Autumn is in the air and the holiday season is just around the corner, and that has us thinking about shopping!
This year, instead of a conventional holiday gift guide, 10Best editors teamed up with some of the top movers and shakers in the American makers movement to nominate 20 makers in the USA in each of the following categories: Home & Garden, Food & Drink, Clothing & Accessories, Children & Families and Arts & Crafts.
For the past four weeks, 10Best and USA TODAY readers have been voting daily for their favorites.
The results are in! Click on each category below to see the full 10 winners, and to read more about their products. We hope that by showcasing some of the nation's best creatives, you'll feel encouraged to buy local, buy handmade and buy American-made gifts this holiday season.
Best Home & Garden Maker in the USA: If You Give a Girl a Saw
Photo courtesy of If You Give a Girl a Saw / Etsy
If You Give a Girl a Saw began when Janine Stone set out on a quest to construct a weatherproof shoe storage solution for her studio apartment. It was love at first cut, and Janine has been woodworking ever since. Her items, handmade in San Luis Obispo, include headboards, tables, breakfast trays and wall hangings made with wood sourced from locally owned lumberyards.
Winners: Best Home & Garden Makers
Best Food & Drink Maker in the USA: The Herbivorous Butcher
Photo courtesy of The Herbivorous Butcher
Vegan brother and sister duo Aubry and Kale Walch opened The Herbivorous Butcher to provide realistic and "tastefully accurate" meat alternatives to vegans and vegetarians around the country. Products are made in small batches from locally sourced ingredients with a high protein content to aid in satiety. Options available online include vegan deli meats and cheeses, jerky, bacon, steaks, brats, ribs and chicken.
Winners: Best Food & Drink Makers
Best Clothing & Accessories Maker in the USA: Bradley Mountain
Photo courtesy of Gregory Woodman
A self-taught designer, Tyler Axtell began creating products from his Ocean Beach garage in 2012. Today, the San Diego-based team of makers behind Bradley Mountain has grown to seven and the brand has expanded to include bags, roll-ups, blankets and other accessories for adventures and the home.
Winners: Best Clothing & Accessories Makers
Best Children & Families Maker in the USA: Mason Dixon
Photo courtesy of Mason Dixon Made
Based in Philadelphia, Mason Dixon fashions a boutique line of hand-crafted, made-to-order derbies and baby booties made from European leather and hand-cut laces. Heather Holiday, the maker behind Mason Dixon, also crafts fine leather handbags for mom.
Winners: Best Children & Families Makers
Best Arts & Crafts Maker in the USA: Mini Museum
Hans Fex, the maker behind the Mini Museum, grew up in Washington, D.C. reading science magazines and visiting the Smithsonian museums with his father. Inspired by his father's collection of interesting artifacts, Hans set out to create mini museums – grand collections of rare objects in a manageable space.
Winners: Best Arts & Crafts Makers
Congratulations to all our winning American makers. Remember to bookmark this list for your holiday shopping this winter!
