Just curious, what kind of vehicle do you drive?
I don’t think there are many “made in the USA” things that are not part of the current global economy.
We need to be careful with that, if we don’t want to “cut our noses to spite our faces”, a possible overreaction in these matters.
Very well said! I think the issue some people had, let’s disregard the more abrasive posts, is the assumption of who started and owns the businesses. I had no clue who started Woof Wear, I did know who started Smartpak. That all being said I do not know anything about these peoples lives.
I don’t care where people shop or what their reasons are for shopping where they do. I also won’t condemn someone for creating a great product or company because they have more than me and therefore the ability. On all sides this us vs. them stuff has got to stop.
I feel for the OP for feeling not totally included. I am going to guess it is regional as I am not sure what area of the country she is in. That being said, 20 years ago in my corner of the world, no one at my barn or at horse shows ever cared about who my parents were. “Mom squared” is what I call them. So it could very well be a locality issue. Ie, she boards with mixibabe who makes no bones about her strong opinions and judges an entire movement on a handful of people.
I could swear there was an entire political movement about “Buy American”. Tariffs on other countries and all that. I guess it should be changed to “Buy from White Straight Americans”
I am straight, white, female and started my business which is in the equine industry out of my kitchen…I borrowed money from family and friends to rent a small house in which to produce and ship my products when I outgrew my kitchen. I paid the loans back in 2 years. And luckily have never had to borrow money since.
To really know a company is to look beneath or beyond the products. No one would know that we employ gay people, black people, a trans-gender person, white people, married people, married people with children, single people, divorced people, divorced people with children, a widow with children. The head of my production team is a married women with five school-aged children. She comes in at 6 am and her husband gets the kids on the bus. She picks them up at 3pm.
Few customers would know that we give quarterly to environmental charities, animal and wildlife rescues.
I am no figure-head. I work 7 days a week. On the weekends when our offices are closed, all phone calls from customers are forwarded to my cell phone, so that customer questions are answered even on weekends and holidays…by me. My employees need to have their weekends for their families and their lives.
Twelve years later we still make our products in house; no co-packer like Smartpak and other companies use.
As consumers we tend to buy what we like and or need, sometimes spontaneously. But to really know the ethics of a company, how a product is made, what the environmental impact is, what the company stands for requires digging deeper than simply reading marketing material.
Your post is pathetic and off-putting. You going to profile your customers too, so you only have the ones that meet your criteria?? Wow.
Again, wow. Appalling.
Other posts on this thread have admitted that they refuse to purchase from business owners who are openly gay. Why isn’t that an issue for you? Someone deliberately only seeking out straight business owners isn’t an issue but someone seeking out only gay business owners is?
I certainly don’t agree with her assessment about some of the companies she listed, and I shop with them based on their prices and customer service. I’m also a perfect example of someone who isn’t rich but owns horses, but I can see past the way she said it and understand why she’d like to support small businesses she feels a connection with.
The whole thread is an issue for me and I’m appalled my it all. Please don’t put words in my mouth or assume what is or isn’t an issue for me.
It’s 50 and sunny and a much much much better place to spend my Sunday is at the barn and off this pathetic post. Have fun.
For what it is worth…
Kerrits was started and is still run by women, to suit the needs of female athletes and USA made. See company web site for details. foundation and heart of the company is still centered in a small town and the company strives for “green” footprint
carry on
or perhaps that should be Kerri on
Very clever. 
I find it sad that you feel the need to exaggerate so much to support your point. I only saw one person say outright that he wouldn’t patronize a business whose owner was publicly out. And he says all kinds of stuff, at least half of it obviously intended just to stir the pot and get people like you riled up.
When I buy stuff I vote with my dollars. Usually the standard I use is quality of product or service and the timely delivery of same. I’ve got a couple “political don’t buys” one of which is Sara Lee (she gives money to Sara Brady). But the list is REAL short.
But if to buy from someone for political, social, or philosophical reasons is OK why is not buying for the same reasons not OK? Isn’t this a door that swings both ways?
Straight up question, folks.
G.
What an asinine comment. Who said anything about “inferior products?” If you can find products you like and support a small business instead of a major corporation, why wouldn’t you? And if you don’t have recommendations per the OP’s request why just criticize her request instead of scrolling on by?
Some of the other responses to this question are frankly shocking. I had no idea some people discriminated so proudly. It’s gross.
Can’t say I’ve ever looked up who owns what products in the Equine world. If I like the product I buy it at the best price I can. I could care less who the owner is if the product is great.
I found the initial post off putting and very telling…I’m all about small business but personally find it discriminatory to even care what the orientation of the owner is, whether straight or LGBT.
As for small businesses, I’ve been very happy with my Higher Standards leather cleaner that a COTH’ER makes.
This x 100
You talking to me? What the OP said is racist. There is such a thing as being racist to white people as you are judging them by their skin color. As G said, “the door swings both ways.”
still not seeing what sexual orientation has to do with business ownership.
I run a business. I don’t put on my biography “straight white female.” You assume that to be the case (and it is) but I don’t see how saying “proudly lesbian white female offering business consulting services” would do anything for my business because who I’m sleeping with has zero to do with my customers.
It also has has nothing to do with “checking my privilege” which is, I guess, what this is really about.
I generally assume anyone who starts going on about privilege probably has it in spades that they are choosing to ignore since it’s inconvenient to the positioning of oneself as some disadvantaged minority.
This X 1000!
I think that sometimes we should get riled up. Look at what the question did to some of our posters.
One person said that women owned companies are just a front because the women don’t do the actual work.
Another said products from minorities are inferior
Someone else said that they refuse to purchase from LGBT people unless they stay in the closet
A poster argued against purchasing American Owned when it had to do with minorities, but in other areas is an American Owned advocate.
How do we reward people for pulling themselves up by their bootstraps if we don’t want to know that they did?
Instead of addressing the OP with reasons why the companies she listed were good companies or giving her the names of some small equestrian businesses posters went straight into racist town. Plenty are busy screaming about racism against white people but have never said a word about racism against minorities. I think people should spend their money at business they believe in. I don’t agree with her feelings about Smartpak and all, or the all equine businesses are owned by rich privileged folks but I can find a way to say that without saying I don’t buy from black people.
Can you please quote the post that says products made by minorities are inferior?
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