Thorndike Mills closing: What’s replacing the rug maker at the Big E?
Thorndike Mills will close forever by the end of this year and will no longer sell its locally manufactured, nationally famous braided wool rugs from a high-profile booth in the Massachusetts Building at the Big E. Instead, when the Eastern States Exposition opens Sept. 13, the space will be filled by the Springfield Thunderbirds American Hockey League team and by My Main Squeeze, a fresh juice company from East Longmeadow, said Frances Pearson, fairs coordinator for the state Department of Agriculture and Massachusetts Building manager for the Big E.