Byer of Maine was founded in 1880 in Bangor, Maine by a Russian immigrant family as a maker of slippers and textile products. In 1925, the company relocated to a century-old frame building near the village center of Orono, Maine. The central portion of our building was originally built as a Catholic church and later served as a movie theater and community center. The site, at the confluence of the Stillwater and Penobscot Rivers, had been the location of a large sawmill in the early 1800’s. The original church structure was renovated, reinforced for industrial use and expanded in traditional New England fashion over the years by the Byer family and today has 33,000 sq. ft. under roof.

After the move to Orono, the company continued its stitching operations and expanded into small metal stampings and the manufacture of wood frame folding cots. WW II and Korea found the company committed to expanded cot production as well as the cut and sew of a wide range of canvas products for the war efforts. In the 1950’s, the company’s focus returned to consumer products with the production of knapsacks and duffels as well as continuing to build cots for the military as well as civilian uses.

Byer of Maine is today a very different company sourcing products from far corners of the world. Different as we are, we remain seriously committed to the text that appears under our name…