Made in China- do we care?

[bmccasland]

There's an interesting TV ad running right now...
Small independant barber shop, been there for a long time, then a "big box" shop opens directly across the street from him and offers hair cuts for $6. So he goes to a BigBox office supply store and gets a banner sign that says "we fix $6 hair cuts" and 6 months later the competitor across the street closes.

We're supposed to feel happy because the little guy beat out his BigBox competitor. But no one was supposed to notice that he didn't go to a small business sign store for his banner. No, he bought his banner from a BigBox Office supply chain. I guess the small business sign shop was already put out of business, but the local barber still has a chance?

[OakLeaf]

Okay, this is really drifty - but related, you'll see. After hearing Joel Salatin on the radio and Wendell Berry ♥♥ in person yesterday, my thoughts strayed to the band-aid on my fingertip....

When I developed a wart a year and a half ago, the first thing I tried was the paint-on chemical wart remover that I'd used on my last wart. That turned out to be unwieldy, so I went to the drugstore and bought some chemical-impregnated pads to be taped onto the wart. After a couple of months the wart seemed to fall off... but within a few weeks it was back.

So next, I went to the drugstore and bought one of those home cryosurgery kits. Waited a week, nothing. Treated the wart again, still nothing. Started combining the home cryosurgery with the chemical wart remover (they sell combined kits, but at least I combined the treatments I already had at home rather than buying yet something else). After three or four months, including some intensive treatment of the "roots," the wart seemed to fall off... but again, within a few weeks it was back.

So FINALLY I started doing some reading and learned about apple cider vinegar. Now, so far it's only been one week, so I don't know whether this will be a permanent cure, but it's working better and MUCH faster than any of the chemical company cr*p I paid good money for - and without near the amount of damage to healthy surrounding skin.

The point being, that even someone like me who considers myself educated and informed and careful about what I buy and use - I still fell prey to chemical company marketing, and immediately, unthinkingly, three times, went for the remedies they sold me when I had a little problem, even though I already had a cheaper, safer and more effective solution on my dining room table. And messing around with their products has cost me a year and a half of playing the guitar (not that I'd been playing regularly, but I have been wanting to get back to it).

That's how difficult it is to change patterns of consumer behavior and thought.

[Trek420]

Bmccasland, That's because small local sign shop doesn't have funds for a TV ad in much the same way as your LBS or even bikes themselves don't have those kind of funds.

NbyNW, which sourdough? This is one I like:
http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace....ad_company.php

[OakLeaf]

What's from my area?

Amish-built furniture and cabinetry;
art glass;
pottery both artistic and utilitarian;
Amish cheeses;
Longaberger baskets;
specialty rolled steel, cast iron boilers,

and plastics and chemicals - which goes to show that "local" doesn't necessarily mean "desirable."

[arielmoon]

Such great points here! I really love the input.

Sadly, it's almost like you have to thoroughly research a company before you buy something! Where items were made, the conditions they were made in, where the money goes afterward...

To make it more challenging, I am vegan and I try not to support companies that do or support animal testing.

[Running Mommy]

Greenfield kickstands- still made in the USA. As are wald baskets I believe.. (may be wrong??, I'm brain fuzzy this am)
We are ALWAYS looking at our shop! That's always our goal.
We carry Krieg bags, and I thought they were made here, but alas they are now made in the Phillipines... sigh...
I think Canari is made in so cal as well now that I think about it. And they are cheaper than Sugoi product..

[Trek420]

I think Canari is made in so cal as well now that I think about it. And they are cheaper than Sugoi product..

Lots of it right here:
http://www.teamestrogen.com/canari/p...0-b100023.html

Thanks RM

Local things made in my area:
my kitchen cabinets

My cabinets were made by a local company but like many things the wood, fittings, materials could be from all over. But it was part of my decision that they be local. This morning amoung the snippets I caught on NPR news was a sad figure about food pantries in the US, that 1 out of 8 in the US have needed help from a food pantry this year.

I'll always get items from whever I feel is best for a number of reasons; price, quality, aesthetics .... but I try to be a local'varian where I can.

[NbyNW]

Bmccasland, That's because small local sign shop doesn't have funds for a TV ad in much the same way as your LBS or even bikes themselves don't have those kind of funds.

NbyNW, which sourdough? This is one I like:
http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace....ad_company.php

I was just thinking about the ubiquitous sourdough that you might get in any deli or restaurant . . . not really sure where it all came from!

Acme looks amazing! I seem to recall the ferry building was under renovation when I lived there, and I don't think I ever made it up to the Berkeley location. We usually ended up at Zachary's for pizza when we went up there.

[tulip]

I really like consignment shops. I've gotten some fabulous mid-century modern furniture pieces for my house. The two dressers were made in the USA (stamped on the drawers); one was made here in Virginia. But buying perfectly good things from a consignment shop is a good way to go for alot of things.

Alot of my clothes are from a really wonderful consignment shop. High-end, high-quality, lightly used clothes. No one notices, and I get lots of compliments on my Dolce and Gabana pencil skirt ($20, looks like it had never been worn).

My bikes were made in New Mexico, Oregon, and Taiwan. None are from consignment shops, but all are from either the builder or a local bike shop.

Local things made in my area:
my kitchen cabinets
my concrete countertops
produce from the farmer's market
my homemade bread (the flour is from Virginia, but I have no idea where the yeast comes from)
Fralin Pickups (for guitars)
Some Ikea furniture products (they opened a factory in Danville, Virginia I heard)

Do what you can, don't sweat the rest.