Vermont Furniture Store Says Buying "American Made" This Holiday Season Could Create 5 Million Jobs

Online, October 4, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Vermont Woods Studios staff member, Dennis Shanoff hatched an idea that could potentially create almost 5 Million American jobs if it catches on. "It started off as an idea to see if our team would be interested in buying only American made holiday gifts this year. It dawned on me as we were watching an ABC Made in America News special, which stated that if every American spent just $3.33 on American made goods, it would generate 10,000 jobs. With the holiday season approaching, I thought this would be a great time for us to launch a team project like this and also discover the things that America still makes."

Other staff members jumped on board with ideas of upsizing the project and increasing its impact. A statistic from the National Retail Federation was brought to light, that the total holiday spending by Americans is expected to be $462 Billion this year. "In comparison, ABC news noted that US college students spent about $46 Billion in back to school shopping this year, an amount that they calculated would generate half a million jobs. Holiday spending will be 10X more than back to college spending so following ABC's logic, it could generate 4.6 million jobs. We really could make a difference," said Shanoff.

"We know there are lots of other considerations to be factored in and this is not a scientific calculation by any means, but it does give one an idea of the considerable power American consumers have at the cash register," said Shanoff. "4.6 million jobs is about a third of the total unemployment in our country."

Staff members are busy spreading the word through the Vermont Woods Studios website, blog and Facebook trying to bring others on board and take the idea viral on the Internet. They are researching where to buy American made jeans, tools, electronics, shoes, toys and other the holiday gifts and posting their findings online. "It's a small grassroots campaign at this point," said Shanoff "but we have a couple more months to work with the media and our social networking channels, so who knows where it will end up? I'll be happy if we're able to inspire even a few people to think about where their holiday purchases are coming from and how buying American Made can help build sustainable communities for all of us to enjoy.

Pledge To Buy "American Made" This Holiday Season
Consumers can pledge to help generate American jobs by clicking on the Buy American Holiday Gifts Facebook Event. Event progress will be reported on Vermont Woods Studios blog. Additional photos and information about American made gifts will be posted on Facebook.

About Vermont Woods Studios

Vermont Woods Studios has been offering sustainable, 100% American made furniture in Vermont and online for over 5 years. Their work has been recognized by national media including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Fox News and The Weather Channel.
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