On the other hand you might want to check the label on any chocolate you purchase to make sure it was not made in China. I wouldn’t worry so much about the major brands sold here in the U.S. but any off-brand or dollar store type of purchase should be checked for origin.

I’ve noticed lately that canned goods made in Asia come in a slightly different colored metal can. Our cans are silver but the cans from Asia have a gold tint to them. It’s easy to miss when a colorful label covers most of the can but if you pay attention you’ll see the difference. Check it out. I’m especially careful when purchasing canned meat, canned seafood, and Asian foods.

Hopefully I’ll be finding more time to post now that Fall is here!

I recently purchased a globe from Replogle. It was well-packed, delivered promptly, well-made and came with a nice instruction card. Just what I wanted! In encourage you to go to them for your “global” needs.

The Vermont Country Store is a good place to look for American made products. Not all of their items are made in America but there are plenty which are and they are clearly labeled.  There are tons more items in their paper catalogs than on the web.

I just received a catalog from Deva Lifewear. Their natural fiber clothing is American made. I discovered hard-to-find loose cotton nightgowns and caftans in their pages as well as a wide assortment of casual wear.

Consider Sullivan Glove Company for your leather gloves. Made in America for 65 years!

If you fight over the sheets every night consider Doubleups! Split heets attached at the  bottom. A very clever idea!

For those early holiday shoppers here is an electric skateboard from Electric Cyclery. Made in Santa Monica.

Next post - locally grown vs imported foods!

Flint River Ranch offers premium dog foods that are also widely available.

I have had no luck finding USA made bird food except for wild birds. Also no luck with fish food or exotic animal food (although your local bait shop might suffice).

 Here are some online retailers, some of whom are also sold in stores or at vets:

Alaskan Dog Treats Yum, salmon.

American Dog Treats

Animal Food

Aunt Jeni’s Home Made

Blue Ridge Beef

Boulder Dog Food Company Yup, they’re in Colorado.

Colorado Pet Chef  We’ve got a western theme going here.

Food 4 Pets offers USA made dog toys.

The Honest Kitchen

 I’ll keep looking! Next up – human food.

 Color Me Company makes cotton pillowcases, t-shirts, etc. that kids can color. Great for party favors/activities!

Replogle Globes for educational and decorative globes. All types, all price ranges. Made in Chicago.

Kimmel Gnomes adorable clay garden gnomes and mushrooms. Lots more character than your average gnome!

Bridge City Tools great quality woodworking tools.

Bills Khakis offers the highest quality khakis, jeans and oxford shirts.

Buffalo Billfold Company makes leather billfolds and handbags.

Bitters Bait and Tackle in Florida for soft plastic lures. Go fish!

Vermont Originals for a variety of fashionable hand knit ski hats. Custom hats available. Prices comparable to those foreign made ones at the local ski shop.

Trager Usa in Seattle makes backpacks, messenger bags and laptop bags. Great classic styles good for professionals.

Okabashi offers well-priced, trendy plastic clogs and sandals.

Van Ness Plastic in New Jersey makes dog dishes, litter boxes, hamster balls and more for your pets! Site has a list of major retailers who carry their products.

RJC Hawaii on the island of Oahu sews Hawaiian shirts. Why buy a Hawaiian shirt made in Indonesia?

 That’s it for today folks! I’m keeping my head up despite the local closings of a large commercial bakery, a plastics manufacturer and an auto parts factory. The plastics manufacturer just gave up and closed rather than try to compete with the cheap imports at Wal-Mart. The auto parts manufacturer is reneging on an agreement they made with the union two years ago. More concessions are required.

At least my area hasn’t been hit by the mortgage meltdown. There’s always a bright side!

Skating

Baby Skates teach those little ones!

Reidell Skates for bigger skaters.

Gymnastics

Gym Digs US Made gymnastics leotards

Mats, Mats, Mats offers a variety of US made gymnastics mats and balance beams

Satara Leos US Made gymnastics leotards

US Glove for gymnastics wrist supports and more

Board Sports

Beer City Skateboards Made in Milwaukee

Cohort Skateboards

Mini-Logo Skateboards my son uses these

Revolution Snowboard Made in Utah

Unity Snowboards Made in Colorado

 At Kmart I discovered USA made entryway rugs. They are thin, rubber-backed runners and large mats in blue, gray, maroon and green solids. They are affordable solutions for your inevitable entryway puddles and mud tracks. I bought several of them. I did not see any manufacturer’s name on them but they were located near the linens and sold flat or rolled. They are prominently labeled “Made in USA”. They can be washed at home if you have a front-loading washer and vacuum up nicely.

 I’m off to ski some more! Happy New Year!!!!!

 A friend of mine just got a gorgeous, authentic pea coat made by Sterlingware. It’s heavy and stylish and is made in the U.S. of entirely U.S. made material!  It will last him many years and will never be out of style.

I found it!! Performance underwear for my family. Check out Wickers. An alternative to the foreign made sports underwear at the mall. It is polyester and available in many styles. They even have flame retardant undergarments and apparel worn by the U.S. Special Forces.  I haven’t bought it yet, but you can bet I will. Their prices are much better than what I’ve seen at large sporting goods stores!

I just received the printed t-shirts I got for my son from Athletic Appeal. They are very nice shirts and were delivered very quickly. Give them a try!

I was recently out shopping and did some thinking. There were some lovely pillows on sale and I was very tempted to buy them. They were made in China. I put them back, thought about it for a while, and left without them. I decided to get my pillows and pillow covers at a craft fair or some other U.S. source. I didn’t need the pillows. They would have been pretty in my home but they would have been  a frivolous purchase. I looked around the mall and saw people buying all sorts of things that are probably frivolous. I thought about our consumer culture and trade deficits. I thought about the morning news, where they reported on how little we are saving for rainy days and retirement.

 I’d rather my money go towards a company here in he U.S., with fairly paid workers. A company that does not depend on sweatshops with 90 hour weeks and adolescent workers who should be in school. A company that does not have employees working with toxic chemicals without gloves or masks.  There is no guarantee that by buying from a U.S. company everything will be rosy and that they only have happy employees and trustworthy suppliers. Nevertheless I choose to keep my dollars here whenever possible. Doing so seems like the best bet for our future and I want to reward those companies who choose to stick it out and find their niche in spite of foreign competition.

 I’m glad I put those pillows back.

In Aeropostale we found some sweaters made in another country but the scarves and jewelry and camisoles we like were all made in China. We walked around an electronics store. As you’d expect all the goods were made in China. We left the mall with two pairs of socks made in Bangladesh.

 Off the the LL Bean outlet. We found goods made in Honduras and China. 

 Now I haven’t heard about contaminated clothing coming out of China but I’m determined to avoid it whenever I can. Here’s why:

Yesterday in my city, an agency offered to lead-test any item brought in to them. Dozens of toys which are not on any recall list tested postive. Some of the items were TEETHING toys.  A list was not published but I’ve contacted them to see if they kept one and if I can get it.

Colorful paint on ceramic mugs tested postive. Ok, so  you don’t drink from the outside of a mug, but you do handle it and then eat cookies with your fingers. A favorite mug may sit on your desk all day while you sip coffee or tea from it and be handled dozens of times.

I’m angry. I’m buying American, from companies listed here in my blog, as much as I can, but I was recently caught short. At the last minute my son needed polypropylene apparel for a Boy Scout outing in winter weather. I had no time to mail order any and every single thing I found was made in China. I bought the minimum necessary and am learning to plan ahead.

Here is something to think about on the subject of apparel. Many items having sizing on them when they are new, to keep them nice and neat. How do we know just what is being put on the garments? Is it a safe chemical, or the one that can be had the cheapest. Children wear sleepwear that is supposed to be fire-retardant. Is it? What is on those garments? Is anyone checking?

Sometimes it just isn’t possible to buy American, or even to avoid Chinese made apparel. I recommend you thoroughly wash items before wearing or using them.  I’d also beware of any bright red or green embellishments. Bright reds and greens seem to be the colors most often amped up by the addition of lead. Watch those buttons and baubles if that sweater comes out of China.

 I’m off to finish my holiday shopping, by mail order, made in the U.S.

Maine Made

Made in Vermont

Massachusetts Bay Trading Co.

New Hampshire Made

Only in Rhode Island

The Connecticut Store

A note about Polartec(r). See this entry in Wikipedia. You may remember Malden Mills, which suffered a devastating fire and was rebuilt. They did not enjoy success, in part due to a flood of cheaper imported fleece. Malden Mills has been purchased by an investment company and is called Polartec LLC. The origins of Polartec(r) fleece are now a bit nebulous. It’s probably being made overseas. You can find companies like Chuck Roast, which uses only Polartec(r) fleece in it’s American Made garments. It’s great that the garments are made in the U.S. but sadly the fleece most likely is not.

Just for fun – Utilikilts, made in America and just hilarious. The FAQ is a must-read.

It’s that time of year when floor mats take on a special importance! Here are some that are USA made from The Matt Works. Available for home, car, motor home and more.

A present for the fishing enthusiast in your home. A sturdy landing net from Beckman Fishing Nets. Also good for rounding up rowdy children and pets!

Decorate your home with an antique or reproduction iron bed from The American Iron Bed Co. These are beautiful heirloom items. Speaking of which, here is an article about a company who has found a market in Japan for their handcrafted furniture.

Protect your family (and the rest of us!) with a gun safe from American Made Safes.

Showcase your memorial flag or coin collection in display cases from Spartacraft.

That’s it for today!

Holgate Toys from Zebulon USA
Wooden train sets and more

Maple Landmark Woodcraft
Trains, blocks, games and other wooden items.

My Unique Wooden Toys
Like it says . . .

Old Fashioned Blocks
Maple blocks, games and riding toys.

Roy Toy
Wooden building toys.

 Whittle Shortline Railroad
Wood toys, trains, vehicles.

Wood That’s Fun
All sorts of wooden items.

Here’s how to avoid this problem. Get your wreaths locally from tree farmers and craft fairs or local stores. Don’t light them. If you do choose to light them don’t let your children handle the lights. Here are some sources of American made synthetic Christmas items. I have yet to find any holiday lights made in America or lights which are certified lead-free.

ChristmasDepot.com
American made artificial Christmas trees and garland.

Christmas In America LLC
American made Christmas trees and more.

Oak Tree Enterprises
Aluminum Christmas Trees made in the USA. Go retro!

USChristmasTree.com
American made Christmas trees.

Why not get your tree from a local tree farm? Christmas trees are a renewable resource. Many communities now pick up used trees and recycle them into mulch. You’ll be supporting a local farmer, preserving wooded lands (it’ll be re-planted) and avoiding the environmental cost of shipping trees cross-country. Real trees smell great and look wonderful. Make a wonderful family memory!

It’s not just the U.S. that’s having problems – this headline from Australia is extremely alarming. Date-rape drugs in toys!? (banging my head on desk here).

Where does it end? It ends with us folks. Refuse to participate in the poisoning of our children!

Is it a vast conspiracy, or just a small one which has roped in our legislators as woefully naive participants. It’s difficult to underestimate the sheer laziness and relentless self-absorption of congress. Here are some links to interesting reading.

HumanEvents.com
A conservative voice with some good graphics

OpEdNews.com
A liberal voice with various info.

SPP.gov Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America
Notice that this is a U.S. government web site.

U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics
A statistical view of what the articles above point out. Notice that the states already trading the most with Mexico are those on the proposed mid-west corridor. It supports both side of the argument.

PublicCitizen.org
See how congress voted on various trade issues. By individual vote on each item.