Made in the Lehigh Valley

Tag: local

  • The True Value of Local Goods

    The True Value of Local Goods

    The local brewers of McCall Collective sell more than just "beer."
    The local brewers of McCall Collective sell more than just “beer.”

    Have you ever hosted guests from out of town and wished you had a gift to give them… from your town?

    There are tons of reasons why people might want to give locally-produced gifts at times.

    • Overnight wedding guests
    • Out-of-town college students
    • Business partners from out of town
    • New home buyers
    • Visiting and prospecting business people
    • Sentimental gifts for people who already live here

    There are probably dozens of ideas, but these are just a few of the more popular ones we’ve encountered since starting to promote local goods. I’ve had my own meaningful experience with local gift-giving… may I share a quick story?–

    Birkenstock

    When I was a student at Northampton High School, I participated in their German partnership program. I stayed with a family in Bad Endbach for a week.  Interestingly, the dad of my exchange family worked at a Birkenstock office (they make the most AMAZING sandals!), and on my last day at their home, he gave me a pair of Birkenstocks.

    Let me tell you– I treasured those sandals. I wore them EVERYWHERE. They took me through my entire educational career at Penn State. I wore them even when they didn’t quite match the occasion, because they meant something to me. They reminded me of my amazing trip, they were like a piece of my exchange home and family, walking through my future with me. I am not a very sentimental person, but the fact that Mr. Von Borstel brought me something from their town, put this gift in a whole other category.

    Most of the time when we talk about gift-giving here at Made in the Lehigh Valley, we focus on the special-ness of handmade goods. But locally manufactured goods are just as wonderful! Whether you are throwing a party with out of town guests, or hosting someone from another country, it means something to give a gift that’s made here.

    Dare we say, there is extra monetary value?

     

    Lesa Ukman, giving a presentation on valuation of Social Capital at the LVACA conference in May 2024.
    Lesa Ukman, giving a presentation on valuation of Social Capital at the LVACA conference in May 2024.

    Social Capital

    How do you quantify the extra sentimental or emotional or societal value of an object… if you can’t measure it in dollars? Recently at the Lehigh Valley Arts and Cultural Alliance‘s Conference, entrepreneur Lesa Ukman gave a speech about measuring what she called “Social Capital”– that extra UMPH that gives arts and cultural activities value. It’s hard to put your finger on… but you know the value is there, and it’s WORTH A LOT. (Lesa’s company, ProSocial Valuation Service, developed an equation to give monetary value to all of this “immeasurable” — how cool is that??)

    As we were watching Lesa’s presentation, I was having a huge, ardent conversation in my head with myself. (Actually, it wasn’t a polite conversation… I was just shouting at myself.) THIS. THIS is what Made in the Lehigh Valley is all about! When we think about giving gifts, locally-made ones have EXTRA… pizazz. They have heart or something… way more than imported gifts! The “localness” is valuable. When you search on Etsy fine art prints to hang in your new home, sure the prices of out-of-state photographers’ prints may be cheaper, but they are missing that… that… social capital. There is worth in having an art print that was photographed by someone in the Lehigh Valley.

    Using our Site for Gift-giving

    OK, so here’s the good news. We are very, VERY lucky, because the Lehigh Valley makes an incredible array of items, from delicious candies to the most beautiful art. When you are here, you are surrounded by talented, creative, entrepreneurial people who are just dying for you to see what they make.

    Now, your only challenge and last hurdle– is finding those people and their brands.

    At Made in the Lehigh Valley, our goal is to make it EASY for you to harness the power of local gift-giving, no matter what the occasion. If someone wants to give special, local presents, whether they are arts, crafts, or manufactured products, it shouldn’t be a massive undertaking to find fun ideas. Madeinthelehighvalley.com is here to do all the legwork for you and make it easy for you to find that perfect thing.

    So go ahead, make that Lehigh Valley gift basket! Browse our amazing artists. Find new brands. Have FUN, and know that whoever receives that gift, is receiving more than just objects.

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  • Why Our Community Needs a Maker Directory

    Why Our Community Needs a Maker Directory

    Downtown Easton, PA

    The Lehigh Valley is something special. We’ve got thousands of people moving into our area every year, and our natives are STAYING (because we’re vibrant and we’re beautiful)! We’ve got all types of areas: A little bit city, a little bit rural, a little bit suburban. Drive-able distance to the big cities, thriving arts & culture scene, a nurturing business environment, and an impressive amount of manufacturing!

    The population of the Lehigh Valley community is over 700,000 people (plus or minus).  Of those, we estimate that around 14,000 are making things AND selling what they make. Do you want to support them? So do we.

    But here’s the problem. When you search for these people on Google, they rarely come up. There are many reasons for this, but we’ll dive into that topic next time.

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    Lehigh Valley maker, 4Ever Lilys.
    Artistic epoxy/wood cutting boards, made by Lehigh Valley maker, 4Ever Lilys.

    Lose-Lose: A Quick Hypothetical Scenario

    Let’s say you’re at a vendor market and you find a lady who makes those trendy gorgeous ocean charcuterie boards, complete with seashells and foamy waves, and sometimes even sea plants. They’re around $90. You’re attending the market with your beloved aunt, who adores these boards, and wants to buy one, but decides against it because of the price. You both leave, and now you’re at home, thinking. Your aunt’s birthday is next week– wouldn’t one of those cutting boards make the BEST present??

    So you take to Google. You want to find this cutting board lady again. But what should your search terms be?

    “Charcuterie boards Lehigh Valley”  –> Results: restaurant businesses who sell catered charcuterie arrangements. Great results here, but NOT what you’re looking for.

    “Ocean cutting boards made near me” –> Blue Anchor Studio, Middleboro Massachusetts (and yes, Google location is turned on)

    “Handmade ocean charcuterie boards Bethlehem PA” –> Facebook Marketplace, Charcuterie boards for sale in Stroudsburg

     

    The final failed search results, before most customers would give up the fight and buy an import.

    … in other words, with Google, you will NEVER find this lady. The artisan has lost the sale. And chances are, you’ll just go to Etsy and find a pretty board made by someone in another state or country, so your aunt will not have the opportunity to find a board handmade in the Lehigh Valley. This bit of detail might have made the gift even more special.

    But to summarize, this scenario is a lose-lose.

    This happens ALL. THE. TIME. Why do we assume that we will find the exact makers we need, at the exact moment we need them, when they’re only ever available at pop-up markets??  In the end, search engines like Google and even Etsy favor the highest ad bidders, and the lowest prices. They do not favor our Lehigh Valley neighbors. Etsy doesn’t even have “Lehigh Valley” as a location filter.

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    Win-Win: A Better Option: A Regional Maker Directory

    OK, let’s go back to this scenario. Craft fair… your aunt loves this ocean cutting board… now it’s her birthday. Got it.

    You go home, and type “Handmade Cutting Boards Lehigh Valley” and the first search result is www.madeinthelehighvalley.com, and there are 5 makers! All verified local crafters, all selling ocean cutting boards. They are listed with portfolios/galleries. Some with personal sites, some with social media. ALL of them are available to learn about, easily.

    Luckily, the woman who was at the fair has joined the directory. You contact her, do porch pickup, and your aunt has a great ocean cutting board that she loves.

    WIN. WIN.

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    Building a Maker Directory Helps our Micro Economy

    The Fed gives their numbers every so often. Jobs are ____. Unemployment ____. Inflation ____. But our Lehigh Valley economy is more nuanced and personal than this.

    Makers who sell their goods NEED to make more sales. It is literally their job. Buying from local makers isn’t just a nice sentimental thing to do. It literally helps your neighbors, family, friends, friends of friends. When the rubber meets the road, it supports our regional economy at its source. The people. And, if given the opportunity, we bet YOU would choose to buy something made in the area, over something that was imported. Unfortunately, finding the non-imports online is pretty impossible.

    Allentown's Laura Brady, Fine Artist
    Allentown’s Laura Brady, Fine Artist

    Lehigh Valley Author Thomas Lubben

    Center Valley fashion designer, Lisa, of Remi Threadz

     

    And here’s another thing. If you buy from a local maker, they are more likely to spend those dollars locally later on. The dollars circulate HERE instead of, well, there. If you buy from a national chain, or buy imports, less of that money goes back to our community. It’s like we’re literally bleeding dollars to other states and countries.

    A regional directory of makers is a VALUABLE asset to the community– people AND the economy as a whole.

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    The conclusion? Shop locally-made. And makers, join the directory today!!

    Whether you live in the Lehigh Valley or you’re a tourist, or even if you have literally never been here before, please know that by supporting this website, you are supporting a culturally rich, beautiful community in Eastern PA, with tons of pride and heart. Before you shop Amazon, shop HERE. Thank you so so much for your support!

    Are you a Lehigh Valley maker? Stop losing sales! By joining our directory, you are:

    1) Adding yourself to a major growing community asset.

    2) Creating valuable backlinks to all of your sites and socials, which improves your search engine rankings.

    3) Letting a wider social media audience know about what you’re making.

    Learn more about joining here!

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