A new store Elma, New York opened under the name Made in America. Everything in the store is made in the U.S. and many tour bus companies have added it as a stop.
The store has not yet turned a profit, because Andol is still expanding his line of products. He researches every item to make sure the components are all US-made, including the packaging. http://www.npr.org/2011/06/22/137301881/made-in-america-store-capitalizes-on-patriotism -via Fark
(Image credit: Daniel Robison for NPR)
Shop owner Mark Andol climbs aboard a bus and tells the riders that shopping here is a patriotic act.
"When you walk through them doors, I guarantee when you're shopping — the homework's been done — it's 100 percent made-in-America products. Made in this country by American workers, and the money stays in our economy. So, enjoy yourself," he says.
Customers pour into the spacious building, which used to be a Ford dealership. American flags and patriotic quotes adorn the walls.
The store has not yet turned a profit, because Andol is still expanding his line of products. He researches every item to make sure the components are all US-made, including the packaging. http://www.npr.org/2011/06/22/137301881/made-in-america-store-capitalizes-on-patriotism -via Fark
(Image credit: Daniel Robison for NPR)
This idea, called "mercantilism" --choking foreign trade and keeping American goods for Americans-- is actually one of the policies that made the Great Depression much worse than it would have been otherwise.
As good-intentioned as it is, this type of "patriotism" is actually the last thing we need right now as a country.
Granted, not everyone involved in said product is American, but some of them are.