The Herald Bulletin, Anderson, Indiana

You hear it seemingly everywhere we go...there isn't anything American made anymore?

Of course we know there is but when we go shopping is seems everything we pick up has a tag indicating it is made somewhere else in the world. World Trade is in every shop we shop in... especially the big mart type shops.

Many a client has stopped in our little Army Navy Surplus and Sow N Sews custom Sewing N Repairs and remarked how wonderful it is to find things being made right on the spot and being competitive with ready made off the shelf items...everything form Holsters to Bible Covers are "Custom" made to fit whatever anyone carries through the door...Yes anything.

How is it that I can be competitive with three bowls of rice and three fish head a day wages in some place like China? It's because they have to pay shipping, handling, and someone is going to want a profit from importing any such item into the U.S. for resale to the public. Now I have the material handy, do my own designing, measuring, marking, cutting, and delivery right on the spot...all we need is a client that knows what they want.

I do ask that any perspective client brings in physically "any" and "all" of the item(s) they want cased, pouched or holstered, in the quantity they want the sewn project done for...that way we don't have to guess as some interaction will take place between items and sewing application and I don't need to be surprised by guess work. Most of the time we custom sew a project right while you watch and you can see it from start to finish and walk away with the finished product(s) within thirty minuets or less.

And yes Indiana; we do make hundreds of custom made to order sewn goods; right here in the Anderson-Muncie area of East Central Indiana. And have been doing so from 1983 - through present.

So the next time you hear is there anything made in America anymore? Say yes and can even watch it being made just my way, to fit my this or that that I take in to have fitted. Bible covers, Belts for trousers and equipment, Cell Phone cases, Holsters, Radio Pouches, Rifle/shotgun Slings, all sorts of cargo straps.

We also do dozens of repairs to existing "soft" sewn products, like book-bags, backpacks, handbags, cases of all sorts, tents, jackets, and sleeping bag zipper replacement (some zipper repairs also), buckles, hook & loop fastener replacement, snaps, eyelets, flags, etc. and the list goes on.

So you can, with assurance know and tell others that yes we still make and repair things in the U.S.A. Hope to see you in the shop maybe and even see a review from our clients that keeps the word going round.

In tough times such as these we all need all the help we can get and I am seeing a lot of repairs coming in because folks can get a season or more out of the sewn products hey already own and don't have to replace if the cost of repair is fair and timely...and that is where we come in as a repair shop.

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Randall Jacobsen Sr. is the proprietor of the Army Navy Surplus of Muncie, and Seamster of Sow N Sews Custom Sewing N Repairs of 1806 E. Jackson St. Muncie, IN. 47305 765-281-8804 sownsews@yahoo.com http://armysurplusbyjacobsen.bravehost.com and Chaplain, of M.O.R.E. Ministries as a community outreach.
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