Vermont Company Lands Product in Smithsonian Gift Shops

Middlebury, VT, March 04, 2012 --(PR.com)-- Maple Landmark Woodcraft is pleased to announce an agreement with the Smithsonian Institution to supply the museum with select Vermont made wooden items.

The Smithsonian Institution came under harsh criticism and made headlines when United States Senator Bernie Sanders, I-VT, tried to buy American made gifts for Christmas 2010 at the one of the Smithsonian Gift Shops and found nothing but imports. Senator Sanders was appalled that even the busts of our Founding Fathers were made in China.

Jill Stackhouse, Sales Manager at Maple Landmark, had been working for several years to get Maple Landmark’s American made products into the museum but no one seemed to notice or care. “Senator Sanders did a great job at shining a light on the issue but even then getting noticed by Smithsonian buyers was difficult. Ultimately, we would not be selling to the Smithsonian Gift Shops without the constant pressure from Senator Sanders or his staff.”

“While the museum is starting out small – yo-yo’s with American flags printed on them and a memory game with iconic American landmarks – we hope our USA made product will be well received by the end consumer,” said Stackhouse. She goes on to say, “we have been in business for almost 35 years and the last few years, we have seen the Made in America trend grow stronger. Consumers are demanding retailers carry more American made products and gift shops and museums aren’t immune to this.”

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