There was a time in the not-so-distant past when Swannanoa supplied warmth to people around the world. Beacon Manufacturing Co. stood proudly in the center of the bustling downtown that shared its name, employing more than 2,000 area residents and becoming the largest blanket manufacturer in the world before its closure in 2002.
The shuttered one-million-square-foot facility burned down nearly 23 years ago, when one of the largest structure fires in the history of the state destroyed the former home of the mill one former employee described as the “big red heart of Swannanoa.”
The “Blanket Town” era of the community is one Daniel Lancaster thinks about often while roasting seasonal batches in Short Sleeves Coffee, which opened its shop in a former service station in the center of Beacon Village last May. It is a legacy the business is honoring with its seasonal Blanket Town Winter Blend and the exhibit that will accompany it through Saturday, Feb. 14…