Doncaster clothing firm shuts down after 87 years

A clothing firm named after Doncaster and started by an American couple after honeymooning here has closed down after nearly nine decades.
The firm was an American institution for 87 years.The firm was an American institution for 87 years.
The firm was an American institution for 87 years.

Upmarket and designer US women's outfitters Doncaster, which is based in North Carolina, closed down last month due to 'cash flow issues,' according to reports.

The firm sold high-end women’s clothing and accessories online and via direct sales through a network of “consultants” who sold goods out of their homes and at parties.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Doncaster firm started in 1931, as the Doncaster Collar and Shirt Co. in Rutherfordton, about 70 miles west of Charlotte, North Carolina.

The founder, Bobo Tanner Jr., the son of a wealthy Southern textile manufacturer, and his wife Millie, the daughter of a successful mid-Western farmer, named the company after the town of Doncaster, a favourite stop on their honeymoon tour.

Marguerite Rupar said the owners of the company shut down without notice on February 27.

In an email to customers this week, Rupar said the closure was tied to “cash flow issues and the inability to convince our investor group to continue.”