"Made in U.S.A." Stages a Comback

[Purveyor]

(10-12) 11:09 PDT Hollister, Calif. (AP) --

Deborah Evanoff thought she'd traded her frantic Silicon Valley career for a lazier pace when she took over the low-tech toy company her parents founded in the late 1960s.

Instead, she's ramping up Arrowcopter Inc.'s manufacturing operations and getting a record number of orders from retailers in 11 countries. More people are buying the slingshot-like gizmo, which starts at $4 and — as the packaging proudly proclaims — is made in the United States.

As consumers look for alternatives to Chinese-made toys following a series of recalls this year, dozens of small toy companies are struggling to meet surging demand. Some owners report online sales up as much as fivefold from last year. They're hiring extra workers, expanding warehouses and adding extra assembly shifts.

"Every time there'd be a new recall this summer, we'd get a huge new order," Evanoff said as she watched contract manufacturers stuffing neon-colored copters, rubber bands and wooden sticks into plastic packages. "We didn't stop all summer long."

Experts say the boutique American toy boom won't last beyond the recalls, which started this summer. So far, more than 21 million toys made in China — from Baby Einstein Discover & Play Color Blocks from Kids II Inc., to Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway by RC2 Corp. — have been found to contain excessive levels of lead paint, tiny magnets that could be swallowed or other potentially serious problems.

Retailers such as FAO Schwartz Inc. and Toys "R" Us Inc. downplay the recalls, saying they aren't likely to dent holiday sales or significantly change their orders. About 80 percent of toys sold in the United States are made in China.

---EOE---

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/10/12/national/a110922D74.DTL

[Crazy Dave]

1. How about "adult toys"?

I'm kidding....I'm kidding :hide:

[robinlynne]

7. the republicans are testing them all for us....

[rockymountaindem]

2. And yet the corporate flaks on TV say we can't compete

Of course we can compete on the "level playing field" they always rant and rave about. The only problem is that such a field does not exist. It will not exist as long as we allow China to manipulate its currency and deflate the prices of its export goods by 40%. It will not exist until the so-called "free trade" deals we have signed around the world which allow our trading partners to place high tariffs on some of our goods persist, while the same agreements mandate the the US remove nearly all tariffs from our imports.

America can compete as long as we want to. I hope our consumers will continue this trend and expand it beyond just toys to other products. If we decide to save our industrial sector, it's not too late.

[Orsino]

6. Wal-Mart stands squarely in the way of competition.

Their price demands ensure that quality never hits their shelves, and their practices ensure a captive customer base.

[hiphopnation]

3. ...

http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/

support American labor!

[Purveyor]

5. Thanks for the most useful link... eom

[hiphopnation]

8. you're welcome

pass it on, and support that site if you can!!

:thumbsup:

[Lochloosa]

9. I emailed that link to everyone in my list a few months agon

I have never had so many thank yous before.

Time to resend it...:toast:

[melody]

4. The best thing any young entrepreneur could be doing now is quality manufacturing in US

If they're all about long-term and a good standard of living for everyone, they have years of
positive growth ahead of them.

[1000evorlrak]

10. Given the choice

Most people will by quality, problem is todays consumers are so used to crap the falls apart with the package they forget what quality is.