I was washing my dishes this morning when something caught my eye on the bottom of a pasta bowl. The brand name was “Churchill” and the logo also said “Made in Staffordshire, England.” It only took one try on Google to find the company, the lion logo is the same as on my bowls. What amused me about all of this is the provenance of those dishes: I’m pretty sure they were purchased at the Pier 1 in Maple Grove, MN. Google maps tells me that I am only about 120 miles from Staffordshire now. Which means those dishes, which cost a few dollars each, have travelled over 8,000 miles in their lifetime, on a roundtrip journey from England to Minnesota and back again.
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I’ve worked out that buying my Boden clothes is cheaper in the states (although this may change now that the dollar is on the rise!) and have spent the past three years buying on the American website, having them sent to my sister in New York City, and when I’m next in New York for a visit packing them up and bringing them back to the UK. If only I could get them frequent flier points…
NFAH – I love the falling snowflake graphics! They make me feel very Christmasy.
Howard
Before I moved here for the long-term I made several visits to the Uk from the age of 15. On everyone of those visits I would load a spare case with trinkets bought at flea markets and antique stores… and more often than not also have to ship pieces of furniture home to California. It took a 20ft shipping container to move all my English antiques back to within 20 miles of where they were originally purchased.
I just got a can opener in the mail, kindly sent by the parents in light of my can opening difficulties. It was made in China, purchased in Maple Grove, Minnesota, and not lives in China once again! Though I suspect about half the items in my suitcase when I came over here were made in China too…