The first tour buses started arriving at the Made in America store last summer.
Busloads of tourists from as far away as Iowa began adding the Elma store to their itineraries. Visitors were intrigued by a retailer selling only products with 100 percent U.S.-made content, down to the packaging and glue.
Then there were the media interviews. The store’s owner, Mark Andol, says he has granted 175 of them in the past year, including with media outlets serving Japan and Russia.
Thousands of e-mails and letters have poured in, from vendors pitching their products, to inquiries about franchising, to people who had heard about the store and simply wished to say thanks.
For the Made in America store, it has been a most eventful first year in business. More.