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The Tip is 'Don't procrastinate' For years I've been buying ink jet cartridges from a big box office supply store. These cartridges were made overseas and labeled with the well-known brand of a large American printer company. One I remembered a local store that advertised quality cartridges. I had traveled by this local store hundreds of times but never stopped. This time I stopped at the local store. To my surprise I discovered that they carried the cartridge I needed and it was a Made in USA cartridge. Made in Chicago, to be precise, and it was half the price of the imported ones I had been buying for years. The quality is exceptional and they last longer too. Who knew? After that experience, I make a point to stop at every store I can. By doing so, I've been finding more and more Made in America products. Occasionally the clerks don't know the country of origin; this can be discouraging but finding the origin information yourself isn't difficult I've come to realize. Believe it not, there are actually a number of computers made in the US including laptops made in the USA. When the label is not visibly displayed I use the other Made in America buying tips to help me find Made in US. If the store doesn't carry what you are looking for, use Made in America Secrets to find it and tell the manager about your experience at their store. If enough people are asking for Made in America products stores will begin to carry them. Buying Tip Continued - Read more on Made in America Products by Rustic Hickory Furniture Indiana's rich history of hickory and rustic furniture-making dates to the late 1800s. While many Indiana hickory furniture manufacturers and lone artisans have come and gone, the demand for rustic hickory furniture is more popular than ever. For the true rustic furniture enthusiast, hickory furnishings and Adirondack & Appalachian-style accessories are viewed as unique art pieces?.reminders of simpler times?yet quite functional even in today's modern world. Hickory wood possesses properties of being tough and strong, yet extremely flexible. Because it is one of the most durable woods harvested in the United States, hickory seems to be the choice of wood among purist rustic furniture makers. Desiring to preserve the individual art and handcraftsmanship of Indiana's renowned history of hickory furniture-making, the husband and wife team of Craig Trent and Dawn Moran established YesterDays Furniture in 1997. While fewer and fewer major hickory furniture manufacturers provide custom log home furnishings, their two-person operation fills the niche in that regard. All processes, from kiln drying to by-hand sanding and finishing take place in their small, yet efficient Southern Indiana studio. Much of the soil in Southern Indiana is conducive to the growth of hickory trees, so the availability of secondary-growth hickory saplings is abundant. rustic furniture made of hickory wood Always an avid woodworker, Craig Trent left a successful manufacturing career to pursue his love of woodworking. The Old Hickory Furniture Company in Shelbyville, IN provided the atmosphere for Craig to experience and develop in the mass-production side of the rustic hickory furniture industry. For quite some time, he served as Old Hickory Furniture's supervisor over two departments, Case Goods and Commercial Store Fixturing. In addition, Craig personally built all the company's prototypes, enabling him to work closely with Chip Kalleen, nationally recognized rustic furniture designer and former Old Hickory premiere designer. rustic furniture made of hickory wood Meanwhile, during the early 1990s, Dawn Moran spent free time traveling to various Indiana State Parks, admiring nature and quickly falling in love with the rustic hickory furniture showcased at Indiana State Park Inns. Fate took over in 1995, when Dawn met Craig and discussions about rustic furniture enveloped their lives?? Recognizing a need for custom handcrafted hickory furniture, Craig left Old Hickory Furniture in 1997 and the couple returned to Dawn's rustic retreat in Southern Indiana where YesterDays Furniture was founded. Over the past seven years, Craig has created an extensive and unique line of signature hickory furniture. In 2000, Dawn developed a line of hickory cabin and rustic lodge accents and accessories, which has become a successful addition to YesterDays Furniture. In their spare time, Craig and Dawn enjoy gardening and playing with their three dogs, Spencer Tracy, Mary Riley, and Lola Marie! During the year, the couple can be found exhibiting at select art shows and festivals across the Midwest, including Bloomington, Indiana. |
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