Eli's Lids

I met Soni from the Stringbean Company via the wonders of the good ole’ Internet and she is awesome.

REALLY!

She is the creator of the Baby Wrap, Skidnees, Apron Duos & Kids Love Capes.

(more on that later this week)

She owns a Mom & Tot store in North Dakota (and online) where everything

(yes, EVERYTHING!) is made in the USA.

She’ll be sponsoring a giveaway here tomorrow.

(sneak peek here)

She is the mom of a 3 ½ year old, a 2 year old & 3 month old.

(and you thought you were busy!)

AND she is adorable to boot...

Of course she sells Eli’s Lids.

(completely made in the USA!)

After you read all about Stringbean head on over to their site and get 20% off using the coupon code LIDS. (valid till 2/5)

I’m so impressed with her passion for products made here in The States that I’m going to share her awesomeness with you...

What prompted the idea of a store that only carries products made in the USA?

When we started manufacturing our own products, we really wanted to keep everything in the USA. From the tags to the packaging to the fabric and trims...it was sometimes difficult or impossible to find what we were looking for. I did so much research about where things were made and why and started to see some major trends. I was a history teacher (in a former lifetime it seems!) previously, and I used to teach my kids about different periods in history where the US was in control of X market or dominated X manufacturing, etc...Many of those markets are now close to if not entirely dead in the US (textiles, plastics, steel, socks/hosiery, computers - just to name a small few) I became so passionate about supporting American companies and, more importantly, American companies who produced their goods in the USA. When I decided to open a store, I knew I wanted the challenge of providing only American made products at Stringbean. With the American economy the way it is, I feel that it's more important than ever before to support our home-grown products. Those companies pay taxes, hire American employees and support our communities and charities - we need them.

Is everything really made in the USA?

Yes! And we are so proud of it!
You have SO MANY amazing products for moms and kiddos. Has it been difficult to find products made in the USA?
It isn't hard to find products made in the USA, per say, but it is hard to find American made products that also meet the Stringbean standards of design, purpose and price. Occasionally, it becomes really difficult to find a certain product that is made in the USA. For example, I am currently on the hunt for a domestically produced (and healthy) pacifier- there are none! I'd also like to find a stroller and a modern high chair. I am also surprised how some companies don't advertise their "Made in the U.S.A" qualities, which makes it harder for me to find them.

What are the top 4 sellers at the Stringbean Company stores?

I'm pleased and pleasantly surprised that our top 2 sellers are non other than Stringbean's very own products:
#1 The Kids Love Capes! Superhero capes are by far #1. I mean, Kids LOVE capes, right?
#2 Skidnees arm and leg huggers, also a Stringbean product.
#3 is the Melinda G T-Shirt Soft Cup Nursing Bra.We can hardly keep these bad boys in stock! For good reason, too, they've got to be the most comfortable nursing bra out there.
#4 is the Dano2 Bath Ducki It's really hard to find USA made bath toys and anything by Dano2 is so modern and fun. Plus, the phthalates/lead/toxin-free duck opens on the bottom so you can clean out the mold (it's even dishwasher safe!). What's in your rubber duck?

Any advice for folks who want to start buying things exclusively made in the USA?
First, I'd say start reading labels! That alone should get anybody thinking about how much *stuff* out there is not American made. If it doesn't say "Made in the U.S.A." ask yourself how much you really need it. I've found that this mindset also helps me curb a lot of frivolous spending. I'm also a big fan of buying second-hand, especially when I can't find what I want in an American-made version. For those individuals who don't live near a craigslist city, ebay is only a click away.