Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Council Axe
"Council Tool Co. is an American manufacturer of high quality hand tools based in North Carolina. John Pickett Council founded the business in 1886. Council Tool is still a family owned and managed business, led by the fourth generation of the Council family. Their products are made of the highest-quality materials — American-made steel and American hickory. As of early 2010 the average years of experience on the factory floor was over 11 years and the average years of experience of production management and engineering was over 18 years." This axe is from their premium line of axes but see also the Boy's Axe and the Double Bit Michigan Axe.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Offerman Woodshop Mustache Comb
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
A Town in New York Creates Its Own Department Store - NYTimes.com
"THE residents of Saranac Lake, a picturesque town in the Adirondacks, are a hardy lot — they have to be to withstand winter temperatures that can drop to 30 below zero. But since the local Ames department store went out of business in 2002 — a victim of its corporate parent’s bankruptcy — residents have had to drive to Plattsburgh, 50 miles away, to buy basics like underwear or bed linens. And that was simply too much.
So when Wal-Mart Stores came knocking, some here welcomed it. Others felt that the company’s plan to build a 120,000-square-foot supercenter would overwhelm their village, with its year-round population of 5,000, and put local merchants out of business.
It’s a situation familiar to many communities these days. But rather than accept their fate, residents of Saranac Lake did something unusual: they decided to raise capital to open their own department store. Shares in the store, priced at $100 each, were marketed to local residents as a way to “take control of our future and help our community,” said Melinda Little, a Saranac Lake resident who has been involved in the effort from the start. “The idea was, this is an investment in the community as well as the store.”
...
And there is no denying the challenges of competing with mega-retailers whose scale and clout give them enormous cost advantages. Craig Waters, Saranac Lake Community Store’s general manager, has had to be creative, stocking American-made products as much as possible ....
So when Wal-Mart Stores came knocking, some here welcomed it. Others felt that the company’s plan to build a 120,000-square-foot supercenter would overwhelm their village, with its year-round population of 5,000, and put local merchants out of business.
It’s a situation familiar to many communities these days. But rather than accept their fate, residents of Saranac Lake did something unusual: they decided to raise capital to open their own department store. Shares in the store, priced at $100 each, were marketed to local residents as a way to “take control of our future and help our community,” said Melinda Little, a Saranac Lake resident who has been involved in the effort from the start. “The idea was, this is an investment in the community as well as the store.”
...
And there is no denying the challenges of competing with mega-retailers whose scale and clout give them enormous cost advantages. Craig Waters, Saranac Lake Community Store’s general manager, has had to be creative, stocking American-made products as much as possible ....
Sunday, October 23, 2011
The Scientist
Willie Nelson covers Coldplay's The Scientist. This song and a stop-motion animated film were commissioned by Chipotle Mexican Grill to promote sustainable and humane farming. Proceeds benefit the Chipotle Cultivate Foundation. What's more American authentic than the family farm?
Sunday, October 2, 2011
General's Pencils
Or
"The General Pencil Company is a family owned business. It has been owned and operated by the Weissenborn family since 1889. Edward Weissenborn, a brilliant mechanical engineer, founded one of the first pencil factories in America. He learned the art of pencil making in Germany while working for the I.I. Renbach Lead Pencil Company. In 1854, he came to America to establish his own pencil factory. In 1864 he accomplished just that. General Pencil Company's artist products come to you from their factory in Jersey City, New Jersey."
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
10 American Industries Still Hanging On - Yahoo! Finance
"For most of the last century, the United States dominated global manufacturing -- no country could compete with America's output.
In recent years, however, the news about domestic manufacturing has been discouraging, if not devastating. Industry surveys have shown a decline in most sectors as the US continues to lose its factories to cheaper labor markets overseas, and especially to China. ...
Surprisingly, however, there remains a handful of heroic holdouts. Bloodied, battered, but not yet down for the count, there are still pockets of US manufacturing scrappy enough to keep the lights on in the face of overseas competition. Here's a look at 10 survivors worth celebrating."
In recent years, however, the news about domestic manufacturing has been discouraging, if not devastating. Industry surveys have shown a decline in most sectors as the US continues to lose its factories to cheaper labor markets overseas, and especially to China. ...
Surprisingly, however, there remains a handful of heroic holdouts. Bloodied, battered, but not yet down for the count, there are still pockets of US manufacturing scrappy enough to keep the lights on in the face of overseas competition. Here's a look at 10 survivors worth celebrating."
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