Made-in-the-USA ~ Does It Matter?
Handmade art objects that are Made-in-the-USA or Made-in-Canada is the concept behind Poles Apart Artisan Gallery. Why is this and does it matter?
I've always been a collector of handmade art objects. Its what I'm drawn to and what I love, the quality, uniqueness and craftsmanship.
When we decided to open our store in the heart of historical downtown Derry our goal was to offer things not found in the area. We attended the San
Francisco International Gift Show in order to do this. It only makes sense that there too, I was drawn to American made products. It was not our goal
to be a gallery of contemporary crafts so we did purchase some imports based on price point.
In early 2006 we attended the Buyers Market of American Craft in Philadelphia. Story after story surfaced about artists whose designs were ripped off by
overseas manufacturers. Stories of artists that were forced to abandon their designs and their businesses. In the year and a half alone that we've focused
our efforts on buying American crafts, 3 artists have abandoned their craft and we've received 4 notices from artists informing us that their designs have
been ripped off by overseas manufacturers. While many American craft galleries decided that they needed to start including imports in their stores to stay
profitable we're committed to resist the temptation. All of our imports are separated and marked down 50%.
However, because of this commitment we found that there are certain areas where we simply can't compete. Christmas ornaments is one. 
The first Christmas that I tried to buy American made ornaments I couldn't find any. A Google search turned up that in 2006 $605 million was the value of U.S. imports of Christmas tree ornaments from China between January and August. Ok, everyone get out your glue guns and sparkle. It makes me wonder how much
better we'd be doing if all the money spent on imports were pumped into the US economy. So if you drop in at Christmas and don't see too many ornaments, its not because I forgot to order them. But rest assured; what we do have is American made.
After NAFTA went into effect it became easy to do business with Canadian artists and the trade shows we attend include Canadian artists. Due to the good
relations between the US and Canada we do represent some Canadian artists.
Americans should be concerned and want to buy American and many probably don't give it enough thought. We are proud to offer Made-in-the-USA and
Made-in-Canada products to those customers who do care. Please support our efforts.