Is the ‘Made-In-USA’ Mantra Losing or Gaining Appeal?

Mark Andol, founder of the Made in America Store in upstate New York, passed away just as the “Made-in-USA” movement seeks a revival under shifting trade policies.

Andol, who also owned a welding and metal-fabrication firm, opened his store in Elma, New York, near Buffalo, in 2010 after losing a contract to a cheaper Chinese manufacturer caused him to lay off half his employee base to stay in business, as noted in a Wall Street Journal obituary.

Appearing on television, radio, and podcasts — as well as “American Made Movie,” a 2013 feature documentary — his trademark phrase was, “Manufacturing is the heart of America.” T-shirts sold at his stores were printed with the slogan, “Because China is a Long Drive to Work!”

“I believe in global,” he told The Wall Street Journal in 2012. “I just say we’re totally out of balance [in trade].”

Made In America Store’s Elma flagship became an attraction for tourists on their way to Niagara Falls. In June, the location welcomed its 1,500th busload of shoppers. The Alliance for American Manufacturing stated, “Andol relished the opportunity to speak to visitors and sate their curiosity about what is still made in America.”

In May, he told the Washington Post that he hoped President Trump’s import tariffs eventually would open the way for U.S. factories to provide a wider variety of goods suitable for his shelves.

The Made-in-the-USA Movement Faces an Uncertain Future

The push to revive American production comes amid doubts that U.S. will be able to reestablish domestic production. A CNBC Supply Chain Survey of logistics managers in the U.S. showed cost to be the top hurdle, followed by challenges including skilled labor and an aging workforce.

Consumer surveys are mixed around shopper interest in buying American-made products, although higher costs were also found to be a hurdle in this case.

Trace One’s Made in America Survey 2025, taken in April, found 43% of Americans say their interest in American-made products has increased over the past year. The provider of PLM and compliance solutions also found that Google searches for “Made in USA” had roughly doubled since the start of 2025. Supporting American workers ranked as the top perceived benefit of buying domestic goods, though younger Americans were more skeptical of any benefits.

However, no single group was found to be eager to pay a large premium for U.S. products, with Republicans and older Americans more open to modest increases.

DuraPlas’ survey of 600 Americans taken in February found that while only 14% said they now actively prioritize American-made goods to avoid potential tariff-driven price hikes, a whopping 79% say their choices could change if prices on imports continue to rise — or if tariffs stick around long enough to create noticeable cost increases.

The Conference Board’s survey of 3,000 U.S. adults taken in June found about half saying knowing a product was made in the U.S. made them more likely to purchase it again, down from about 61% in a survey taken in May 2022. The decline was attributed to cost concerns.

The respondents were equally less likely to buy products from other countries based on where it’s made.

“Country-of-origin cues still matter—but their influence is slipping,” said Denise Dahlhoff, PhD, director of marketing and communications research at The Conference Board and author of the report.

“As price concerns intensify, many US consumers appear to associate ‘made in’ labels with elevated prices due to generally higher domestic production costs as well as tariffs on foreign-made goods. Increasingly, consumers prioritize value and affordability over emotional affinity for certain countries, including their own,” Dahlhoff concluded.