by Barbara Toncheff
The mainstream media seems to always love to perpetuate the myths that buying American is not only hard , but supposedly more expensive. My recent *radio show guest, Lawson Nickol, owner of “The All American Clothing Company” , busts both of them.
Located in Arcanum, Ohio, The All American Clothing Company ships its Made in USA clothing fast and efficiently to any destination. They have a wide variety of clothing including ladies tanks as low as $7.99, men’s tees $8.99 and jeans as low as $43.99.
What’s unique about The All American Clothing Company’s jeans is that they are traceable right down to the U.S. farmer who grew the cotton for them! That’s right, every jean from them comes with a number that you can take to their website, key in, and trace the very “birth” of your jeans. The process is explained on their website in the Frequently Asked Questions link. You won’t be able to find that option with cheap Walmart jeans nor the majority of those so-called designer jeans that often time use overseas slave labor yet cost 10 times more than Mr. Nickol’s jeans.
The most recent pair I purchased from The All American Clothing Company were traced to a farmer named Robert in Sumner County Kansas. This particular farmer happened to be a third generation farmer in Kansas since 1919. As someone who dabbles in genealogy, it makes me feel good knowing that little old me can actually help contribute to a family legacy as well as the U.S. economy. All that for the sum of $44.00 with free shipping when combined with items over $99.00. My package arrived in 2 days, which I believe that if I also paid for the shipping, would’ve saved me time and gas money had I ventured out to scour a number of stores only to find imported clothes of lesser quality and sometimes even higher in price.
Sure, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that I can at least try on the jeans in a big box retail store. The reason you need to is that each batch purchased for big box stores may vary in how the same size may fit because of the poor quality control of most overseas sweat shops. Not so with The All American Clothing Company’s items. In fact, Mr. Nickol’s size chart is very specific and worked perfectly for both my husband and myself.
No worry, just throw your own jeans on your bed and measure them to compare with the very specific size chart on Mr. Nickol’s website and you’ll get your perfect fit. In fact, Mr. Nickol guarantees that if you aren't 100% satisfied, return any item within 90 days for a refund or exchange....NO QUESTIONS ASKED! Add to that their customer service is excellent and willing to please, why wouldn’t you want to purchase something from The All American Clothing Company?
In fact, I recently read about two famous sisters who were in the press recently for having their designer clothing line made in the U.S.A. I thought, how wonderful! That is until I read further that a plain white tee shirt costs $250.00! You read it correctly, $250.00 for a plain white tee shirt!
This is exactly what perpetuates the myth about American made clothing items costing more. It is these Hollywood sisters, and others like them, who get all the press, not necessarily great guys like Lawson Nickol. However Mr. Nickol was a regular on the Ed Shultz Show. According to Mr. Nickol, Ed Shultz was just a regular guy who he had several beers with, something that I have a hard time visualizing Hollywood mega stars doing with a regular person. After all, Mr. Nickol is that regular guy who truly deserves that pat on the back from the media, as well as your business, even if you could actually afford those ridiculously priced tees. In fact, I wish I could ask the sisters what they pay the people sewing their items to see how much of a profit they actually make just by labeling themselves as patriotic and sending the wrong message that buying American is costly.
Mr. Nickol is no Hollywood star, he is a humble man who once was a sales manager for a U.S. jeans manufacture. One evening while shopping in a retail store he discovered his company’s label on a pair of jeans on a style he had not seen before. Then he discovered that they were now actually made in Mexico! He quickly confirmed the devastating fact that his company was now outsourcing to Mexico and promptly handed in his resignation within a few days.
Mr. Nickol wanted to continue to support his customers that were loyal to the made in U.S.A. label by starting his own jean company. He started the business using savings, taking financial risks and working long hours. His All American Clothing Company continued to grow and flourish into a company that offers affordable U.S.A. made clothing for men and women, including outerwear and socks. All of the clothing offered on his site is also Made in USA Certified™. For those desiring the union label, some of the items he offers are union made as well.
Needless to say, Mr. Nickol has thought of every one, especially people like myself who desire to buy a cute spaghetti strap top made in the U.S.A. that’s even less costly than my local Walmart offers. I can assure you that the quality is better and there is also more fabric in the top that The All American Clothing Company offers because the top is longer, making it much more wearer friendly. I also like the fact that any shipping I might happen to pay will help keep the postal workers employed, which I’m sure my friendly mailman Dave and my usual UPS delivery person appreciates.
My hope is that wearing the made in U.S.A. label becomes even more “cool” than any pricey designer label and that The All American Clothing Company grows so large that it will rival Mr. Nickol’s former employer in sales. That not only would be a step in the right direction for our languishing manufacturing, it would set the precedent for many others to follow in Mr. Lawson’s brave footsteps.
It’s up to the American consumers to support the sacrifices and efforts Mr. Nickol and his family and others like him have taken to keep made in U.S.A. products alive and well including the freedom to still have that choice.
Now it’s more important than ever to buy American or else we will soon lose the same independence that our founder, George Washington risked his own life for and demanded himself. In fact, despite his reputation for being a “dandy,” he requested to have his Inaugural suit be made by an American tailor even though most fancy suits were imported from Britain. The father of our country chose to wear a humble suit of brown broadcloth with eagle-adorned buttons from Hartford, Connecticut when becoming the first president that this nation ever had. It was that kind of pride of ones own country that this great nation was built upon.
To me, that’s what being, and also buying American is all about.
*Go to 5/10/11 on the archive calendar to hear the show
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Buy American
Barbara Toncheff is known as a “buy American” activist who has been featured in the national media.
Barbara grew up in a nation when most consumer items were made by proud American workers. Barbara’s cause to convince people to buy American began after she noticed that foreign imports took over the shelves and showrooms as the good paying
jobs that were the genesis of middle class were shipped overseas to slave labor. She also remembers a time when cargo ships from around the world were docked at the Cleveland shoreline loading up hometown manufactured goods and employment was high.
Bad trade deal after bad trade deal have eroded the American dream and the standard of living that Barbara’s European immigrant grandparents originally came to this great nation for. She was raised to buy American and support her country and its workers.
Barbara’s 17 years as a CCT (Certified Cardiac Technician) in Cleveland’s major hospitals exposed her to patients from the indigent in the ER to foreign kings in private suites but she observed the middle class workers were the ones to worry most about unemployment and the cost of the tests she performed.
Barbara feels buying American is a workers rights, national security and environmental issue as well.
Some might think Barbara’s mission is a tall order in today’s force fed global mindset but her uncle, Jimmy Florian, was touted as David going up against Goliath when in 1950 he was Ford’s very first NASCAR win in a flathead Ford against racing legends in supposed faster vehicles. He beat the odds by “knowing the track” and her intent is for American workers to win by the same strategy.
Barbara’s well known quote is:
“If free trade has been so good for our standard of living then why has this nation’s largest employer gone from high union wage benefits paying G.M. to low non union wage benefits skirting Walmart?”  |
