Shuron: Wicked Retro Eyewear Since 1865
:: Retro classics :: Beautiful detailing :: Great pricing :: Wide variety of frames
Shuron frames have been a part of American history since 1865 – and have kept making their classics through the ages, all at reasonable prices. The website makes browsing their designs a simple and easy task – you are immediately greeted with a full page spread. Contact your local optometrist to see if they can order the frames for you – otherwise contact them directly or search online. Made in USA!
There are also quite a few models available at Bestbuy Eyeglasses:
http://search.bestbuyeyeglasses.com/search?w=shuron
Pointer Brand: Jeans and Denim for the Family
:: Great pricing :: Huge selection :: Many materials :: Timeless :: Rugged
One visit to Pointer Brand and you’ll wonder why denim companies are charging more for their imported clothes!! This is an American made denim brand since 1913.
Pointer Brand has a great selection of denim jeans, shorts, jackets, overalls, coveralls and every permutation in-between for men, women and children… even rugged totes and purses from the unique striped carpenter or indigo blue denim. While you’re there, it would be fun to pick up a conductor’s railroad cap for your kids – all for very reasonable prices. Made in USA!
http://www.pointerbrand.com/index.php/
Tamrac: Camera Bags, Cases and Straps
:: Reasonable pricing ::Available everywhere ::Great design and construction
I was very happy to see a full page on Tamrac’s corporate site dedicated to their USA-made products. A wide variety of their professional and traveler cases are made here, as well as a selection of lens cases, tripod slings and pro video bags. I own a few Tamrac products, and especially love my tripod bag, which makes it easy to bring a tripod along while traveling… the fabric is flexible and light for tight spaces, yet very durable.
If you are looking for a simple holster for your SLR and extra lens for traveling, or if you are looking to tote your whole kit, Tamrac has a variety of design permutations that will likely fit your exact needs. I was pleasantly surprised to see rolling models as well as backpacks, pro-systems, chest-mounts for action shoots, and the classic side-bags… dozens of designs. Their zoom packs accommodate the camera body and zoom lens in one compact design.
Sloggers: Comfortable Rain Boots and Shoes
::Alternative to Crocs ::Great prices ::Shoes, Boots, Hats :Slip resistant
LA-based garden clogs, boots, and rain boots for Men, Women and Children. Fantastic pricing, due to efficient molding processes, and the plastic material is specially formulated to be soft, flexible, yet durable. Insole is made of open cell polyurethane, so it wicks away moisture. Fun patterns and translucent material, as well as more conservative blacks or muted colors.
The shoes and boots are guaranteed waterproof, and new designs are coming all the time. Not just for outdoors, these shoes are great for Cooks, Teachers, Waitstaff, Veterinarians, Nurses and Medical Staff. Due to the all day comfort of these shoes, 40% of all Sloggers sold in 2011 were to the Medical industry).
Holly Aiken: Fresh Bags and Totes
*Clean designs *Hint of retro *Multiple colors *Antimicrobial *Multiple styles
Holly Aiken has a fantastic eye for proportion and design, and makes her fun and slightly retro bag collection in North Carolina. Offerings include vinyl totes, tablet (iPad) cases, messenger bags, clutch bags, and diaper bags in multiple color combinations, and featuring cool die-cut shapes. I had a tough time choosing only a few items to feature in our comp… they all look so colorful and tasty! A real plus with the diaper bags, is that they roll up for small storage.
http://hollyaiken.myshopify.com/
A fellow alum of NCSU’s College of Design, Holly’s website shows her Carolina pride and features local Raleigh happenings and local shops in her blog. Also be sure to check out the high-speed video showing some of the fabrication process in her shop.
http://hollyaiken.myshopify.com/blogs/news
Thanks for the suggestion Meghan B.!
Artful Vision: Dozens of American Artists And Good Causes
*Art of all types *Shop by category or by artist *20% of price goes to causes
There are so many fantastic artists and craft categories on this Art co-op, that it is almost dizzying. When you shop within this little community, you know that you are supporting an American artist, as well as supporting a good cause… and the percentage given to the cause is no joke either – a generous 20% goes to a cause of YOUR choice. On top of it, this art is reasonably priced to begin with!
There are many dozens of artists that cover sculpture, clothing, accessories, jewelry, pottery, lighting, birdhouses, greeting cards, slumped glasswork, photography, textiles, bath& body, you name it.
http://www.artfulvision.com/home.php
One item that I would like to feature is a hand-painted wall clock series by Christine Bailey Claringbold. She is a master at creating unique wall clocks that are painted on retired Vinyl records… now that is a clock with SOUL! (that is, unless it was painted on an old Muzak recording). The prices are great, and the detail is priceless. Get them fast before she gets really famous and hikes up the prices! She also puts her art on ceramics and on reclaimed CD spacers for a great suncatcher.
http://www.artfulvision.com/Christine-Bailey-Claringbold/
There are many great artists here.
Portabrace: Camera and Specialty Bags
*Huge selection *Professional Design *Soft and Hard Cases *Custom Options
Camera and specialty bags and hard cases, handcrafted in Vermont. Built for professionals, yet reasonably affordable. Bags also include rifle, Mini-DV, slings, backpacks, tripod, lighting, lens bags, audio recording, belt packs, wheeled production cases, DSLR, director’s briefcases… you name it! Hard cases are similar to Pelican brand. All product is very professional looking and rugged.. Even iPad carry cases and camera rain-slickers.
Spiritex: Organic Clothes for the Whole Family
*Organic, local, sustainable *Very reasonable prices *Unique designs
Of special note, this clothing line is sewn in Asheville, NC. Some of the classic staples with multiple color options, as well as some unique pieces that might start a conversation. Surprisingly, they even make a huge variety of onesies for babies, and youth tee-shirts. The men’s Hunter Jacket is under $100, is unique and classy, and they can still make a profit on it. This makes you wonder why the retail stores are selling imports at an even higher price than this! American clothing is COMPETITIVE!!!
Select handbags and accessories round off the collections.
Clipa: Instant Handbag Hanger
*Many beautiful finishes *Versatile hanging modes *Low price *Great gift idea
Without knowing that this awesome purse hook is made in the USA, we bought an imported model. Had we known, this would be the line to choose from! Mary swears by hers and all I know is that next year a few of our friends might get one for Christmas ;). Form and function are pretty clear when seeing this in action: it is a portable hinged hook that is used as a hook to keep your purse up off the ground and close to hand, and the no-slip pads add a touch of friction. Great for café cruising, and there are likely many untapped creative uses for it.
Traigo: Trunk Bags, Coffee Sleeve and More
*Trunk bag is collapsible *Growing product line *Semi-rigid construction
Traigo Bags: creates two notable products and completely opposite ends of the spectrum. The first note is a coffee sleeve with Velcro adjustment – to minimize paper waste for the disposable ones. At about $10, I wonder if Traigo can accommodate custom logo patches for some usable tradeshow shwag?
The second product is the “Black Box” – a sexy and rectangular duffle bag that stretches across your entire trunk. It has some elastic cording and loops for quick hooking, and 3 zippable compartments accessible from the top. It is also collapsible and portable, and there are adjustable semi-rigid panels to keep it looking peppy. If you are like me, your groceries, your apples and oranges end up all over the place after a return trip from the grocery, so this could be for you! At $295 it is a pretty good deal too.