what's made in usa and where do i get it?

July 2, 2008 4:15 PM

For my 4th of July present to America, I want to start buying American-made products. Where can I do so in San Diego? And would you be willing to make a list for me of American companies that make frequently-needed products?

Are there any nearby supermarkets which carry a high percentage of American products? As a last resort, I might be willing to buy some of the more expensive stuff online.

To make it a little easier, I'm also willing to buy from other first-world nations, especially since I'm going to try to avoid Tommy Hilfinger, GAP and Calvin Klein.

Any other general tips about making the switch would also be nice.

posted by Citizen Premier to Shopping (12 answers total)

Some New Balance shoes are made in the US. Some merely have parts made in the US.

American Apparel clothing is made in the US.
posted by jedicus at 4:24 PM on July 2, 2008

try this directory.

also here
here
here
here
here

and try this posting here

hopefully the blogger wont mind if i paste his list below.

#
Toys: Crayola's Silly Putty (Easton, PA)
# Cosmetics: Burt's Bees (Durham, NC)
# Cosmetics: Merle Norman Cosmetics (Los Angeles, CA)
# Toys: Slinky Toys (Hollidaysburg, PA)
# Candles: Yankee Candles (South Deerfield, MA)
# Teddy Bears: Vermont Teddy Bear Company (Burlington, VT)
# Jeans: Union Jean Company (Arcanum, OH)
# Playing Cards: United States Playing Card Company (Cincinnati, OH)
# Outdoor Gear: Cabela's, Inc. (NYSE: CAB) (Sydney, Nebraska)
# Sound Systems: B&K Components (Buffalo, NY)
# Carbon Bicycles: Aegis Bicycles (Camden, ME)
# Boots: Red Wing Shoes (Red Wing, MN)
# House Tools: Stride Tool Inc. (Glenwillow, OH)
# Handbags: Unique Bag and Design (Akron. OH)
# Women's Baseball Caps: Madcapz (Chicago, IL)
# Plastic Boxes : Oppenheim Plastics Co. (Saddle River, NJ)
# Appliances: KitchenAid Appliances (Benton, MI) (manufactured in Ohio, Mississippi; Arkansas; Tennessee; and Indiana).
# Baskets: Longaberger Baskets (Dresden, OH)
# Kitchen cabinets: Merillat Industries (Adrian, MI) (manufactured in 11 U.S. plants)
# Paper supplies: Mrs. Grossman's Paper Company (Petaluma, CA)
# Louisville Slugger Baseball Bats: Hillerich & Bradsby Company (Louisville, KY)
posted by buka at 4:36 PM on July 2, 2008

Give us an idea of what you consider to be frequently-needed products.

Off the top of my head:
Carhartt makes a few items in the states--in union shops, no less.
The wholly-domestic New Balance shoes in question are the 992s (formerly 991s) (there may be others; these are the ones I prefer).

With less certainty, I can recommend the following as probably American-made:
Integral Designs camping gear (maybe made in Canada?), some stuff from Outdoor Research
Western Mountaineering and Feathered Friends down jackets and sleeping bags
Nalgene bottles
Weber charcoal grills
lower-end Bell bike helmets
Cannondale, Waterford/Gunnar bikes (and, of course, any individual domestic framebuilder_
Channellock, Bondhus, Estwing, Klein and Craftsman (hand, not power) tools; Park bike tools (...tools are easy; I always felt like Ace Hardware was a fairly good place to buy household goods that were made in America; not sure if you have those out there)
Tom Bihn, Trager, Timbuk2, RE-load and Duluth bags and backpacks
Joseph Abboud menswear (I think it's actually union, too!)
posted by pullayup at 4:49 PM on July 2, 2008 [1 favorite]

American Apparel clothing is made in the US.

There's a store on 4th just south of University in Hillcrest. Also locations in Pacific Beach and La Jolla.
posted by LionIndex at 4:50 PM on July 2, 2008

Buy quality beer from local breweries.
posted by jclovebrew at 4:52 PM on July 2, 2008 [2 favorites]

Frequently needed? Go back to Vons, Ralphs, or wherver and read the labels. It's likely that your major-brand beer and your soda-pop are US made. You'll probably find a lot of processed foods that are still US made.
posted by Robert Angelo at 5:17 PM on July 2, 2008

All the farmers/flea markets, normally most of the gifts, toys, artwork, etc are American made.
posted by IronWolve at 6:48 PM on July 2, 2008

Are there any nearby supermarkets which carry a high percentage of American products?

The vast majority of the stuff in any Whole Foods meets this criteria.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 8:34 PM on July 2, 2008

This Union label site has a whole slew of stuff made in the US with union labor. There is also Shop Union Made but the website doesn't seem to work well.

Also, Timbuk2 no longer makes all their bags in the US. They also have production in China, Vietnam and the Philippines.
posted by cushie at 9:06 PM on July 2, 2008

Response by poster:
Give us an idea of what you consider to be frequently-needed products.


Sorry, I meant things along the line of pencils, nail clippers, batteries, and other miscellaneous small items that spur trips to the store.
posted by Citizen Premier at 10:13 PM on July 2, 2008

Do you need stuff that's manufactured completely in the USA, or just assembled in the USA? I'm thinking electronics would be a hard one to find.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 5:22 AM on July 3, 2008

Head to a local farmer's market for as much of your weekly groceries as you can find. We spent $15 last weekend and walked home with two bulging bags full of food - mostly bread and salad stuff, this time around, but we've also picked up honey, fruits, locally-raised meats, you name it. Plus, there are other benefits than just supporting local growers - the strawberries we bought were so much better than the ones in the local store. They were small (like strawberries ought to be) and packed with flavor.
posted by caution live frogs at 6:53 AM on July 3, 2008