Perfect gift? Goods made in the USA
This holiday season, Americans are expected to spend an average of $875 on gifts, food, decorations and other seasonal items, according to the National Retail Federation.
Yet as we all know, much of the consumer goods sold in America now come from overseas. Just last year, the U.S. trade deficit with China was $367.4 billion.
The impact of that deficit, combined with historic losses in American manufacturing jobs over prior decades, extends from coast to coast.
The good news is that recent government policy efforts and consumer sentiments in favor of domestic goods offer a glimmer of hope — one that every American can do their part to brighten this season by not just shopping locally but ensuring that more of the goods and gifts they purchase are made in the United States. It's not an “all or nothing” deal — even adding a few made-in-the
USA gifts to your list can make a big difference in the lives of local workers, families and businesses.
A number of recent bipartisan bills championed by the Biden administration have been passed to shore up American infrastructure and manufacturing — covering everything from roads and bridges to microchips. And while bridges and microchips might not be on the gift list this winter, the other good news is that a wider range of giftappropriate goods than most would expect remains available to consumers that are made right here in the USA.
Search “made in USA” on the internet and you'll see more and more small and medium-sized businesses selling products that just 10 years ago would have been difficult to source domestically.
The reaction we often get when people find out that they can get products like belts, wallets, hats and more from American manufacturers like the one I founded in 2014 in Massachusetts is that they simply didn't know these kinds of items were available from U.S. manufacturers anymore.
That's why we are raising awareness this holiday season that consumers don't need to settle for cheap imports — and can once again enjoy the benefits of high-quality, made-in-the-USA gifts.
Since 2014, we've owned and operated American Bench Craft, a leather goods manufacturer in Wilmington. As a military veteran, I've been honored to have the chance in my civilian life to help employ local workers, including several other fellow veterans. We're also proud to be a union shop, where all of our workers have a voice on the job and where they know they can come in every morning to a job with respect and dignity.
Our work and our workers bring us a deep sense of pride. The formula isn't complicated — make a good product, do right by our employees for an honest day's work, and provide great customer services — but it does rely on local people and companies choosing to prioritize “made in the USA.”
Creating quality products here in America does present responsibilities that certain consumer-goods goliaths couldn't imagine.
We provide employee benefits and pay fair wages, so our costs are higher than the purveyors of overseas sweatshops. Our products are made to last a lifetime, so we rely on high-quality materials that keep our supply costs high, no matter the market.
Customer satisfaction is key to our success, so that means building longterm relationships with individual consumers and larger organizations and companies that want to buy single or bulk gifts.
But in the end, we know we're making our customers happy and putting food on our employees' tables right here in the USA, and that makes it all worth it.
American manufacturing will never die, and it has a chance for a big comeback, but we need American consumers to remember America when they shop this holiday season.
We promise, you'll get more than you paid for. We live here, raise families here, spend our money here and pay our taxes here. When you buy American, you're not just buying a better product; you're reinvesting in our communities and the future of our country. That's something we all have a chance to feel good about this holiday season.
Jason Angelini is the co-founder of American Bench Craft, a quality domestic leather-goods manufacturer based in Wilmington.