On My Mind

Sorry to be such a girl, but my idea of tools is hammer, saw and screwdriver (and yes, I know about the slotted vs. Phillips head thing). Th...

I thought I was so crafty when I decided to have all of my children in late summer. I wanted my maternity leave to be in the fall, and after...

Perhaps it is my East-coast bias, but I always associated furniture manufacturing with North Carolina/Southwestern Virginia/Pennsylvania, wi...

American-made polo shirts are scarce as hens’ teeth, but perhaps will be spared the fate of the Passenger Pigeon. Pine Island Sportswear , m...

Every year, our elementary school PTA holds a Silent Auction to raise money for various projects and purchases. Last year’s auction raised a...

I have written before on this blog about Hartstone Pottery ( Zanesville , OH ), and it’s a great comeback story! A pottery closed, then re...

Wal-Mart has announced a new plan for entering the urban market, which has in the past been unreceptive to the retailer. The company plans ...

Selling happiness . Marketers never sleep, as evidenced by the mailer today from Safeway. “Joyful people are more compassionate toward other...

No surprise that the Internet is littered with junk sites. The worst are the automatically generated lists of links, based on a few keywords...

Cancel the APB, the missing blogger has been found! I took a sabbatical of sorts, and was hanging around machinists. I felt a bit like Alic...

A few months ago, I wrote about the dilemma facing customers and retailers who liked USA WORKS jeans but were concerned that they were bein...

With all due respect to my friends in the Wisconsin dairy industry, I recommend that all of us go out and buy something Danish in support o...

Almost unnoticed, the Dan River Inc. textile mill slipped quietly under the waters of the global economy. Dan River was best known for its ...

It’s hard to imagine a wardrobe without denim jeans. What started out as hard-working wear for men has evolved into a fashion basic for men,...

Visiting VillageTraditions.com is like taking a leisurely trip through the unspoiled countryside of northern Vermont . The site offers simp...

Today I received an email that shouted: “Make Your Home Clutter-Free!” “Tackle Your Toughest Storage Tasks!” “Shop Our Problem Solvers Colle...

My first virtual catalog, posted for Fall 2004, featured hand-painted pottery by Hartstone Pottery of Zanesville, Ohio. I loved their Pumpk...

For those who felt that I set my sights too low for 2006 , here is an important "news story" (Disclaimer: not a true story) by Dav...

Yesterday I discovered a really COOL little web techy tool that produces a map of the most recent 100 visitors to my website, StillMadeinUSA...

That popping sound was the housing bubble bursting, but I’m not worried because I’m diversified (I own GM stock). All the columnists (the pa...

Christmas is a lot about nostalgia and memories. My mom serving my grandmother’s suet pudding with hard sauce. The Christmas stockings that ...

Last week, the Commerce Department announced that the U.S. trade deficit reached $68.9 billion. This is such a large number that most of us...

Don’t we have real issues to debate, or must we argue about how to greet each other during the holiday season? And yes, the phrase “holiday ...

Like many of you, I have been doing a lot of holiday shopping on-line, mostly at StillMadeinUSA.com (shameless plug for my site!!). I was k...

North Pole. This week Santa’s Elves voted to organize and form a union, reacting in part to concerns that “The Boss in Red” might decide to...

Every month our elementary school sends home a newsletter that gives updates on all the activities at the school (including a lot of long-te...

The Woolrich, Inc. website has an inspiring Flash history of the company, from its early days in the 1830’s as a supplier of rugged, warm w...

For those of you who have noticed my absence from the blogosphere, my excuse is that I have been hip-deep in economics papers. Today I emerg...

We survived, but we are not the same . . .

Outside the small town of Pinehurst, North Carolina, the family-owned Pumpkin Creek Clothing Company manufactures and sells knit clothing. I...