Brownstone Pittsboro, NC Supper Club, July 21st: Eric Henry

Brownstone Institute Supper Club, Pittsboro, NC

Forest Hall at Chatham Mills

Tuesday, July 21, 2026 @ 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

$48 includes full meal and non-alcohol drinks, cash bar available

We are delighted to be hosting local legend of all things local Eric Henry of TS Designs in Burlington, NC

About the Talk

Eric can expertly discuss everything from bio-diesel to food and drink co-ops to NC cotton to NAFTA to natural dyes, and he will!  Eric will start with an intro to his wholesale screen printing company, TS Designs, that has been around since 1978, how they survived NAFTA as an apparel company and finally landed on The Triple Bottom Line, a business model of people, planet and profit designed to reconnect and restore equity and transparency in supply chains. 

Eric will also highlight the other organizations he has created and currently supports on  the company’s 4-acre facility, a hub for connecting like-minded businesses and organizations over the years.. For example, the Burlington campus now contains a natural dye garden and performs R&D in hopes of scaling up the use of natural dyes for commercial applications. A portion of the garden is also allotted to Eric’s latest project, the Piedmont Agrarian Collaborative (PAC), that connects the community with farmers. Eric will detail this model that falls somewhere between a CSA and a farmer’s market, being maximized for consumer satisfaction and convenience.  You won’t want to miss this wide-ranging and engaging chat!   

About the Speaker

As CEO of TS Designs, Eric is on a mission to revolutionize the apparel industry for the good of people and the planet. Based in Burlington, NC, at the intersection of agriculture and apparel, he is dedicated to producing high-quality printed apparel through a traceable, domestic supply chain. With his 40 years in the apparel industry, Eric has seen the shift to overseas production dominated by synthetic, fossil-fuel-based materials and he remains committed to helping create a sustainable and fair future for apparel. He has also championed the B Corp movement and TS Designs has been certified since 2008.

Other innovative efforts include developing the Dirt to Shirt™ tee with an entirely made-in-the-USA supply chain, pioneering garment dyeing techniques using both reactive and natural dyes, and promoting the use of natural fibers such as cotton and hemp. His company created the eco-friendly water-based screen printing process REHANCE.

Eric and TS Designs consistently emphasize the importance of supply chain transparency. For example, they developed WhereYourClothing.com, a system that allows consumers to trace every step in the production of their t-shirt, from the farmers who grow the cotton to the individuals who sew the fabric. Simply scan the QR code in the pad-printed neck label of each shirt to access this information.

Solid State Clothing is the retail brand of TS Designs as a way to bring meticulously crafted, locally grown and made shirts directly to consumers. Solid State releases small batches of premium-quality t-shirts and is a platform for experimenting with new materials like natural dyes and creative collaborations with regional artists and makers.

Know Your Clothing is a nonprofit initiative created in 2023 as a means to continue the research and development TS Designs has started so the company can focus on its manufacturing efforts. It is a way for the community to contribute and make a difference in helping repair the broken apparel industry.

Eric’s latest project is the Piedmont Agrarian Collaborative, one that brings together a diverse group of small farms committed to regenerative farming practices. It provides communities consistently and conveniently with fresh, locally-grown fruits, vegetables, meats, eggs, and more, fostering sustainability and connection to the land.

TS Designs also hosts the non-profit Piedmont Fibershed, a group that’s a guiding force in sourcing and making available fiber, textile, and dye products, with commercial grade looms available for individual fiber artists.

Eric has lived in North Carolina for over 60 years and he’s still dreaming up the next cool, community-minded thing on his rural homestead not far from TS Designs. In 2018, he helped start Burlington Beer Works, the first beer cooperative in North Carolina to open its doors with over 2,000 owners.

Venue & Details

Forest Hall at Chatham Mills, 480 Hillsboro Street, Suite 530, Pittsboro, NC

Forest Hall is located in a historic label mill built in the early 1900s, the venue has wooden floors, exposed brick walls and large windows. The 3500 square foot hall is located on 32 acres of woods and meadows in historic downtown Pittsboro, NC- just 20 minutes away from Chapel Hill and 40 minutes from Raleigh or Durham.  Catering is provided by 39 West Catering.   

Ticket Information 

$48 per person includes a lovely buffet style dinner and non-alcohol drinks. Cash bar available.  Secure your spot now!