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SUTTON, N.H. — Have a waxed coat that needs a little TLC? The folks at New England Reproofers founded a business to meet the growing demand for refurbishing waxed coats including Barbour, Filson, and others.

Waxed jackets have always been popular with people who hunt, fish, and ride horses. Barbour also had a line of motorcycle jackets that were popular from the 1930s-1970s after which the company got out of the motorcycle clothing market.

Owner of New England Reproofers, Al Gauthier, says it was about 20 years ago that Barbour and other waxed jackets also became somewhat of a fashion statement, and the market expanded beyond sportsmen. He says that was a big boon to his re-proofing business because so many more waxed coats were in circulation that would eventually need a little TLC.

Nobody Can Rewax Your Jacket Better than This Tiny New Hampshire Operation

Meet New England Reproofers, a family business dedicated to giving waxed canvas jackets new life.

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If you follow the Google Maps directions to New England Reproofers, famously the country’s only independent refurbisher of waxed cotton jackets, you’ll wind up at a strip mall south of Nashua, New Hampshire, just off the Everett Turnpike.

There you will find a nail salon, a UPS store and a Mexican restaurant that’s supposed to be quite good. But there’s no sign for New England Reproofers, nor the telltale smell of a recently rewaxed coat.

A quick call to Alain Gauthier, the company’s founder, reveals the error: New England Reproofers has never had a shop there, but the UPS store does handle its shipping and receiving. A short jaunt across the Merrimack River and into a residential neighborhood brings you to the workshop.

(read the full article here)

Waxed Jacket Season Is Upon Us. Here’s How to Make Sure Yours Is in Top Condition.

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But not everyone is cut out for—or willing—to put in the work at home. “A lot of people try to do it, but then send it to me because they can’t finish it,” says Alain Gauthier, whose company New England Reproofers is the sole independent re-waxing business operating in the United States today.

Gauthier takes all comers, and garments, having re-waxed everything from mittens to chaps. The New Hampshire-based business, which consists of Gauthier and two part-time employees, has worked with clients as far afield as Japan and New Zealand.

Barbour jackets still make up a substantial part of the business—Gauthier estimates about 30 percent—but the bulk comes from Filson, which produces a wide range of waxed garments but does not provide an in-house re-waxing service itself. Instead, the company directly refers customers to New England Reproofers.

(read the full article here)

Waxed Cotton Jackets

Even a waxed cotton jacket needs to be cleaned every once in a while. Alain Gauthier, the founder of New England Reproofers, has been a specialist in this field for thirty years, cleaning and reproofing waxed cotton jackets for everyday wearers and collectors alike (one collector recently sent in a rare 70-year-old jacket for restoration). If you’re a sportsman and wear a waxed cotton jacket while hunting, Gauthier recommends cleaning your coat about once a year. People who wear these for style purposes, on the other hand, may only need to clean something once every two or three years.

“Wax tends to attract dirt, and you can tell something is dirty when there are dark patches,” he says. “At the same time, creases around the elbows will start to get lighter, as the wax is wearing off.” Gauthier recommends people get things cleaned and reproofed when necessary so the garment’s fibers don’t break down, but doing so requires a bit of care and attention. “You can’t just throw a waxed cotton jacket into a laundry machine; the wax will come off and damage your machine. You also can’t dry clean it, as dry cleaning will strip off all the wax. You need to remove some of the wax, but not all of it, otherwise the next time you go to wax it, the wax will leak through and get into the lining.”

(read the full article here)

Fall 2018 Issue

…New England Reproofers, New Hampshire:  The one stop shop for repairs, refinishing and rewaxing. Believe me when I tell you that you DO NOT want to attempt re-waxing your own – it is a mess and is NOT worth it. [for the price] …it is worth every penny. These guys are pros and do an amazing job so you don’t have to worry. They even have an enzyme dip… to get mold and that funky barnyard smell out! They will also tailor and repair to factory standards

Testimonials

Here are just a few of the wonderful notes that have been sent to us about our unique service.