New Jersey Textiles, Inc.

Following WWII, in 1945, Israel Merdinger and his son Julius emigrated from Poland to the United States. Like many emigrants from Poland, they started from scratch and entered the "rag trade". They bought and sold on a daily basis the post production wool waste (clippings) that were generated from the manufacturing of women's wool apparel. They hauled the clippings in giant burlap bags using only a hand truck from the uptown Garment Center to the downtown New York area later known as Soho. Over time, they were able to lease warehouse space, buy trucks, and eventually, bought a warehouse in Soho.  In this warehouse, they sorted and baled wool clippings and shipped them to textile mills overseas for reprocessing.

Today, New Jersey Textiles, Inc. located in Clifton, New Jersey, not only is importing and exporting wool clippings for reprocessing, but it is also involved in wholesaling and retailing all types of fabric.