Briggs & Little Woolen Mills Ltd.
Over 169 years of history!
The Littles
Hi, we’re Mike and Leah Little – the husband-and-wife team behind Briggs & Little Woolen Mills.
Mike grew up in York Mills, sometimes working at the mill after school and during the summers while school was closed . After college, he worked as a heavy equipment mechanic, but in September 1991 he decided to join the family business full-time.
I (Leah) grew up in Florenceville and spent many years as a hairstylist before working at an accounting firm in Fredericton. In 2018, I started working at the mill, and I’m so glad I did – not only to work alongside Mike but also to spend a year working with my father-in-law, John, before he retired on his 70th birthday in 2019. It was a special time and a true passing of the torch.
These days, Mike and I work together – though truth be told, we hardly see each other during the day. Mike is busy on the production side, keeping the mill running smoothly, while I look after the office, sales, and marketing. We’ve learned over the years not to bring work home. Home is for time on Harvey Lake, where we can unwind, enjoy the outdoors, and spend time with family and friends.
Family is everything to us. We have three sons and their wonderful spouses, who make us proud every single day. Carl, our youngest, joined the mill in 2016 and takes care of maintenance and repairs. John-Michael, our eldest, came on board in 2018 and works in shipping and the office. Devon, our middle son, lives in Fort McMurray, Alberta, where he runs his own successful business. All three of them are hard-working and dedicated, and we couldn’t ask for better sons. And of course, our three grandchildren light up our world – we are truly blessed.
We’re also fortunate to have an incredible team of staff at Briggs & Little who are just as dedicated and hard-working. It takes every single person here to keep the mill and office running, and we’re grateful every day for their commitment to quality and tradition.
Our mission is simple: to keep Briggs & Little strong and thriving so that when it’s time for us to retire, John and Carl can step into ownership with confidence and pride, knowing they will continue our families legacy. Just as important, we want people to feel connected to us when they use our yarns – knowing they’re part of our story and the tradition we’re carrying on.
Thank you for reading about our “Little” family. We truly appreciate each and every one of you.
~Leah & Mike
Our History
Briggs & Little Woolen Mills Ltd. has been the name of the woolen mill located in York Mills, NB, Canada, since 1916. Previous to that it was called Little’s Woolen Mills, and previous to that York Woolen Mills.
The mill was first started in 1857 by George Lister who was one of the original grant holders in the Harvey area. Over the first 30-35 years the mill changed hands a few times. In the 1890’s it was bought by Roy Little, who ran it until 1916 when illness forced his family to move to the Prairies for a dryer climate. At this time the business was bought by Mathew Briggs and Howard Little, giving us the name, it has held to this day.
Briggs & Little carried on under the ownership of these two gentlemen until the sudden passing of Mr. Briggs left half ownership to his son Russell. The younger Mr. Briggs continued on with Howard Little in the business until 1948, when Russell sold his share to a lifelong employee, Ward Little.
Ward Little and Howard Little ran the mill until 1954, at this time Howard sold his shares to his son, Roy. These gentlemen ran the mill as partners until 1978 when Ward sold his shares to his grandson, John Thompson and Roy sold half of his shares to his son John Little. In 1984, John Thompson and John Little became partners. In 2014, John Thompson retired and Mike Little purchased 50% of Briggs & Littles shares. John Little and Mike Little, father and son, were the sole owners of Briggs and Little Woolen Mills Ltd. until 2019, when John retired from working in the office after 50 years. Currently, Mike is running the mill and his wife, Leah has taken over Johns responsibilities in the office.
To date, the woolen mill has been operating for 169 years. In 2016, Briggs & Little celebrated 100 years of the “Little” bloodline. Currently there are two generations employed; Mike and his eldest son John-Michael and youngest son Carl.
Historical facts about Briggs & Little
- It has been re-built each time after 4 fires. The most recent being in 1994.
- The first colors other than white, grey, and black were introduced in the 1940’s and those included Scarlet, Royal Blue, and Paddy Green.
- Partially powered by water until 1994.
- Owned and operated by a descendant of Howard Little for over 100 years.
- Ward Little worked at this mill for over 60 years.
- John A. Little worked in the office for 50 years.