Comments on: Help Support Responsible Manufacturers and Local Jobs!

By: Imagine No Handmade Items… :: Milagros Boutique

Imagine No Handmade Items… :: Milagros Boutique — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 05:03:13 +0000

[...] We have posted about the Consumer Product Safety Improvment Act (CPSIA) before. This legislation was passed last year with good intentions. The influx of tainted toys from overseas deserved a response. However the CPSIA has created a regulatory environment that is poised to strangle thousands of small, ethical manufacturers and crafters with red tape. [...]

By: milagros

milagros — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 15:32:44 +0000

The next meeting of what is now know as the Northwest Children’s Business Alliance is at Milagros – 5433 NE 30th Avenue – on Wednesday, January 21 at 9 AM.
Thanks!

By: sewathomemama

sewathomemama — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 07:08:13 +0000

thanks for hosting a meeting, though i’m confused… is it on the 22nd or is it on wed? i’ll gladly be there!

By: milagros

milagros — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 18:15:08 +0000

Yes, there is a measure of fear out there on this issue that we are trying address. It seems that things are beginning to move in the right direction but we need to push hard to ensure we get there.
For any local retailers, crafters, manufacturers, etc. who want to get informed on this issue as well as join in some collective action to improve the CPSIA, please join us at Spielwerks Toys on N. Williams on Monday, 1/12, at 9 AM.
Thanks!
Tony
Milagros Boutique

By: Chris

Chris — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 17:58:46 +0000

I do hope that makers of children’s clothing and toys do not give up there businesses in a panic, as there is some good news on the horizon. According to the LA Times on Feb. 7, the Commission members have “voted tentativley to exempt:
* Items with lead parts that a child cannot access;
* Clothing, toys and other goods made of natural materials such as cotton and wood; and
* Electronics that are impossible to make without lead.
The commission also tentatively approved a rule that clarifies how it determines exclusions from the law.”

By: Candyce

Candyce — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:59:04 +0000

Thank you for your write up. It is everything that I think. I agree we need to protect children, but this law goes too far without having thought about the consequences. I,too have seen some amazing small businesses close shop and it greatly saddens me. Besides the fear of closing my own business I look for locally handmade items for my own family and fear my options will become very limited. Thank you for voicing this issue on your blog.