In days past, these chairs and tables flowed from the Plantation Patterns factory by the thousands.
But that plant was quiet on Tuesday, as the whole town waited and speculated about the future of Randolph County's largest employer.
Meadowcraft Inc., the plant's Birmingham-based parent company, was forced into bankruptcy by its creditors in March. The primary lender was Wachovia Bank, which is now part of Wells Fargo & Co.
As part of a liquidation auction in July, Meadowcraft's cushion and umbrella factory in Selma was bought by Home Casual LLC, a Wisconsin-based company.
No suitable purchaser has been found for the Wadley plant, according to Mayor Jim Dabbs.
"The bank is still taking bids and nothing has changed here," said an employee in the Plantation Patterns management office who declined to give his name.
The employee said that the outdoor furniture business is seasonal and that the plant always lays off workers in the summer.
In March, Sam Blount, chairman and CEO of Meadowcraft, announced that Jerry Camp, former president, and Larry Maynor, chief financial officer, were no longer with the company. According to court filings, the company's net income was exaggerated by $12.4 million in order to obtain loans.
Plantation Patterns employs more than 500 people in Wadley, a town of less than 650.
Jesse Elliot, a Wadley resident who works in Anniston, was having a late lunch at the Country Kitchen on Tuesday. He said that the plant seemed almost completely empty and that locals are fearful for its future.
"(Wadley) is like a ghost town now. There used to be folks everywhere. You drive through town now and it looks like a Sunday morning," Elliot said.
Elliot said that speculation and rumors around town have ranged from vandals traveling by train to ransack the plant to prospective buyers landing their helicopters in Wadley to survey the property.
A permanent shutdown of the plant could have a devastating impact on Randolph County, which is already facing double-digit unemployment. More than 13 percent of Randolph County's residents were out of a job in June, a figure that represented 1,265 people. If the workers in Wadley lose their jobs, that number could go as high as 19 percent in the next unemployment report, which comes out later this month. This would give the county one of the highest unemployment rates in the state.
Tal East, an employee at B&D Quick Stop, said that business had slowed in the last few weeks. He added that on Monday, crews hauled soda machines away from the plant.
"It ain't lookin' good," Elliot said.
