FAQ
What makes American Artisans different?
It’s easy to find mass-produced products that sacrifice quality and originality to keep prices low. These products made by cheap exploited labor and machines lack character and soul. If you go to an antique store you may notice that many items were carefully crafted long ago. Have you wondered why so many people want to visit the past and see items that are the opposite of what is found on Amazon or in Walmart? We are naturally attracted and drawn to objects that tell an authentic story and were made with compassion and pride. A toaster from the 1950s for instance may actually use a clock mechanism to time the process. It will be heavy and solid. You won’t doubt that it is over 50 years old and still working perfectly. Now go to any retailer and you will see toasters that lack any semblance of charm. Cheap disposable junk regardless of brand. Same with furniture, appliances, cars and everything else. Of course you have seen high-end luxury brands that purport to have quality and style that are in reality mass produced in China. Note the recent Rolex fiasco. We only list products that are hand-made by true artists one-at-a-time. There is joy just looking at these works of art. They feel good to the touch. Your senses awaken as you participate in the process from conception to design to manufacture to end use. This is what we seek and will settle for anything less. You may have seen a few of the listed items but not likely all. We encourage you to join or quest to discover items truly worthy of consideration.
How do you decide which products to list?
We strive to include interesting, handmade high-quality products made in the USA. Value is more important than a price tag. Manufacturers often price products ridiculously high in an attempt to gain publicity and bolster their image. This is done without any connection to cost or actual value. There is a point where design and engineering hit a near perfect level with further embellishments trending into mere ornamentality.
How does the Priority Request work?
Since the listed products and services are from one-person or small businesses they can’t always respond to inquiries quickly. They want to but there is no staff to delegate customer service to. Likewise your time is valuable and you expect prompt service. We step into that void to ensure your request is received and acted on. We have personal cell phone numbers and email address which are never published. We email the form you submit and then follow up with a live call and a text message. Large manufacturers are replacing live customer service reps with AI. We are bringing back to customer centric service.