Since making a commitment about two years ago to purchase items made in America, I’ve been looking at everything I own to see where things have been made.
Most of my clothes were made in China or other Asian countries. Finding clothes made in America can be tough. I have to do research, and it means I no longer simply “go shopping” at a place such as Lord & Taylor when I need a party dress for the following week.
Unfortunately, many brands have moved offshore, including venerable U.S. brands such as Hoy Shoe Company, manufacturers of the iconic Salt Water® sandal. The footwear company, founded in 1944 by Walter Hoy, used to produce all of its sandals and shoes in St. Louis, Missouri. No longer.
Although the company is still family-owned, the classic sandal is now made in China.
I still have my son’s first pair of infant Salt Water sandals sitting on my bookcase. I was pleased to see “Made in the USA” stamped into the leather sole and am saddened the company believed it had to move its operations offshore.
I look at the sandals and wonder how many people lost their jobs.
Some of the furniture I purchased before 2000 was made in the U.S.; the stuff purchased relatively recently was not. I can tell the difference even without looking for a label because the items made offshore are cheaply constructed and lack elegance of craftsmanship.
Many of my kitchen utensils, purchased years ago, were made in the U.S. although today many manufacturers have moved to China or other countries.
KitchenAid stand mixers (mine is ca. 1990 and still going strong) are still made in the US.
Calphalon cookware used to be made in Toledo, OH, but is now made in China. When I learned this, I was pretty bummed because I like this line of cookware. But, my U.S.-made pots are still in good shape, so I’ll be hanging on to them until they or I bite the dust.
Bromwell Grater — Still Made in the USA
I like to cook but I don’t like a lot of gadgets taking up space on my counters. I don’t own a blender, a bread maker, electric can opener, or even a microwave. Nor do I own a Cuisinart food processor (made in China).
When I need to shred or grate cheese or vegetables, I rely on my box grater. It wasn’t until this past week, when I pulled it out of the cabinet, that I realized it was made in the USA.
A quick search revealed that my trusty grater, which has seen years (decades?) of use, is a classic tool made by the Jacob Bromwell® company.
(I shined it up for the photo above using S.O.S Pads — also made in the U.S. Yay! S.O.S Pads clean just about anything, including the creosote build-up on your fireplace insert glass — just saying.)
Founded in 1819, the Jacob Bromwell company is the United States’ oldest and most respected name in kitchenware, housewares, and heritage-inspired products. All its products are designed and manufactured right here in the U.S. and are guaranteed for life. Many of them, like my grater, are made by hand.
When people learn about my commitment to purchase U.S.-made goods, they often comment about the expense.
Yes, made in the U.S. goods sometimes cost more, especially if they’re made by hand, the way Bromwell makes its kitchenware items.
The Bromwell grater is priced at $125 on the company’s website — a high price indeed when you can get a made elsewhere grater from a high-end retailer for $20. I have no clue how much I paid for mine because I’ve owned it for so long.
But to quote Bromwell’s Lee Power, Head Coppersmith, “when something is made by machine, there’s not the same feel to it.”
It’s true. When something is made by hand, you can feel this difference in terms of material and craftsmanship. You can feel the heart and soul of the person who crafted it.
You can learn more about Jacob Bromwell and their hand-crafted products by visiting their website.
Links
Buying Tips: Women’s Made in USA Apparel — A Keep It Made USA write up
Cutco: Keeping US Manufacturing Jobs Alive in Olean, NY — A Keep It Made USA write up
Full Disclosure
I’m not paid nor asked to write about products or the companies that make them. All links in this piece are FREE — meaning, they’re not sponsored or paid for.
My mission is to keep manufacturing jobs stateside and this blog is my way of giving back. We like to think a “small” choice, such as purchasing something made in the US by American workers, won’t make a difference. It does.
Cory Ploessl
Great article Dianna.
I went to school with an artist from Hong Kong who made a lot of work about exploitation of workers in clothes factories in China. One piece that stands out, she took a common men’s dress shirt from the GAP and destitched every single stitch by hand while counting them out in Cantonese, recorded her hands doing it and then projected the video on the disassembled garnet. Chinese garment workers get minutes to create a shirt while it took her 4.5 hours to take one apart. I think she was thinking about the connection of time, labor, and worth.
Check it out: http://www.christy-chow.com/#!–laborland/c179e
Dianna Huff
Cory,
Amazing and thought-provoking video. Thank you.
I often think about the cost of an item such as a Gap shirt. The price of the shirt includes materials (often made in China), shipping from China, packaging, the retail stores, paying the sales people, and marketing (to name a few things). And of course, paying the CEO millions. Yet still, the shirt is relatively inexpensive — or is considered a “cheap luxury” — because the rate for labor is pennies.