I was in the gift shop at Monticello today and could not find one item made in the U. S. Not one. And I spent nearly an hour looking. Even the quill pens and the Houdin bust replicas are made in Taiwan or China. And now we’ve passed CAFTA? (No, I didn’t spend a dime. I was tempted–those quills were nice ones.)
What’s next at ‘Little Mountain,’ sombreros?
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How sad! What about all our “made in Virginia” stuff – handicrafts and things like jams, cider, wine, etc. Why are these gift shops just filled with the standard ticky-tacky junk – excluding those lovely quill pens, of course? I know that I’m always disappointed when I go somewhere and cannot find a memento that’s actually made there.
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Quite honestly, I did not check the wines or the jellies–and some of them were there–I just had no interest in them. Of the things I did check, though, several dozen items–all were foreign made.
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CAFTA was a good bill. But you’re right, that is sad. Thankfully, there are people like you who seek out American- (and Virginian-) made goods. Hopefully more of you will be more vocal and business will respond by carrying more American- and Virginian-made goods…
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True story, I swear: My wife worked in the College Shop on Dog Street (Sorry, Duke of Gloucester) in Willimasburg during the bicentennial and a tourist then complained about all the Colonial knick knacks marked made in Japan. One of the other store clerks convinced the woman they were from a town across the river in Surry County, pronounced JAY-pen. Of course nothing is made in Japan (or Jay-pen) anymore either.
The quill pens and the other knick knacks should be made by the underpaid, underskilled workers of the third world who need something to trade. What I would hope is that some of the machinery they used was American made, and of course the actual manufacturing cost is only part of the price and the markup on the items you didn’t buy therefore didn’t make it into the Jefferson Foundation’s bank account.
CAFTA was a good bill, and maybe we’ll see more Guatamala and less China on the shelves.
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It’s noteworthy that most of Virginia’s–and other states’–economic development programs are (and have been for years) heavily weighted toward assisting large and medium-sized manufacturing companies over service sector firms.
Sadly, while these programs probably are helping a few communities and a few companies, they are swimming against a global tide.
As for small artisan manufacturers and producers, we haven’t found a way to stiumlate their development. Micro-enterprise loan programs that could help are reasonably available in urban areas, but scarce in rural Virginia.
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Will, you’re spot on here. The ‘shell building’ model of economic development is obsolete. I don’t know how long it will take our thinking to catch up with that fact. Some of the stuff at Monticello is beyond mere trinketry, but substantial, high quality artisanship at $300-500 per piece. There has to be room in that price range for Virginia artisans and craftsmen to compete, seems to me.
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Barnie, come over to my workshop and we’ll knock out a couple of Virginia style chairs, made from native wood. Then tell me if you think we can compete.
You can’t get artisanship at $300 to $500 per piece. Inexpensive, mass produced replica’s, maybe.
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It is depressing that so many Virginia souvenirs aren’t produced in-state.
Ray – According to Thomas Chippendale, a craftsman in his shop –which would imply an apprentice or two– was expected to produce six chairs a day; expected to produce a chest of drawers in a day. On the surface, it’d seem a 4 or 5 person shop with workers of that skill could make a go at $200,000 to $350,000 a year.
Will’s and Barnie’s point is too true. Part is just inertia, government is never good at keeping abreast or ahead of trends; once a department is established, change in focus is difficult. One vacant shell-building, sized to state advice years ago, was explained away by claiming businesses now wanted shell-buildings twice that size. Not.
The ‘shell building’ model goes deep into local policy. Especially as services rise and internet-based industry becomes profitable; zoning separating “commercial” from “residential” (aka “agricultural” in rural counties) becomes a barrier to economic development. Mixed-use and mingled-use makes sense, giving credibility to (Ray, go ahead and groan) ‘new urbanism’ type permitting.
Other solutions aren’t easy either: Cost of entry should be eased, rather than only focus on established business. Some abuse-resistant way of giving temporary tax-relief to startups would encourage their establishment. Taxing inventory, equipment and furniture no longer makes sense; it’s inequitable and it accelerates manufacturing flight.
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Monticello Online Store Search. Lots of Made in U.S.A. here. Perhaps some thing just aren’t made in the U.S.A.
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