Made-in-the-USA

Does is Matter?

Gary and I became involved with Made-in-the-USA when we started our woodworking business in the mid seventies. The American Craft movement was in its early stages and growing stronger. The shows that we exhibited at were exclusively for American craft artisans.  There were American craft galleries popping up all across the United States and they shopped at these shows and bought our woodcraft products. We didn’t think a whole lot about importance of all this at that time, it was just the way things were.

When we opened our own craft gallery in 1980 we never considered selling anything but American Craft. It was what we knew and loved. At the time there was not much competition from imports since they did not compare in quality or innovativeness of design. As time went on the quality imports improved greatly as did the design. Unfortunately many of our American artists were having their designs ripped off by overseas manufacturers. A few were successful in copyright lawsuits, but many were too small and inexperienced to pursue legal action. Some artists abandoned their designs and their businesses. Rules about “no photographs” became stricter at trade shows but that did little to stop the rip-offs. It was easy to buy a sample and have it mass-produced overseas.

As the ever-increasing flood of well-designed good quality merchandise began to flood our market it became increasingly harder for American artists and galleries to compete. Some artists felt that the only way they could stay profitable was to have their designs produced overseas themselves. Many American craft galleries decided that they needed to start including imports in their store to stay profitable. At Craft Company No.6 we have struggled with this issue in recent years but we have chosen to resist the temptation to buy the cheaper imports. 

Because of our commitment we have found that there are certain areas where we simply can no longer compete. We were once well known for our enormous collection of ornaments during the holiday season but most of our artists cannot compete in price against imports so they have gone out of business or decided to have their designs produced overseas. We do on occasion buy holiday ornaments that are made overseas but only if they are designed and manufactured under the supervision of an American artist.

After NAFTA went into effect it became easy to do business with Canadian artists and several of our trade shows started to allow Canadian artists to exhibit. Due to our close proximity to the Canadian border we do have Canadian customers and because of the good relations between the US and Canada we decided to start representing some Canadian artisans. About 20% of our inventory is Canadian and 80% American.  

Several years ago we did a customer survey asking if the fact that we carried Made-in-the-USA products mattered. Most responded that it was a nice feature. When we asked if customers were willing to pay more for something Made-in-the-USA the answer was “no” in most cases. So, that is where the dilemma lies.   

Americans should be concerned and want to “buy American” and many probably do not give it enough thought. At Craft Company we care and we are proud to offer Made-in-the-USA and Made-in-Canada products to those customers who do care.

 If you would like to send us your thoughts on this subject or suggestions for other informative links please email us.
 

Lynn Allinger
President/Founder

P.S. I have copied some links below for those who would like to learn more about the  Made-in-the-USA movement.

Made-in-the-USA Product Search Engine and Database. 
Your starting point for shopping the net for American made products

Savor Independents.com Did you realize that we can add millions to the local economy by patronizing independent businesses?

Made In America Directory Search by state for fine handmade glass, pottery, jewelry & gifts!  www.AmericanStyle.com

‘Made-in-the-USA’ means little to furniture buyers. Concerned with price, consumers increasingly furnish homes with imports.

Co-op America is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to harnessing the economic power of consumers, investors and businesses to promote social justice and environmental sustainability.