The Artifact Blog
Why We Still Make Things Here
The third edition of Crafted With Pride: A Directory of Made in USA Gear has arrived, and we're honored to once again be included among the hundreds of companies making things here in the United States.
This edition is considerably more comprehensive, expanding to more than 500 pages and 2,400 American manufacturers, with new categories and an even broader look at what is still being made domestically.
What continues to resonate with us about American manufacturing is what it makes possible.
Making in small batches gives us the freedom to respond to what people actually need, experiment with colors and materials, and pursue ideas that wouldn't always make sense at industrial scale. We can turn a piece of salvaged awning or an interesting roll of vintage fabric into a limited run simply because we think it deserves another life.
We also make just what we need. We're not waiting months for a shipping container filled with thousands of identical products, nor do we need every idea to justify that kind of commitment. That gives us room to be scrappy, resourceful, and occasionally take a chance on something simply because we think it's interesting.
Some of those ideas become permanent ARTIFACT products. Others might exist for a dozen pieces and never be made again. That's part of what keeps the work interesting.
There are real challenges to manufacturing this way. But after sixteen years of making products in Omaha, we still believe the constraints can be as valuable as the opportunities.
Crafted With Pride documents a much larger community of companies finding their own ways to continue making things here.
We're proud to be among them.
PURCHASE A COPY OF
CRAFTED W/ PRIDE 3rd EDITION
