As we celebrate our nation’s birthday this year, we should all try to make a wish that more of our friends and neighbors will look for that “Made in USA” tag sewn into a garment or screen printed onto a toy. Nothing can be more patriotic, aside from our servicemen and women defending our country, than buying American-made goods.
Each one of us has an obligation to revitalize a long tradition of manufacturing in the US, especially textile manufacturing, where we once were the world’s leader in production. Sadly, today about 95% of all clothing purchased in the US is made overseas. However, slowly but surely, that trend is beginning to reverse itself.
When I first started Baby Bling Street in 2010, our economy was reeling from one of the worst financial debacles since the Great Depression. I lost a very lucrative business, sourcing and designing products made in China, and ultimately sold these products to all the major big box retailers. Many of us, myself included, experienced a paradigm shift toward a stronger consciousness, when the sky was falling, that if we supported American-made products, we would improve our domestic growth, add more jobs and eventually strengthen our economy.
And, so I embarked on this new endeavor and developed a very strong passion to feature primarily American manufacturers when I launched Baby Bling Street. The challenge has been in sourcing affordable baby and toddler clothing, baby blankets, toys and baby gifts that are affordable. Unfortunately, we’ve all become addicted to cheap goods, but at a very high economic cost to our way of life. And, although many of our brands may be a bit more expensive, our customers continue to support Baby Bling Street because they’ve come to love the integrity of the manufacturers we feature, the excellent quality of the merchandise for the price and they understand by buying these brands for their children and grandchildren, they are also investing in their futures by preserving and restoring America to its former economic grandeur for them as well.
We love our partners, such as Cachcach, Dolls and Divas Couture, D.Mo, Haute Baby, HelloEveryWear, Padalily, and so many more for keeping their manufacturing right here at home. And, we love all of you for supporting these wonderful businesses by purchasing their beautiful products. So pass the word to your friends and family that they should consider choosing the Made in USA label over any other.
On this Independence Day, we wish to thank each and every one of you for getting our nation back on her feet, even if it’s one garment at a time!
Happy 4th!
Barbara Bontempo