Services & Retail

The American Enka Company provided their families with services that allowed workers to continue living in Enka Village. These services included the local library, access to a department store after-hours, and financial services.

When people were not working, they could check out books at the Enka Library, something the Enka Voice often reminded them about.¹ The magazine mentioned the large selection to choose from. “Enka Library is, today, the proud possessor of eighteen hundred books. We thank the friends who donated these books.”² While the Enka Voice never mentioned specific library events, it did advertise in a November 1930 issue the Christmas cards employees and their families could purchase for a 25% discount.³

Enka employees had access to various amenities, one of those being Barker’s Department Store. This was unique to the Enka Village because other company towns likely would have required their workers to shop at the company store. In a section of the November 1930 issue, the Enka Voice mentioned a department store that stayed open past normal business hours so Enka employees and their families could shop after work.⁴ The article is a letter from the store letting people know about the opportunity to shop there.

They also provided fire department services, electricity, water, and an oil furnace.⁵ The houses were rented by workers, owned by Enka, and divided into three categories: small, medium, and large sized homes. Dr. Beaver joked in the interview that before her family moved in, the rent was $25 a month and then they moved to Enka and it became $35 a month.⁶

The company provided some financial benefits, including the mutual death benefits as well as the Enka Credit Union. The Enka Credit Union was a special service, which the editors of the Enka Voice explained to be a loan and savings association. Both were advertised in the Enka Voice and gave information on each, such as the stipulations behind the credit union. Below, you can view the page that explains the Enka Credit Union. At the bottom it lists information about the 1944 Christmas Club which could only be joined by members of this credit union. This Christmas Club was a type of savings account accessible through the Enka Credit Union.⁷ It allowed workers to save money into an account and receive the money at the end of a time period specified by the company. Members had to sign up at a specific time in order to be eligible for the benefit of getting the money back at the end. This particular year, members could only join the Club between December 1st and 20th.⁸ The Christmas Club and Enka Credit Union were specific to Enka workers.

Page from the Enka Voice talking about the credit union.⁹

They also had multiple opportunities for kids, including programs like the ones Dr. Beaver mentioned: “I think I went to either a kindergarten or pre-k. . .program there in the building. . .I assumed it was sponsored by Enka.”¹⁰ These school programs allowed the children of Enka workers to develop friendships and find their own community. Enka also advertised the many summer camps “for boys and girls” throughout the region. “In the entire mountain section there are over 100 camps representing an investment in camp property of over four million dollars.”¹¹ The summer camps were one of many forms of entertainment offered in the Enka Voice to workers and their families.

1. “In The Library,” Enka Voice, November 1930, 3, in private collection held by Becca Norris.
2. “Enka Library Receives 2000 Gift Books,” Enka Voice, October 1931, 13, in private collection held by Becca Norris.
3. “In The Library,” Enka Voice, November 1930, 3, in private collection held by Becca Norris.
4. “Department Store Keeps Open Late for Enka Employees,” Enka Voice, November 1930, 10, in private collection held by Becca Norris.
5. Pat Beaver, interview by author, October 1, 2021, interview 1, transcript, Ramsey Library Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Asheville, Asheville, NC.
6. Pat Beaver, interview by author, October 1, 2021, interview 1, transcript, Ramsey Library Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Asheville, Asheville, NC.
7. “1944 Christmas Club,” Enka Voice, November 1943, 43, in private collection held by Becca Norris.
8. “1944 Christmas Club,” Enka Voice, November 1943, 43, in private collection held by Becca Norris.
9. “Enka Credit Union,” Enka Voice, November 1943, 10, in private collection held by Becca Norris.
10. Pat Beaver, interview by author, October 1, 2021, interview 1, transcript, Ramsey Library Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Asheville, Asheville, NC.
11. “Summer Camps for Boys and Girls,” Enka Voice, July 1930, 4, in private collection held by Becca Norris.