Creative Partnership Revitalizes Iconic Brand in Cherokee County History Cherokee recently announced a collaborative partnership with Whim-Wham Art Farm to revitalize local history with a nod to nostalgia. In 2019, the owners of Whim-Wham Art Farm approached Stefanie Joyner, executive director of History Cherokee, with the idea to pursue the copyright of the Salty Dog branding as a means to connect the past to the present. The Cherokee County Historical Society is excited to share the news that Salty Dog is back.As many long-time Cherokee County residents may recall, Salty Dog was the branded mascot of Canton Textile Mills’ introductory and revolutionary SCRUBDENIM fabric in 1963. This Canton-perfected process of treating regular denim fabric and altering its texture to a soft, velvet-like appearance opened new markets for denim in the early 1960s, making Salty Dog and Canton Textile Mills internationally recognized. Boasted to be “soft as a puppy, yet rugged as an old hound dog,” SCRUBDENIM was popular into the late 1970s when the American textile market slowed due to cheaper markets overseas. Canton Textile Mills officially shut its doors in the spring of 1981.“We think that connecting our community to the elements that helped build it allows us all to share the stories from generation to generation,” said Mary and Nicole Fischer-Mullins, owners of Whim-Whim Art Farm. “We see Salty Dog as a key part of that story and how the Mill shaped our communities and the families that worked and lived here.”From T-shirts and stickers that are available now in the museum shop and online, the Fischer-Mullinses plan to continue exploring how Salty Dog can connect with the next generation. With ideas of penning a children’s book, developing a walking scavenger hunt tour around Canton, and even introducing us to Salty Dog’s sidekick Cat’s Meow, Whim-Wham Art Farm is excited to grow and shape the Salty Dog brand.“We are thrilled our creative partnership with Whim-Wham Art Farm is allowing us the opportunity to have a piece of wearable Cherokee County history again and look forward to how Salty Dog will continue to connect us to our county’s past,” said Joyner. To purchase your piece of local history, visit Shop-History-Center.Square.site/s/shop. A portion of the sales benefit History Cherokee.
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