MAKING IN AMERICA: PART 1 – THE IMPACT OF BUYING MADE IN THE USA

by Makers Market founder, Suzy Ekman

As we approach next week – with the grills sizzling, the flags waving and the fireworks exploding across the sky – let’s take a moment to think about what we’re celebrating.

First and foremost, Independence Day is a day of remembrance – the separation of our 13 colonies from Great Britain, through a declaration of independence penned by the Committee of Five, comprised of our forefathers. We declared that we were now 13 independent, sovereign states. We were created equal and our unalienable rights were for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Nearly 250 years later, we at Makers Market are striving to do our part to strengthen our country and communities by supporting the Makers around our great and beautiful land.

On average, we spend more than $700 annually on gifts, which equates to over $160 Billion of gift giving. If we all pledged to switch just ½ of those dollars towards goods made in America, it would have a tremendous impact on our economy.

Not only would we be helping to create jobs (potentially over a million), we’d be supporting people like Noah Guy, whose company Joshu+Vela prides itself on the quality, USA materials used in their rugged, stylish totes and bags – handmade in the USA. Or Jennifer Conner, handbag designer extraordinaire of Pennyroyal, who goes the extra mile to ensure her cotton is grown and leather is sourced in the USA. And Roco, the talented leatherworker behind Grits n’ Hokum, who learned the art of leatherworking and inherited his tools from his grandfather – and is passionate about carrying on this tradition.

We challenge you to make your own pledge this week. Start small by following our “Making in America” blogs this week, as we visit a few studios of American Makers to share with you their focus on American sourcing and American making – goods for wedding gifts, birthdays, graduation and all the other celebrations life gives us.

Watch some fireworks; grab an extra piece of cake. Join us in pursuing happiness – support American-made goods.