Winter 2014

Born in the USA By Lin Grensing Pophal

Hadley Pottery

Hadley Pottery, based in Louisville, KY, was founded in 1940, inspired by the designs of Mary Alice Hadley, an American artist. The company recently conducted some research on the “Buy American” trend which indicates that it definitely has some legs.

The survey of more than 250 consumers around the country included questions about plans to purchase and give gifts specifically made in the USA. The results indicated that 46 percent hoped to buy more American-made gifts in 2013 than in years past; 50 percent indicated that they make a special effort to find holiday gifts that are made in America. Other salient points from the survey:

• A prevalent desire to help Americans get back to work
• These purchases reflected a “patriotic effort”
• Respondents indicated a sense of pride in buying Made in America products
• When asked to list their favorite companies, responses ranged from large, well-known brands to small, local artisanal brands

Lin Grensing Pophal

Lin Grensing-Pophal is a freelance business journalist in Chippewa Falls, WI. She writes about marketing and business management issues for national and trade publications and is the author of Marketing With the End in Mind (IABC, 2005).