NANTUCKET – A great regional brand can become a national brand if it does one thing really well. Such is the case of Murray’s Toggery of Nantucket, profiled in the men’s style blog Maxminimus. Writes the expert: I remember my first pair-I got them long before I set foot onMORE HERE
Editor’s Note: The site is now sold out of inventory BROOKLYN – It’s the perfect moment for the craft-selling site Etsy.com, though calling it a “craft” site is kind of an understatement, as it has very little to do with the junk you might find at a typical non-juried craftMORE HERE
CLEVELAND – We are indebted to the website A Treasury Of for telling us about the sweaters of Ohio Knitting Mills. The mill has closed, but some of their product samples survived. While not all are being sold, some are. It’s like a vintage store, but its all new! AtMORE HERE
PALMYRA, Penn. – If you like Lebanon bologna, there is only one brand, Seltzer’s. Made and smoked by hand in Palmyra Pennsylvania, Selzter’s was founded by Harvey Seltzer, who “created a unique blend of pure beef and spices in 1902, his bologna was so popular that he began commercial production andMORE HERE
SIOUX CITY – There are lots of brands of popcorn, and many consider it a commodity, particularly bagged variety sold under store brands. But there are great brands of popcorn including: Orville Redenbacher, founded in 1971 Jiffy Pop, founded in 1959 and now made by ConAgra Pop Weaver, founded inMORE HERE
LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS – In the pantheon of grocery products, there are certain ones that are not essential, yet are essential. In the UK, it’s Marmite and Bovril. And across the United States, we have all sorts of regional variations. One regional New England product is Marshmallow Fluff, made by Durkee-MowerMORE HERE
TARBORO – So we had some shrimp. And we needed cocktail sauce. Lucky for us, somehow we found some Billy’s Cocktail sauce in the cupboard. It is made by Billy and Jean Trevathan of Tarboro, N.C. Don’t quite know where it came from, but apparently Billy’s starts with an appleMORE HERE
BROCKTON, MASS. – Among (and apparently) the nation’s oldest candy makers is F.B. Washburn, founded in 1856. One of the first products of the company was the Waleeco Coconut Bar (associated with Red Sox baseball) and the Wasburn Peanut Bar. They also made a number of hard candies, including ribbonMORE HERE
It’s Memorial Day Weekend. A time to celebrate America. And what brand epitomizes the spirit of this country better than Birdwells. Made in Orange County, California since 1961, they are perfection. They started with Carrie Birdwell Mann, who transformed her house into a sewing room and store, launching Birdwell BeachMORE HERE