Bellevue based Eddie Bauer to call it quits. (Seattle: 2009, to buy)

[CoastieTX]

Originally Posted by LongDawson

REI used to sell stuff made locally, like the Trager (not sure of spelling) and Roffe and so many other great products that were of excellent quality. They became the king of "Made in China" and their product quality is very low. I feel uncomfortable going to REI. Filson seems to have dabbled in overseas garments but realized that their base is smart, and they want Made in Seattle. Eddie Bauer just sells the same crap you can buy at Sears. They need to return to their roots. University graduates are working in Seattle for $12.00 per hour, and these are very capable people. Also, Americans bought into the lie that we need to fund wars to attack arabs, and that alone has caused a tremendous loss for everyone's bottom line. We can't fund this empire crap. Time to take care of our own. Don't support REI until they return to local sourcing, same for Eddie.

You just touched on a fundamental problem with this state. A service-based economy can't thrive, and that's the direction Washington is heading big-time. Nothing but crappy $12 an hour service/tourism-related jobs graduates are fighting over, just to live in a place with an astronomical cost of living.

[ElektroDragon]

Where are the $12 jobs? My wife would kill for a job that paid that much.

[LongDawson]

If REI just supported a handful of local companies--a garage shop in Stehekin making hand-stitched natural fur ear muffs, some moms in Maple Valley making waterproof pillowcase, a little canoe builder in Poulsbo. Heck, I don't know who they can support. But not that long ago a trip to REI meant a trip to see what local PNW hiking enthusiast/perfectionists had brought to market. And it was all good, built to last. Now you go to REI and see cheery bearded kids in green vesty things selling an imported plastic compass in a thick plastic case. Can we have 85% imported crap and 15% locally-produced things, from the massive population of local outdoors people, just for the symbolism?

Hey I have said this kind of thing for years and people look at me like I'm crazy. But in many countries local people buy local, and it's a matter of principle.

I leave you with the lyrics to a famous national song on the same subject, translated to English.
Carabao: Made in Thailand (àÁ´ÍÔ¹ä·ÂᏴì)

Video (you will like this song)

YouTube - made in thailand

Where is John Denver when we need him.

[seattlenextyear]

Oh, gotcha. Its really hard to buy clothing that's made in America at any store, much less specific to the NW. And its sad because there's a lot people out there who WANT to buy these things.

[Ira500]

And a bunch of unemployed people who wouldn't mind making these things for a living.

[CoastieTX]

Originally Posted by LongDawson

Hey I have said this kind of thing for years and people look at me like I'm crazy. But in many countries local people buy local, and it's a matter of principle.

Buying local only works when manufacturers are allowed to operate locally. Seattle politics, backed by the area's massive percentage of elitist green snobs, is extremely restrictive when it comes to manufacturing and housing growth.

And that's why this recession is going to hurt Seattle more than previous ones. Real manufacturers aren't interested in setting up in shop in Seattle anymore, and people are skimping on their Starbucks lattes and Eddie Bauer parkas, which, sadly, represent what is becoming the backbone on Western Washington's economy.

[Ira500]

Good post, Coastie.
One of the local fights politically recently has been about the Duwamish industrial area. It's an industrial area with a bunch of closed industries. Some members of the city Council had proposed changing the zoning to allow for office/retail, and residential. The Mayor came out very strongly against this , pretending to be a friend of labor, and prevailed. Buildings still sit empty, and the "friend of labor" Mayor really showed them, didn't he?

[MichaelinWA]

I can understand the protectionist impulse, even if I think it's often naive and economically unsound. But the reality is that in a typical year, Washington exports more per capita than any other state. Boeing's commercial airplane operation is obviously the big gun, but the state's companies sell a lot of other products to foreign countries, too.

[LongDawson]

Originally Posted by MichaelinWA

I can understand the protectionist impulse

No such impulse but I can see how you interpreted it that way. REI is in a special category, they started in Seattle and thrived here by selling products that local outdoor experts developed and produced locally, for local conditions. Their entire brand, as far as I'm concerned, is based on this fact. As a kid I spent many afternoons shopping around their original store on 11th Av. Now to see that they have abandoned everything in favor of 100% Made in China, and they couch it all as if nothing's changed, it's disgusting.

Another point, I have been to China, and lived in SE Asia for a few years. This is an ecological catastrophe not to mention working conditions. Other reasons as well make me concerned about Made in China. I do buy things made there, as a necessity, but REI is just acting foolishly to move production of all outdoor goods to China.

Protectionist Impulse, another point. I enjoy buying made in Japan, because it's a responsible place and products are of superior quality. Also, I go out of my way to buy products from Canada. Mexico too, and European products. So my issue is more of not supporting Chinese industry.

[seattlenextyear]

Do you mean the REI brand name specifically? They sell other brands like Patagonia, which is more responsible in terms of labor and materials sourcing.