made in the usa
American Made Furniture: Or Is IT?
Are you looking to buy American Made furniture? One of our customers mentioned yesterday that she finally found us at Vermont Woods Studios after searching high and low for furniture made in the USA. She was amazed at how difficult it is to ascertain where a piece of furniture is made.
Kind of like cars… it's nearly impossible to find a definition of US made furniture. That's because most furniture companies we think of as American are making their furniture overseas (for example, Bassett, Broyhill, Lanye, Lazy Boy, Ethan Allan, Thomasville, Pennsylvania House, Drexel, American Drew, Stanley and others). Rather than be up front about it, they will often complete the last manufacturing step or two (for example applying the finish) in the USA and will then state that their furniture is Made in the USA. They lobby against any sort of definitions for the American made label because it does not suit their interest.
Just so you know, though there are furniture makers left that really do make their furniture 100% in the USA. Vermont has become the hub of American furniture making over the last 30 years or so, as North Carolina companies have mostly gone overseas.
Of the 2000 or so Vermont furniture makers, I can think of only two that have a portion of their operations overseas. That says something about Vermont, don't you think?
Stop Shipping American Wood to China
We've been working hard to raise awareness about where your furniture comes from and how it is made. Part of our founding mission at Vermont Woods Studios is forest conservation and we've focused much of our attention on preservation of the world's rapidly disappearing rainforests.
Did you know that up to 90% of the furniture you see in American furniture stores today is made with wood that has been illegally clear cut from the rainforest? In fact the rainforest is being logged at a rate of about 1 football field per second to satisfy the world's insatiable demand for cheap furniture and flooring.
Hard to believe isn't it? But sadly it's true and along with loss of the forest we are losing many species of plants and animals. Scientists estimate we lose over 100 species every day just due to rainforest destruction.
Well, I guess our efforts (and those of many others) to protect the rainforest are beginning to have an effect because China and other overseas manufacturering hubs are beginning to find additional sources of lumber. Guess where they are getting enormous supplies of wood?
Would you believe Vermont? Yes and other places across the USA and Canada. So here's how it goes: logs are shipped from the USA to China. They are fashioned into low quality furniture by workers making about 20 cents/hour. Then the furniture is shipped back to America for sale where it will hold up for about 3-5 years before it's placed out on the curbside. Does that sound crazy to you? I guess that's what they call globalization.
But there are still many small furniture makers in the USA who are fighting to maintain our 200+ year traditions of craftsmanship, style and quality. Check them out before you head to Ashley Furniture or Bob's Discount. You'll pay more up front but in the long run you'll save big time, buying high quality American made furniture that will be in your family for generations.
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