Nocona is a small North Texas town whose claim to fame is being home to one of the last remaining American factories to manufacture baseball gloves. Bill Zeeble, from KERA, picked up the story, which was published by NPR. It’s since been shared on social media for fans of the town, Texas, and the great American pastime to read.
Rob Storey is the factory’s executive vice president. What’s the business name? Nokona, of course. It’s a nice play on the town name, with a small alteration. The company wasn’t legally able to make use of the city’s spelling at the time, and so the “c” was changed to a “k,” continuing to honor Comanche Chief Peta Nocona, for whom the town is named. “We literally bring leather in through one door and magically, ball gloves come out the door at the very end,” he explained to KERA News. “That, and about 45 labor operations, and you’ve got a ball glove.” And Storey’s not telling… well, stories. It’s a family business. His grandfather Bob Storey began the business of making leather goods, and in order to make it through the depression, he added the making of baseball gloves to their compendium of products. Since that time, almost all of the American competition has moved their production of baseball gloves elsewhere. Storey told Zeeble that his grandfather, who passed away in 1980, had said he would rather quit the business and go fishing than import Nokonas.