July seems like the perfect time to take a look at items made in the USA. Of course, there are many factors that are considered when adding new products to our shelves, but Mast Store’s buying directive is to look in the local and regional area first, then broaden to national and international sources. Right now, our product mix is 20% Made in the USA, including foods, candy, socks and footwear, home goods, and clothing.

Our newest Made in the USA items are made exclusively for Mast Store by a North Carolina hosiery mill located in Granite Falls. The grand-old-flag design socks were introduced just before the 4^th of July. It is a pair of purposely mismatched socks to show the stars and stripes. There are even more styles featuring school colors and even a Bigfoot!

Raise your hand if you remember weaving a potholder when you were a kid. I see LOTS of hands. Many of those loops helped sock knitting mills find something to do with their trimmings from toe seams. The Wool Novelty Company has been in business since 1917 selling the square looms and hooks used to make potholders and the loops used in the weaving. Located in High Point, North Carolina, they ship out 200,000 pounds of cotton and nylon loops each year. That’s around 200 million loops! 

Colonel Littleton is a line that is made in Tennessee. What started as a whim some 30 plus years ago is now a well-respected company making thoughtful gifts that are destined to become family heirlooms. From pocket knives and hand-knotted leather bracelets to over-the-top backscratchers and iPad covers, each item is personally designed by Colonel Littleton himself. He says, “I have a real respect for days gone by and get a lot of inspiration for new products from the past.” If you are looking for a gift that has staying power, consider an item from Colonel Littleton.  

The Piedmont Candy Company is still making its famous peppermint candy the old-fashioned way, with pure cane sugar and peppermint oil. The red stripes are molded individually and then applied by hand, which makes each stick and puff a little unique. These classic Red Bird Puffs melt in your mouth, and if you place them just right in your mouth, they make excellent “straws” to add a little pep to your hot chocolate. 

Dr. Bronner’s soap has a very interesting history stretching back generations. It all started in the Jewish quarter of Laupheim, Germany in 1858. In the 1880s/1890s, the Heilbronners developed the first liquid castile soap. Emanuel (Emil) Heilbronner emigrated to the United States in 1929. He had a powerful personality, which led to clashes between him and his uncles. Emil drops the “Heil” from his name, advises US soap and chemical manufacturers, and adopts the title Dr. (with his thick German accent, scientific knowledge, and intense demeanor, no one bothers to argue or question). The iconic soap we all know was born in 1948. Its label has seen an update over the last several years, but it got its start when he was lecturing in Pershing Square – exhorting all to unite as one – and selling peppermint soap on the side. People would take his soap and leave the lecture, so he printed his thoughts on the label. Dr. Bronner’s is still a family operation and is the largest personal care company certified under the USDA’s National Organic Program. It also pioneered the 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottle and is a certified Fair Trade company.

Mast Store is always looking for new vendors and items to carry that are needed by our guests and customers. If you are a manufacturer and would like to be considered as a vendor for us, please follow this LINK to the New Vendor Application.