Sure, we may be entering the mother of all global trade wars.
No, you probably don’t want to buy t-shirts or sneakers made by 9-year-olds in an overseas sweatshop.
But how can you know which products were made in a foreign country, and which come from the good ol’ USA?
Just click on AnytownUSA.
The website — which calls itself the first-ever “American Made Marketplace” — is Geralyn Breig’s brainchild. A high-powered Wharton grad who served as president of Clarks America, Avon North America and Godiva Chocolatier International, she may be promoting Anytown.
But she lives and works in Our Town.
The site went live less than a month ago. It offers thousands of products, and dozens of sellers. Its bread and butter is local artisans, small businesses and locally made products. They range from apparel and accessories to home goods, and from individually crafted one-of-a-kind pieces to large-scale manufactured merchandise.
The only requirement: Every product must be made in this country.
Geralyn Breig (right) and seller Michelle Ciarlo Hayes on the recent SiriusXM “Tastemakers” program.
Consumer Reports says that 80% of Americans would prefer to buy American-made goods than comparable, imported ones. Over 60% say they’d pay a slight premium.
Breig spent the past year traveling across the country, meeting people who make items domestically. She also found some right here, at last winter’s Westport Young Woman’s League holiday crafts show.
Now — from her office on Post Road West — she’s given them all a platform to connect with shoppers from coast to coast.
(Click here for AnytownUSA. Social media links include Twitter @anytown_usa_; Facebook @AnytownUSA.marketplace; Instagram @anytown_usa_ and Pinterest: @AnytownUSAcom.
Thanks, Dan. Just added Anytown to my homepage!
I keep putting in “vacuum cleaner” for product search, and I keep getting back “vacation”….
Sure, it’s great to buy American, but how many of the components/ input come from other countries?
Geez, Nancy, I don’t know? But please, tell us! Clearly you know everything!
I don’t know either, but thought it was a valid question.
Nancy, it is a good question! On AnytownUSA.com, Sellers have to certify that they follow FTC guidelines. Each item then gets an icon that identifies the item as one of three types: Made in USA (All or virtually all of the materials are made in USA)., Made in USA of US and Imported Material, or Made in USA of Imported Material. We also go one step further and require at least 50% of the Cost of Goods are US. You can read more about it on the website, anytownusa.com – – I invite you to take a look!
Many thanks.
Here is another link. It has been around for years. While it takes a
different approach from AnytownUSA, I think both websites could interest
folks. http://madeinusaforever.com/
This is a great idea that is long overdue. I will definitely shop at Anytown USA.