# Good news for small one and two man shoppes.



## sandhill (Aug 28, 2007)

While looking at the possibility of relocating to the Winston Salem NC area I came across this article I thought "this is a good sign for wood workers" in that people may be more inclined to by from a local guy and in turn maybe just maybe we can beat the over seas competition. Could this be the beginning of a shift of the buying trend of the American consumer? Have we finally woke up to the fact that made in America or North America means jobs so the average Joe can feed his family and, "Here is a novel idea" Own a home without worrying about the bank foreclosing on it. Any comments?


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## rhett (May 11, 2008)

It seems to me that most people think that going to the "local" cabinet shop is going somewhere other than Lowes or HomeDepot, even though these shops are still providing the same overseas crap. It is a perceived value over the bigboxstore. The term custom has been so dilluted that no own knows what a true custom job is anymore. 
I do agree that people are looking more at quality products and less at instant gratification. Its mind boggling to think of how people justify buying large amounts of crap on credit, only to have it break and need replacement even before the first ones paid off. 
George Carlins summed it up best, "People buy s#@t they don't need with money they don't have to impress people they don't like."


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## TheWoodsmith (May 28, 2010)

I researched this quite a bit for my business plan and there is a major movement going on in our country where more people are shifting to handmade goods from a small operation. Some are motivated by their eco-friendly beliefs and others just realize that paper veneered particleboard looks good… well maybe on the box that the junk came in and for a week at best once they've gone through the pains of assembling it with the hardware that isn't all there and so on.. A site i use has recorded a 74 percent increase in sales of handmade goods from artisans worldwide over the past year alone. That says alot for us woodworkers also, because the average new household allocates more funds for furnishings than other aspects of home improvement. so lets all just keep our designs fresh, and our chisels sharp because I personally beleive that once the recession is over for us common folk, there will be a major demand for the fruit of our trade!


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

thanks


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## Wood_smith (Feb 12, 2010)

Another relevant issue is the growth of the labour movement in China. Honda workers just ended a weeks-long strike, "settling" for a 24% pay increase. The beginning of the end of cheap labor, in my opinion, has begun over there.
Soon free enterprise will put us on a more even playing field and people 'over here' will be glad to buy quality merchandise again, hopefully from local craftspeople!!


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## woodspark (May 8, 2010)

This all sounds very encouraging. Hope it all blows this way. Sharpening my chisels so long!


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## bigjoe4265 (May 16, 2010)

Now if we could only bring back American made tools with the local craftsmanship.

Bigjoe


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## Wood_smith (Feb 12, 2010)

My Kerry-All Pouches are made in Canada, and we're all kinda related here… North America vs. "offshore"


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## mmh (Mar 17, 2008)

I'm glad to see that this thinking of quality custom work made locally is coming to term. It will be a slow, hard path for those who are just making it to survive, but the public needs to be re-educated and that takes time. As an artist and woodworker all I can say is to keep on creating and keep the quality of design and workmanship to the highest level possible. I'm fortunate to be able to do my work and it's so rewarding to have a client realize how unique their cane is and that it's made to last a lifetime, if not more.


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