You bought a cheeseburger from China?

“It was cheaper ,” you say, “plus, money’s tight. “ If you’d thought about it carefully, however, you might have spent a little more money after deciding what you really care about, and gotten something that is not only better for you, but a better choice for yourself (and the country, which is also pretty important).

Why, then, buy your furniture from a country on the other side of the planet, made by people who are not accountable to your safety or value? Most people don’t pause to think about how things are made, but if they did, the decision would be much clearer – you buy something cheap and risk having to replace it soon, perhaps while exposing yourself to chemicals and unknown elements, or you spend a little more for a choice that will have longer lasting benefits, made from better “ingredients” whose provenance is no mystery. Seen from a wider perspective, cheaper often adds up to be more expensive both to your wallet and the planet.

For fun, we can look at how food and furniture are similar in a few ways:

Better food gives your body more of what it needs (stuff your body can easily break down and digest) and less of what it doesn’t (pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, preservatives). Better furniture offers better options (better, more sustainably harvested raw materials, more recycled and repurposed inputs, timely turn-around, size and finish options you can’t get from mass-production offshore) and less unpleasant results (products are better constructed, made from safer materials, made in safe working conditions by people earning a living wage, last longer, come in finishes that are easy to fix with good quality touch up materials, and backed up by people here in this country that are very proud of their work and interested in your satisfaction).

By buying food from local producers, you are more likely to get freshly made products instead of something made months earlier, which has travelled halfway around the world; better furniture is built one piece at a time, to order, not pulled from pieces that were made months or years ago, collecting dust as the orders trickle in) and comes to you in weeks, not months.

Buying food or furniture locally means more of your money remains in the local economy, keeping capable people employed in trades vital to a healthy, functioning society.

Less toxic compounds in the production of food or of furniture make for products you can enjoy with a clear conscience, knowing that your dollars are not supporting industry that harms the environment.

Ordering something a bit unusual and having the order filled by someone you can talk with (in English, maybe even in your own time zone) helps ensure you get what you need timely, and if something goes wrong, you can address the situation with someone who likely wants to make sure you are satisfied. Buying from an importer with headquarters overseas buys you little accountability and few options when something goes wrong. Replacements are usually cheaper than repairs, leading to more waste in our environment.

If you think you can’t find good quality American furniture for a good and reasonable price, you’re either not serious about supporting American manufacturing, or you’re just not looking hard enough. You may be surprised to find more American made products than ever, as domestic furniture makers find new ways to bring quality and affordability to retailers. Retailers themselves are in a tough situation these days, as their identities become tied to their inventory and service quality. Price and service exist in an inverse relationship; usually better furniture is a bit more expensive, but the folks selling it know plenty about it to explain what makes that difference worth paying for. Rest assured: when shopping for furniture these days, it’s pretty easy to figure out where the store’s management is headed. From how the furniture is displayed, you can usually get a sense whether

1.Offering better quality, American-made products is an important business focus, because the store can best deliver what a customer needs using local suppliers.

2.The owners/managers are trying to balance offerings of domestic and imported merchandise, perhaps hoping to mask the lower import quality by associating it with products made in the USA. (This type of store can only benefit the consumer provided the sales staff is forthright, explaining why similar looking items are priced very differently.)

3.Discounts rule, and service is illusory (there’s not much of a future in the race to the bottom – such stores are not selling furniture, but taking your money in exchange for something that appears to be furniture for a little while, then starts looking distinctly like landfill far too soon, making you wish you had your $299 back). Warranty and return policy information usually confirm that this kind of operation is price focused, not quality focused.

These days there are many opinions about how to fix our economy, with all but the most cutthroat profiteers agreeing on one point: we need to support our factories and workers here in this country. Buying American has never been more important than it is now, and will be for years to come. If you put thought into what you really need and shop for it as seriously as you do a new cell phone or car, you will not likely settle for inferior products, features, or warranties. Even with low expectations of quality, you rarely get your money’s worth when you buy inexpensive furniture. More often than not, you do get good value, extended service offerings, accountability, prideful construction, safe and repairable furniture when you shop mindfully and buy American. Being willing to pay a little more for better quality American goods may even result in the unimaginable: you might get more than what you expected.

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