The Handmade Toy Alliance Pledges to Buy Hndmade

Online, October 1, 2010 (Newswire.com) - The Handmade Toy Alliance (HTA) will kick off American Craft Week (www.americancraftweek.com) on October 1, 2010 with an open call to all to pledge to buy handmade and local products this upcoming quarter.(www.handmadetoyalliance.org/Community/HandmadePledge.aspx). In conjunction with bloggers from all over the country, HTA will promote their members and artists in all mediums by utilizing social media outlets such as facebook and twitter to create a community of energy around the current thrust to buy hand crafted and local goods.

"We are excited to once again be working with an amazing community of bloggers and hand crafters to further spread the word of the importance of supporting our local communities and US based manufacturers," stated Jill Chuckas (CT), owner of Crafty Baby® and Board member of the HTA. "Our HTA blog week in June of this year was a week long highlight of our member businesses. With American Craft Week, we felt the focus should be broader - looking to hand crafted goods in all aspects and the importance of supporting small, locally owned businesses."

Over 40 blogs are currently scheduled to cross post with the HTA during American Craft Week. "When we hosted the HTA blog week, we found that many additional blogs - ones we hadn't pre-scheduled - began to post about our member's and the amazing products they create," said Dan Marshall (MN), owner of Peapods Natural Toys and Vice President of the HTA. "We expect that the same thing will happen during this event and look forward to seeing the additional buzz that is generated."

To follow along during American Craft Week, the HTA encourages people to join their facebook page at www.facebook.com/ToyAlliance and follow on twitter at www.twitter.com/toyalliance (twitter hashtag for the event is #HTApledge).

The HTA consists of 552 member businesses, including retail stores, toymakers and children's product manufacturers from across the country who want to preserve consumer access to unique handmade toys, clothes and all manner of small batch children's goods in the USA. Formed in November of 2008 in response to the CPSIA, HTA members are parents, grandparents and consumers who are passionate about their businesses as well as the safety of the children in their lives. While in support of the spirit of the law, the unintended consequences of the CPSIA have motivated members of the HTA to work to enact change at a federal level. For more information, visit www.handmadetoyalliance.org.

Dan Marshall, co-owner
Peapods Natural Toys & Baby Care (St. Paul, MN)
Tel. 651-238-8398
[email protected]

Jill Chuckas, Owner, Designer
Crafty Baby (Stamford, CT)
Tel. 888-788-5168
[email protected]

Cecilia Leibovitz, President
Craftsbury Kids (Montpelier,VT)
Tel. 802-223-7143
[email protected]

Mary Newell, Owner
Terrapin Toys
(Eugene, OR)
Tel. 541-461-1585
[email protected]