One of the products Fox Creek Leather sells is American Made Gloves. A more complete list of their products is provided by Made in America Secrets, to review their list click here.

For more information about Fox Creek Leather and its Made in America products see the following:

Fox Creek Leather is a small, family-owned company located in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of southwestern Virginia not far from the Blue Ridge Parkway. If you want to know how all this got started, where we've been and what we're up to now, read on.

The Fox Creek Leather Story
By Paul Trachy
After getting out of the army in 1970, I engaged in the typical roaming odyssey that afflicted my generation. After six years, I settled on the banks of Fox Creek in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It's a beautiful part of the country where a carpenter with his own truck, tools, wife, and two kids could earn four dollars an hour. The desire to have food and clothing led me to supplement my income, and Fox Creek Leather was born.
Picture of Paul beside a trailer with a tirePaul changing a tire on the way to Sturgis, 1987.
I began selling leather on the road at swapmeets, drag races, parties, etc. The residual fear the public harbors towards bikers can probably be traced to these early bacchanalian rites. Even the most outrageous events of today seem like well-coordinated church functions compared to what used to go on. People got shot. People were run over. People fell down. Security was heavily armed and nervous. At the exit gate of one event, a billboard read: Before you leave make sure you have your helmet, your license, and your clothes.
My entire family worked the circuit, sometimes gone a month at a time. It was a great place to bring up kids. They got to see everything imaginable, with parental supervision. I remember one late August night in Sturgis, my young sons listening to some reformed-addict Christian biker friends talk about how happy they are to be alive, their dead friends, how bad this or that had messed them up. Best anti-drug program ever.
Two children looking through a pile of empty boxes at a deserted fairgroundPete & Seth in Atco, NJ looking through post swapmeet debris in search of lost treasure.
Because they were my crew, my kids were exempt from the over-21 rule most venues had. At one event, my five- and eight-year-old boys asked if they could join the crowd to watch the Wet T-Shirt Contest. You didn't see a lot of t-shirts at these contests. The boys came back to the stand, arms folded across their chests and seething with moral indignation, shaking their heads and muttering unfair, unfair. I asked them what was wrong. They said the girl with the largest breasts hadn't won.
Back then everything was made in the USA. I sought out the best craftsmen I could find and have maintained these relationships for the last twenty-five years. These days, 98% of what you see from other companies is imported. Most of it doesn't fit or last. Through misleading labels and clipped tags, these products try to insinuate that they have something to do with the U.S. Unless it says Made in USA, it's not (Why made in USA?).
We are rural and remote, our hands on the future but our fannies in the past with four computers and two outhouses. Earlier this month a 6-foot black snake crawled across the floor, inspiring Lisa to assume an unconventional position at her desk. You may visit us, but please always call ahead so we can fit you in.
I would like to thank all of my employees, past and present, and the thousands of returning customers who have taken care of my employees and my family.
Paul
November 2002
Independence, VA
P.S. Since this was written we have renovated and moved to the Black Rock Motel two miles north of Independence on Highway 21. We are up to twelve computers four indoor bathrooms and a dedicated retail space. Y'all come! The two hundred plus year old log cabin I live in on Fox Creek still sports a Johnny House as the sole means of communing with the waste spirits.

One of the products Fox River Mills, Inc. sells is American Made Socks. A more complete list of their products is provided by Made in America Secrets, to review their list click here.

For more information about Fox River Mills, Inc. and its Made in America products see the following:

Since its beginning in the Fox River Valley of Appleton, Wisconsin, in 1900, Fox River Mills, Inc. (now based in Osage, Iowa) has been committed to producing quality knitted socks and handwear. Fox River was founded on the principle of offering a superior product with great service at a fair price. Today, Fox River Mills is one of the leading outdoor, athletic, and lifestyle sock manufacturers in the world.

We hope you will enjoy your inside look at us, our business and a look at the manufacturing of premium quality socks and handwear. We welcome your comments, thoughts, and ideas. Please Contact Us, we want to hear from you.

Fox River socks and handwear can be found worldwide in the finest outdoor, sporting goods, specialty stores, and online retailers. Our Store Locator will make finding FOXSOX simple.

Much has changed since we started out. High tech fibers, state-of-the-art equipment, progressive designs, and global business are just the beginning. Some things, however, have remained the same. High quality, good value, and great customer service are timeless traits at Fox River Mills.

Find out more about the history of Fox River. See how it started more than a century ago. Check out our beginnings in the Fox River Valley in Wisconsin making socks for lumberjacks to being today's technical leader in outdoor, athletic, and lifestyle socks. Fox River cares deeply about the environment. To learn more about how we are working to protect our earth, visit our Environmental Way page.

See how premium quality socks are made by checking out our Manufacturing Process. You will discover that there is more to making a sock than you ever thought. Did you know that your new socks were washed and dried before you even owned them?

How about Sock Monkeys? What? Was that Sock Monkeys? Yes, Fox River Mills is the manufacturer of the Original Rockford Red Heel monkey sock! Our friend, the sock monkey, is very popular. Crafters worldwide can't get enough of our little friend.

Thanks again for stopping by.

One of the products Freeride Systems sells is Made in America Hats. A more complete list of their products is provided by Made in America Secrets, to review their list click here.

For more information about Freeride Systems and its Made in the USA products see the following:

We are a Made in USA (Colorado and California) Manufacturer of Outerwear - Designed in Mountains - Live in the Mountains - Perform Anywhere - Our Design, Test and Playground begins at 10,000 Elevation and rises to 14,400+

We make adult garments for people who would rather be noticed for their carefree skiing style than skittle colors and aimless fabric breaks. We could make our clothes in Bangladesh , China , Vietnam or even more exotic non OSHA conforming sites at slave labor rates, however, we choose to sew in the United States and have a smaller profit margin. Not because we can't get a passport, but because we feel that keeping as many dollars domestic as possible is really good for the US Economy as well as the store on the corner. We finance our operations with your investment in us when you make a purchase of one of our brands. We strive to provide high quality durable garments at a reasonable price. The fact that we are still in business after 4 years is testament to the fact that our customer base is signaling us that we are doing something right and meaningful.

What is Fulsus USA, Freeride Systems (FRS) and Prospect Pants Co. (PPC) ?

The original company name Freeride Systems originates from the freeride form of many activities found in skiing, mountain biking, motorcycling, etc. These are not necessarily competitive activities against others. The Prospect Pants Co. name originates from a mountain located in the historic mining district of Leadville, Colorado in addition to the positive connotation derived from the word prospect. Leadville and much of the economies of Colorado were founded on prospecting and mining. In modern times, many of the economies of Colorado are derived from mountain sports and most recently from freeride sports in the same mountains the original 1800's prospectors worked and lived. Freeride Systems is now known as Fulsus USA a portmanteau of two terms. Fulsus USA has been chosen as the parent brand and will be used in conjunction with Freeride Systems. You may find both names on our products from time to time. The name Fulsus USA better represents our broad base of customers seeking our made in USA products. We will always be Freeride Systems...

FRS and PPC are companies formed by Michael Collins under a single parent Colorado LLC to transact sales of its Colorado Made apparel and gear lines. FRS/PPC products are designed in the mountains (10,200' elev +) to rigorous standards in extreme conditions so that they may perform for customers anywhere. FRS/PPC takes a very active roll in philanthropy and charitable initiatives through donations and volunteer work.

FRS/PPC were born initially from webbing based products designed to make travel more efficient in slack, hike to, side, and yo yo country for skiers and snowboarders. From the initial products and the skills of the original sewing team new products were born. In early 2011, FRS/PPC engaged professional industry design engineers to work side by side with Collins on perfecting several designs that would become the staples for the 2011 FRS/PPC lines. These new lines consist of jackets, short pants, and long pants all sewn domestically in Colorado and California with materials primarily sourced from the USA. There are some products whereby materials must be acquired from international sources via domestic USA distributors. FRS/PPC will always attempt to create 100% Made in USA products first. However, in current times of international trade agreements and globalization, the USA has allowed many facets of production to move overseas and some fabrics and materials are only available from international producers.

FRS/PPC works with mountain professionals to improve comfort, performance, and durability. e.g. Search and Rescue, Police, Ski Patrol, etc. FRS/PPC operates from a small corporate office and workshop in Leadville, Colorado USA at 10,200' elevation and the highest incorporated city in America. A Denver field office was also opened in 2011. FRS/PPC products are sewn in multiple locations throughout Colorado and California.

One of the products French Market Skirts sells is Made in America Skirts. A more complete list of their products is provided by Made in America Secrets, to review their list click here.

For more information about French Market Skirts and its Made in the USA products see the following:

Dee Lea
Skirts, Skirts, Skirts
I absolutely love Skirts!

I wanted a throw and go
one size fits all skirt with
no bows, buttons, bells, or zippers...
Something original and cool...
Something comfortable, flirty and fun!

This inspired me to begin
Lema Frenchmarketskirts
in 2010.

I wear my skirts everyday!
They make me feel HAPPY!

One of the products G Alexander sells is Made in the USA Tuxedoes. A more complete list of their products is provided by Made in America Secrets, to review their list click here.

For more information about G Alexander and its Made in America products see the following:

his section is the most challenging to write as the story of G. Alexander is evolving each and every day. Let me introduce myself, my name is Michael Priest and together with my wife Dede, I founded G. Alexander in the late summer of 2010. For most of my adult life I have been involved in the formalwear business, first as a store owner, opening Top Hats & Tuxedos in Athens, TN 1998, then expanding into Art Thrift Reweavers, a garment repair business, focusing on tuxedo repairs for the formalwear industry in 1991. This unique perspective on the formalwear business played a key roll in deciding to enter the tuxedo manufacturing business with G. Alexander.

As the last domestic manufacturer closed it's doors a void in the industry existed that needed to be filled. Tuxedo rentals became consolidated by big box stores and hundreds of small and mid-size tuxedo specialists found it more and more difficult to separate themselves. The renting of formalwear has changed for the consumer from a search for fashion to the search for the cheapest price. Tuxedos have been reduced to commodities.

G. Alexander was founded to offer a choice to those who are looking for something more. Deciding to manufacture in the USA puts G. Alexander at a huge disadvantage to the imports from a price perspective while at the same time giving us the advantage of shorter lead times, greater control over production and the ability to bring service back to a service business. To compete G. Alexander has to be a leader in styling, service and quality. As you browse our collections you will see exactly that. From the first collection we released in the summer of 2011 the industry was put on notice that G. Alexander was not going to be your average tuxedo manufacturer. With the introduction of the Rock-A-Tux and Redefining Romance collections in the summer of 2012 any questions of G. Alexanders' ability to be a leader in style, service and quality put to rest.

Still it was difficult for tuxedo specialists to step out of the box and see the only way to survive against the big box stores was to offer styles that lead rather then follow. The game changer for G. Alexander was placement by national wholesaler and industry leader Paul Morrell Formalwear of the Midnight Blue Maxwell to their 2013 offerings. Now specialists from coast to coast have the necessary backup and support from a trusted partner. From this platform G. Alexander is making inroads with formalwear specialists across the country. As our products are seen by customers in showrooms and catalogs response has been overwhelming.

Made in the USA matters to customers, delivery and service matters to specialists and returning jobs to America matters to everyone. As I said this section is the most difficult to write, our story has just begun. I am excited for the future and look forward to building on the foundations that have been laid over the last few years. Each and everyone who reads this can help in making G. Alexander a success story. Tell your friends, your family and anyone you come in contact with, when renting a tuxedo, look for the Made in the USA and G. Alexander Tuxedo Collection label. If the store you are in does not offer it tell them about us. Together we can and will make a difference?. One tuxedo at a time!