More and more people are telling us that they would like to buy products made in the U.S., so we have begun noting American-made products in ShopSmart. In our July issue, our roundup of top gas grills included the American-made Huntington Patriot 658184 (shown here) and the Vermont Castings Signature Series VC532255. Both scored great in cooking performance. Though we haven't tested the products that you can buy from the following shopping sites, if you're looking for other stuff that's made in the USA, you’ll definitely want to check these out.
Norton's USA This Illinois-based general store sells only goods made in the U.S. Scrolling through the site, I was reminded of an old-fashioned general store—you can find everything from kids’ and grownup clothes to birdhouses, gardening supplies, and all manner of home goods like table linens and kitchenware. It’s the kind of site you want to just poke around in, just as if you were in the store. I was most impressed with the wide selection of baking supplies, including unusual cake pans in fun shapes like castles and beehives. If you're into decking the house out for Halloween, be sure to check out the Halloween section.
The New England Trading Company, LTD As you might guess, everything on this extensive site, from woven cotton blankets to gorgeous hand-thrown pottery, is made in New England. It's also a great place to scout out cool and unique hostess gifts—crushed lobster shell wine stoppers, sea stone napkin rings, granite coasters. You'll also find sturdy canvas totes with iconic anchor or lobster motifs, and colorful bags, doormats, and even dog leashes made of lobster rope. According to the site, the lobster rope is recycled Maine float-rope once used to tether lobster traps together in the sea. Maine fishermen have switched to heavier sink-rope, which is safer to marine wildlife. Good for them! And be sure to look for nice discounts on items in the sale section.
Luxe & Liberty is a beautifully curated site of American-made items for the home from all over the U.S., including utilitarian pots and pans (manufactured by Calphalon), decorative lighting from North Carolina, Teco art pottery from Illinois, and very cool Michigan-made birdhouses and weathervanes that make me wish I didn't live in an apartment building! Look for bargains in the sale section. And they even have a bridal registry.
excentric
02:10:24 PM on Thu Jul 5 2012
Thanks for posting this. It gets discouraging when you can rarely find anything that is not made in China. I will be buying from these sites, and supporting American workers.