to California in May 2024, we will be unable to make product; any orders placed during that transition may not ship for quite some time. We apologize for this delay.
Q: Is the factory outlet store open?
A: Since the company was sold in April 2024, the factory, and the outlet store, are now closed.
Q: Are you a German company?
A: We get this question a lot! Our name must sound German. No, the Kreinik family lived in New York and then Maryland before settling in Parkersburg, West Virginia due to Jerry Kreinik's job.
Q: What is Balger?
A: Kreinik threads were originally called Balger® (name chosen by Jerry and Estelle Kreinik). So if you find a pattern calling for Balger, it probably refers to Fine #8 Braid or Blending Filament (two of our earliest threads), but you can always contact us (info@kreinik.com) to find out for sure. Balger® is a registered trademark of Kreinik Mfg. Co., Inc.
Founded in Parkersburg, West Virginia, in 1972, Kreinik has been proud to be a small business in a lovely state.
