Take a close look at any of the items around you now and you’ll likely go on a tour around the world.

You’ll see “Made in China,” “Made in Taiwan,” “A Product of Canada,” or maybe even “Made in U.K.” — those are just a few labels from the items on my desk. Then there’s the “Made in USA” stamp many folks are yearning to see on more of their purchases.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, unless the product is an automobile, a textile or a wool product, there’s no law that requires them to include a “Made in USA” claim — though I’m not sure why companies wouldn’t.

The FTC also recognizes that since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Americans are more interested in buying American-made products. However, if a business claims to make its products in America, “all or virtually all” of the manufacturing must be done on U.S. soil.

That means all significant pieces of a product must be made stateside. There is plenty of fine print that goes along with specific products, especially food and the three mentioned above.

Consumer Reports also notes that if products are manufactured or go through a “substantial transformation” in a country other than the United States, it must be stated clearly. That’s why you may have some confusion over meat, seafood or prepackaged products in the grocery store that say they’re from a certain state, but also list that they’re made in another country.

For example, in the seafood department you could find “North Carolina-caught shrimp” that was sent to another country to be shelled, processed and frozen before being sent back to your grocery store. That’s considered a substantial transformation, so it may be listed as caught in North Carolina but “made” in another country.

Some manufacturers try to mislead shoppers by including an American flag or other patriotic symbols on their product labels. If you want to be sure you’re buying American, read closely — you might find that the product was manufactured in another country. There’s no law that says companies can’t include patriotic images on their labels as long as the product also states where it was made.

But there are a few brands that are manufactured in America or are even moving their operations back.

KitchenAid and Master Lock are just two companies that have in-sourced some of their labor to the U.S. Other popular names that do some or all of their manufacturing on U.S. soil, according to Consumer Reports, include Crayola, Little Tikes, Maglite, Pyrex, Stihl, Lynox, Oreck, Gibson, Martin, Sharpie and Wilson.

American-made clothing can be difficult to find. Stetson, Brooks Brothers, New Balance, Orvis, Woolrich, L.L. Bean and Lands’ End are all doing some manufacturing in the U.S.

If you’re interested in finding out if your favorite products are manufactured in the U.S., it’s best to contact someone directly from the brand. Often a phone number and/or Web address is listed on product labels.

You also can visit websites such as Consumer Reports , the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Federal Trade Commission, www.madeinusaforever.com, www.americansworking.com or www.madeinusa.org to see lists of American-made products and guidelines.

On a more local scale, shopping farmers markets and locally owned stores is the easiest way to find Virginia-made products.

You can speak to the people directly involved in growing, harvesting, crafting or purchasing for their business and know exactly where the products are coming from. The website Shop Virginia’s Finest also has a selection of agricultural and food products approved by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Are you more likely to buy a product if it’s made in America? What are your favorite products that are made in the U.S.?

Spring is here and that means your opportunities to shop are even more plentiful. Yard sales, flea markets, sidewalk sales and open houses are popping up everywhere. Locally, you can count on a few big events year after year and new prospects to explore as well.

Hit the road this weekend or mark your calendars now for these shopping events:

This weekend the J. Crew warehouse in Lynchburg is hosting another sale. The warehouse, at 25 Millrace Drive, will be open today from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. You can find more information and read about my experience at this sale on the blog, or contact the warehouse at 434-316-6324.

Another great opportunity to find some bargains this weekend is at the Sam’s Club Open House. This weekend only, the retailer is allowing non-members to shop or try various food samples with no strings attached. Samples will be available from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day, and Roanoke store hours are today from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Current Sam’s Club members may want to steer clear of the store this weekend if possible — it’s going to get crowded.

The Elizabeth Arden Warehouse will host its next sale May 6-11 and May 13-18. This warehouse is located at 3030 Nicholas Ave. in Roanoke, and sale hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Shoppers will find fragrances for men and women, skincare products, makeup and more at this sale. It is important to note that no one under the age of 16 is allowed in or on the premises of this sale. For more information, call 983-6400.

Next Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Roanoke Civic Center will be hosting the Monster Indoor Flea Market. About 100 vendors will fill the Special Events Center, and seller spaces are still available for $25 if you’re ready to make a few bucks off of your clutter. For more information, call 853-5483.

On May 11, North Cross School will host its annual Big Flea event. At this event you can find donated furniture, large appliances, household items and clothing for sale to benefit the school. Donations for the sale will be accepted through May 9, and if you have large items, pick-up may be arranged by calling Jenn Mitchell at 230-8584. Kids can also have some fun at this sale by participating in field day events like carnival games, a dunking booth and more. Concessions will be available for purchase. The sale will be held from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and field day activities will be available from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Another flea event that’s being held for a good cause is the 17th Annual Allstate Flea Market and Craft Event to benefit the March of Dimes. This event is also being held on May 11 between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. (the rain date is June 8) outside the Salem Civic Center. Shoppers can usually find between 100 and 150 vendors at this event. Interested in selling? Vendors may rent two parking spaces for a $35 donation or four spaces for a $55 donation. For more information, call 776-6163.

Global Partners in Peace and Development is hosting an event called Proceeds for Poverty May 16-18 at the former Kroger location located on Orange Avenue in Roanoke behind the KFC and Denny’s. Sale hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. Global Partners will donate 100 percent of the proceeds from this sale to one of its four causes: clean water wells, small businesses, orphaned children and food programs. Items in good working condition (excluding clothes, entertainment centers and any TVs that are not flat screen) will be collected for the sale May 13-15 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. behind the building. If you are moving or have large furniture or appliances ready to donate now, call Roy Carter at 537-2070 to arrange a pickup. For more information about the sale, visit www.gpartners.org.

This time of year you can also find flea markets at local churches and businesses. Many are submitted to The Roanoke Times at calendar.roanoke.com. Enter “flea” or “sale” in the search bar to find other events.

If you prefer adventuring around town and hitting yard sales all weekend, consider checking out the yard sale map on Roanoke.com. You can plan your route with this nifty tool at yardsales.roanoke.com.

Yard sale hosts may post the address, hours and a short description of what they offer on this page, and you may also get directions to each location. If you’re interested in posting your own yard sale on the map, you may do so at the web address above or by calling 981-3311.

You can also stay up-to-date with the local yard sale scene by signing up for text alerts from The Roanoke Times. Smartphone users can text “yardsales” to 96362 to sign up. Once you’re on the list you’ll receive up to four texts per month with a weekly update about yard sales on the map and a link to the mobile-friendly page (which is: http://bit.ly/ZeruCj).

What are your favorite local shopping events?

Photo courtesy of DRI.

Gift cards have long been a standby for family members, friends and coworkers who are tough to shop for or whose birthdays are suddenly around the corner.

Unfortunately, that $50 Amazon gift card isn’t doing anything to support the local economy. An option exists for local residents now: the Downtown Roanoke gift card.

Introduced shortly before Christmas by Downtown Roanoke Inc., the card is accepted at numerous businesses throughout the downtown area.

“Although they are not reloadable, we feel that they are still an excellent alternative to our antiquated gift certificate program,” Downtown Roanoke’s communications and program manager Matthew Klepeisz wrote in an email. The cards are available in any value between $5 and $500. Klepeisz said cards can also be issued for up to $1,000 pending verification.

He noted that the program has been a huge success so far.

In the four days before Christmas, Downtown Roanoke Inc. sold more gift cards than they did the former gift certificates over the entire holiday season in 2011. One difference is that the gift certificate program gave the leftover balance back to the customer. The gift cards retain the balance, so the money stays with downtown merchants.

Cultural organizations such as the O. Winston Link Museum and the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra accept the gift card, as well as many of the shops and boutiques throughout downtown.

A range of dining options is on board as well. Customers can use the gift card anywhere from night spots such as Cornerstone Bar and Grill, to Market Building vendors, to Billy’s or First and Sixth.

“We have seen several come through recently. We much prefer it to the former gift certificate they had,” said Victoria Taylor, co-owner of The Gift Niche. “It’s a really easy transaction. I think it’s just a lot more convenient.”

Daniel Mock, owner of Queso Southwestern Grill in the Roanoke City Market Building, also likes the program.
“I’m a big fan of it and I hope to see more of them. … I think it’s a real easy way to keep business in downtown Roanoke,” he said.

Mock added that the new program is easier on business owners, who previously had to send in the gift certificates wait for a check to be sent to them. “I think a lot of business owners don’t like having that money out in limbo,” he explained.
Hotel Roanoke is the latest business to sign on and accept the gift cards.

“This is a significant addition to the current list of businesses because it will allow the purchaser to use the gift card for a full downtown experience, including entertainment, nightlife, dining, shopping, and, now, lodging,” Klepeisz said.

A full list of participating businesses can be viewed at www.downtownroanoke.org, or just look for the window decal stating “Downtown Gift Certificates Accepted Here” at downtown businesses.

Gift cards can be purchased at the Downtown Roanoke Inc.’s office at 213 Market St. between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or by phone at 342-2028.

Lauren Ellerman has a vivid childhood memory of singing in a choir with her brother during Christmastime at a men’s clothing shop. She recalls her parents browsing for gifts while local families did their own holiday shopping, and everyone seeming so happy and spirited.

This is exactly the scene Ellerman, 33, is trying to recreate during the inaugural South Roanoke Holiday Open House from 6 to 9 p.m. on Monday.

During the event, locally owned shops and restaurants on Crystal Spring Avenue in Roanoke will offer discounts on food, beverages, clothing, jewelry and housewares. Ellerman herself is one of the owners of The River & Rail Restaurant, so she has a direct interest in inspiring folks to shop local this season.

Ellerman explained, “One of the major focuses of our restaurant is supporting local farmers. Supporting local [business] is one of the cornerstones of our own business, so it made sense to have our neighborhood support all of its local shops.”

There are 10 participants in the open house, all offering a variety of deals. Shoppers can get these special offers by purchasing a coupon book for $15 at any participating location now through the evening of the event.

The deals include:

* Garland’s on Crystal Spring: 10 percent off total purchase (except for Barbour brand) during the event.

* The River & Rail Restaurant: $50 gift certificates for $40 during the event.

* Fork in the Alley: Free s’more with the purchase of an entrée during the event, and $5 off a $20 purchase until Jan. 15.

* Tinnell’s Finer Foods: Half-off a pound of Benton’s Bacon until Jan. 1.

* The Second Yard: 10 percent off framed art and lamps during the event.

* Goldsmith’s Jewelers: Free cleaning and inspection of jewelry during the event and a $50 gift certificate for $25 (must be redeemed by Dec. 31).

* 7-Eleven: $10 off a case of wine and a free small Slurpee during the event.

* Bubblecake: Cupcake cards offering five cupcakes for $10 during the event.

* Stedman House Interior Design: 10 percent off during the event.

* Eric Fitzpatrick: The artist will be selling paintings in the Stedman House Building during the event.

It’s not all about the shopping, though. Ticket proceeds will benefit Family Promise of Greater Roanoke, of which Ellerman is a board member. The organization provides shelter to homeless families.

“The basis of Christmas is ‘there’s no room at the inn,’ and here we are providing shelter to people who need it,” Ellerman said.

If the event is held in the future another charity may be chosen, but the partnership seemed fitting and the selection was supported by other participants of the event this year.

So far, the response from participating businesses and neighborhood residents has been positive.

“Grandin has a wonderful holiday parade, Old Southwest has the parlor tour, downtown has Dickens — I thought it was about time for South Roanoke to do something neat for our neighborhood. I hope folks from all neighborhoods will come,” Ellerman said.

If the event is successful, she plans to hold it again next year.

For now, Ellerman is just hoping the finished product resembles that memory from her childhood.

“Next year I really need to get some cute kids singing I guess, to really make it complete.

For more information about the South Roanoke Holiday Open House, visit the event’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SouthRoanokeHolidayOpenHouse.

South Roanoke Holiday Open House
When: 6 to 9 p.m., Monday
Where: Crystal Spring Avenue, Roanoke
Cost: $15
Contact: 400-6830 or www.facebook.com/SouthRoanokeHolidayOpenHouse

If you’ve been thinking about shopping a J.Crew warehouse sale for some gifts, this is your last chance.

Here are the details:
Hours
Saturday: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Location
25 Millrace Drive, Lynchburg (click the map for directions)

Contact
(434) 316-6324

 
View Larger Map

Here’s a press release I received from the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control about some specials being offered by Virginia ABC stores on Black Friday. If you’re planning to throw a holiday party or have a beverage connoisseur in the family, it’s a great time to stock up!

Richmond, Va. – Virginia ABC will join other retailers by offering extended hours and discounted prices on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving and the traditional kickoff to the holiday shopping season.

Most of Virginia ABC’s 338 retail stores will open at 9 a.m. Five stores in Williamsburg, Richmond and Northern Virginia will open at 7 a.m.

All stores will offer a 25 to 50 percent reduction (or more) on selected items as well as 10 percent off any purchase totaling $50 or more (pretax).  Early morning specials will remain in effect Nov. 23 at all stores until 3 p.m.

“This is a unique opportunity for our retail customers to purchase quality items at reduced prices,” ABC Chairman J. Neal Insley said. “For individuals interested in trading up to more premium brands for themselves or as gifts, the discount will help offset the higher cost.”

No product will be excluded from the 10 percent discount.  Shoppers spending the minimum $50 will receive the discount on everything from miniatures to top-shelf specialty items.  During the holiday, ABC stocks gift packages from a variety of vendors that will be included as well.  As is true with most retailers, store gift cards, a popular stocking stuffer, will not be discounted.

“ABC encourages Virginians to drink responsibly.  As the holiday season approaches, we should be especially mindful of this,” Insley said.   

Stores that will open at 7 a.m. include Willow Lawn, Richmond; Monticello Avenue, Williamsburg; Sully Plaza, Chantilly; and two Fairfax stores in Fairfax Court and Fair Lakes Shopping Centers.

In an unstable economy, most anyone you ask would agree that it’s important to support our local businesses.

Specialty shops can have an especially hard time as folks cut back on spending for hobbies and special treats. The Roanoke chapter of the American Sewing Guild has found its own way of showing support for the shops in their niche with the Shop Hop.

The Shop Hop is a September shopping event held in celebration of National Sewing Month. During this weekend-long event, members of the sewing guild and the general public are encouraged to visit a select group of stores that cater to the needs of sewers and quilters and advertise in the guild’s newsletter.

“This is all for the purpose of promoting and supporting the retailers who support us,” Sally Rodgers, an organizer of the event, explained.

The Hop took place Sept. 14-15 and saw 145 participants — almost a 50 percent increase over 2011.

How it works

Shoppers are asked to visit as many shops as they can during the Hop. At each location, they receive a pass to be signed or stamped by that shop. The passes are turned in at the last stop by the shopper and then entered to win prize baskets from the guild.

Each participating shop is asked to donate five items to be included in the prize baskets, which is the only cost for the retailers to participate. The guild also throws in a couple of gift cards for Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores. This year, the guild had six participating shops: The Quilting Connection, Goodwill stores, Alpine Sewing Machine Co., Old Trinity Schoolhouse Quilt Shop, Quilting Essentials and Creative Quilting.

“They are always thrilled to participate,” Lois Atkins, another organizer of the event, said.

Though shoppers must visit each shop in order to be eligible for a prize, they don’t have to buy anything. However, Rodgers and Atkins agreed that most people do; some even stop by the shops multiple times within the weekend.

This was the third year of the event. Atkins and Rodgers agreed that the numbers have continued to grow each year and attribute a large amount of this year’s growth to the participating shops, who sent a notice about the event to their email lists.

Pat Langheim of Quilting Essentials explained that the surrounding guilds come to participate in the event as well. Rodgers and Atkins collected cards from shoppers who came from Wytheville, Buena Vista, Martinsville and in one case even from Denver.

“It’s a wonderful, positive event, we just have the best time,” Langheim said. “I think it introduces us to many new people who may not consider your store. Once they get in here and find our fabric we seem to have a lot of repeat business.”

Building awareness

In addition to the local Shop Hop, the guild also organizes an Out of Town Shop Hop, which took place from Aug. 1 to Sept. 15 this year.

During this members-only event, guild members are encouraged to visit fabric, sewing and quilting retailers that are within a day’s drive. The rules for this Hop differ slightly. Shoppers get an extended period to shop, must make one or more purchases and get an entry for each shop they visit. Yearly dues for the sewing guild, which are necessary to participate in this event, are $50 initially and $45 to renew.

“The idea is to just get in the shops,” Rodgers said. “It’s really to our benefit to have these people here.”

For retailers and shoppers alike, the Shop Hop has proven to be a fun and profitable event to support local businesses.

Said Atkins, “This is an opportunity to become aware of what the Roanoke Valley has to offer. One of our goals is to try to maintain the businesses we have.”

For more information about the Roanoke Chapter of the American Sewing Guild and the Shop Hop, visit www.asgroanoke.org.

Smartphone users have access to thousands of apps, so sometimes it’s hard to know where to start if you’re searching for something specific.

Shopping apps are especially popular these days, but there are hundreds to choose from. It’s disappointing to download an app only to figure out it doesn’t work well in your area, so I did some research. I tested some of the most popular shopping apps and how they’d work in Roanoke. Some were more successful than others.

Here are some notes from my experience:

Shopkick

Free: iPhone, Android

Shopkick rewards the user with points, or “kicks,” for visiting participating stores. Start the app when entering a store and shoppers can get a certain number of kicks just for visiting. More kicks can be earned for making purchases, and the app offers exclusive deals and coupons for users. Kicks can be cashed in for gift cards, movie tickets and more, or donated to different causes.

While reading up about this app, I loved the idea. Rewards start as low as three kicks to donate to Carbonfund.org and go as high as 6,250,000 kicks for a Princess cruise. In between there were gift cards for various retailers at about 1,200 kicks.

Unfortunately, this app is very temperamental. You have to activate the app and stand in just the right spot at the front of a store to get your kicks. The only store I visited where the app actually rewarded me was Target, where I got 60 kicks. The app didn’t recognize any of the stores I visited at Valley View Mall, such as Barnes & Noble or Macy’s.

If the kinks can get worked out, this app could ultimately be rewarding — but it’s not quite there.

Wrapp

Free: iPhone, Android

The offer of free gift cards seems too good to be true, but somehow Wrapp manages.

This self-proclaimed “social gift-giving service” has various free gift cards from retailers available for users to give as gifts to Facebook friends and anyone on their phone’s contact list. Wrapp gift cards also can be purchased or users can add money to a free gift card.

The app encourages users to “celebrate” their friends, so they can send gifts for any occasion, or choose to have a gift card sent on the friend’s birthday.

I got a free $5 gift card to Gap upon signing up for this app — an encouraging start. I tested the gift card in the Gap at Valley View. The store employee had never seen or heard of Wrapp, but tested the barcode for me. Sure enough, I received a $5 credit off of a scarf I had found on clearance. Be careful: Once you open the gift card and select “Use in store,” it will expire. The app also suggests that you keep an ID handy in case stores need verification.

I also experimented with sending gift cards to my friends and was successful.

There were free gift cards from Gap, Sephora, Adidas, MLB.com, OmahaSteaks.com, Fab.com, The Wall Street Journal and more. The gifts can be sent via text message, email or Facebook, so it’s not necessary for the recipient to have a Facebook account. It was really simple to select a friend, select a gift card, include my own message and have the gift card delivered instantly.

Zoomingo

Free: iPhone, Android

This app is meant to alert the user of local sales and deals. The app also has its own Pinterest page with alerts to online sales.

The app works by collecting the shopper’s ZIP code once the app is opened, so the information provided is strictly local. Sales can be browsed by store, product or department.

I didn’t find this app very useful. Browsing through sale merchandise and stores is not very convenient on the small screen of a smartphone, and the navigation could use some work. The entire app operated very slowly. The sale prices at local stores did appear to be up to date, with the exception of a few clearance items I found.

Personally, I’d rather physically shop for specific products at stores I know and trust instead of browsing a large list looking for good prices.

Google Shopper

Free: iPhone, Android

Though this app can be used on iPhone or Android, it likely cooperates better on Android because it’s a Google program. Users can use the app to search for specific products and find price comparisons locally and online.

Shoppers also can use Google Shopper to scan barcodes or take a picture of a product and find price comparisons. The app will store the user’s history and a shopping list, plus it provides various lists, such as featured offers, popular items each week and weekly sales.

Price comparison apps have been around for a while, but this is the best one I’ve tried yet. The option to take a photo of a product and get price comparisons is especially impressive. I’m always a little leery of clearance prices at stores, especially if it’s a product I’m not used to buying. Is it really a good price?

I found a Crayola Washable Kaleidoscope 3-D Sidewalk Chalk Activity Set on clearance at Target and decided to test the app. The chalk set was on clearance at Target for $7.49, and Toys R Us right down the street had the same set for $9.99 — it was a deal. The app has up-to-date prices and will show you online deals as well as local deals, making it very convenient.

Barcode Scanner

Free: iPhone, Android

This app has been a popular download for a long time. The app is a no-frills program that allows shoppers to scan barcodes and get price comparisons. After scanning, there are three options: a product search, a Web search or a Google Shopper search.

The simplicity of this app was great, but the best results for each product I scanned came from Google Shopper. Since I had already downloaded that app, Barcode Scanner seemed a bit redundant. The product search and Web search results weren’t very helpful when it came to immediate, local price comparisons. I’ll stick with Google Shopper.

Coupon Sherpa

Free: iPhone, Android

Coupon Sherpa offers hundreds of in-store coupons. The app doesn’t allow retail results to be narrowed by ZIP code, but coupons can be browsed by retail store or grocery store. Grocery coupons can be uploaded to a store shopper card and retail coupons can be scanned from the shopper’s phone (if the store allows it). The expiration date and any limitations also are listed.

Despite being unable to limit the app’s results to Roanoke, I found this app extremely useful. It’s very easy to browse the store list and find coupons. Coupon Sherpa is user-friendly, quick and up-to-date.

The one problem that shoppers may come across is a store’s inability, or noncompliance, to scan the coupon from phones. Some stores have a policy that requires printed coupons, but it often depends on the cashier.

Always try, because the worst thing that could happen is they say no. Many local stores had coupons available, including Kroger, Macy’s, American Eagle, A.C. Moore, Bath & Body Works, Belk and many more.

Do you have a favorite shopping app? Which app are you looking forward to trying?