LEWISTON — A local producer of socks and slippers has been bought by the world’s largest umbrella maker, the Acorn Products Co. announced Monday.

Acorn, based in Lewiston since 1976, was bought Thursday by the Totes Isotoner Corp., Acorn President and CEO John Donnelly said. The price Totes Isotoner paid was not made public.

Acorn makes a range of footwear and grew from a small specialty business to a national manufacturer by riding a wave of free publicity when NASA astronauts wore its first product, the slipper sock, into space in the early 1980s.

Totes Isotoner, an international corporation with headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio, sells items ranging from umbrellas and rain gear to clogs and ballerina slippers under several brand names.

“As part of Totes Isotoner, we are now a company with a global footprint, providing a line of products to customers and consumers beyond what we’ve been capable of in the past,” Donnelly said.

“Acorn will continue to operate from Lewiston and continue to grow our business,” he said. “We have an excellent team, and we are creating new opportunities for our employees to grow and succeed.”

The company employs a staff of 25, all but one based in Lewiston. Some  administrative positions currently located here will be absorbed by the larger Totes Isotoner operation “over time,” Donnelly said.

Acorn’s Lewiston office acts primarily as a marketing branch, while production is based in Mexico and China.

The company hopes that the merger will strengthen its footprint in the industry and expand available resources, Donnelly said. “We will be able to invest more in product development.”

“The company’s passion for innovative design and comfortable, high-quality products makes Acorn a natural fit with our footwear business,” Totes Isotoner president and CEO Doug Gernert said. “We’re very excited to welcome Acorn and look forward to growing together in the years ahead.”