If you’ve been to an American Field pop-up market, you’ve witnessed quite a range of American-made brands and companies on display. It's is a great reflection of the diverse handmade goods being crafted in the States. At the pop-ups, we have vendors of established heritage brands next to companies that have just started and are getting under their feet. The commonality bonding them together is their dedication to quality and passion for storytelling. 

 Some vendors are making their belts, jewelry, leather wallets or crocheted scarfs right in their booth at the pop-up. They design and sell goods made here in America, and most of them are making them with their own two hands. They’re doing it to keep up with the demand at the markets, but there are very good reasons why handmade products are still important today. 

“Handmade” isn’t just a marketing buzzword that’s slapped onto a box to move a product. Handmade items require a high skill level - generally 5-10 years worth of experience - in crafting the item that usually begin with an apprenticeship. Compared to working an assembly line, the craft worker's knowledge spans past a singular function in the construction of the product. When creating a handmade item, the artist must learn how to construct the entirety and how each portion complements the other. 

Because these bags, boots or rugs weren’t mass-produced with thousands just like it, there is an attention to detail and quality of fabrics that often gets over-looked in today's production. Multiples of these items can be cranked out, but they can never ben duplicated. Intention is important to each stitch, knot and design decision. 

There’s a story behind every piece and a person that has constructed the whole boot, rug or watch from inception to the finished product. Their hands scoured the item before completion to make sure it was appropriate to sign-off as completed. This all makes the product worth the extra money. When purchasing an American-made handmade good, you're investing in something that will last, possibly a lifetime.