Still Made in the USA

I contacted the company that made the Golden Wheat dishes I wrote about Monday, but was not able to find out much additional information about them.  These are the everyday dishes my grandparents used, that my sister recently shared with me.  I was hoping to find out more about the scope and popularity of the Golden Wheat design, aside from the well-known fact that they came in boxes of Duz laundry detergent. 

Instead, I was interested to note that the same company that the Laughlin brothers started in 1871 in Ohio is still bustling today.  Just across the Ohio River, in Newell, West Virginia, is the United States' largest pottery/china dishware maker.  Homer Laughlin China company spokesperson Dave Conley says the company still employs around 900 people at five local plants.  He says all of the ceramic products are still made in the USA.  He did note that other pieces, such as coordinating glassware, are licensed to be made elsewhere.  When I asked which designs or types of dinnerware are most popular today, Conley mentioned Fiesta dinnerware and the Virginia Rose shape.

A spokesperson for the International Housewares Association confirms that a handful of large china makers remain in this country.  Vicki Matranga says that along with Homer Laughlin are comptetitors World Kitchen, Buffalo China, Viletta China, and some Lenox China products.  She notes some smaller dinnerware makers also exist in the US, such as Heath Ceramics and Hartstone.  Matranga is the Design Programs Coordinator for the IHA, a trade association.