A rug manufacturer about 100 miles northwest of Raleigh last week notified 141 workers that they will be laid off.

Mohawk Industries, based in Calhoun, Ga., blamed the layoffs at its Karastan Rug Mill and Karastan Sevice Center on "the global economic downturn and a dramatic decrease in sales," according to a layoff notice sent last week to the N.C. Department of Commerce.

The facility in Eden employs 326 people. About 185 will remain after the layoff.