"If each consumer in the U.S. spent $3.33 in made in USA goods, we can create 10,000 new jobs," said Noelle Nguyen, founder of a website and retail store in the garment district of downtown Los Angeles that only sells American-made fashion wear and jewelry.
Her store is called American Love Affair, and for Nguyen, it really is a love affair.
"The term American Love Affair stands for my love affair with America. I love this country. I'm an immigrant. I spent three years in refugee camps to have been given so many opportunities here," said Nguyen.
Every once in a while, a product gets through that was not made in the USA, so a quality inspection is done on everything that comes in. For example, a shirt found to be made in Mexico was discounted so they could get it out of the store, and you would never find those items on the store's website.
"If I saw two products that were similar and one was made in America and one was made in, let's say, Indonesia, I would definitely buy made in America," said shopper Will Yin.
Because fashion changes constantly, American Love Affair takes photos of the clothing with real models for the website on a regular basis. It's a lot of work, but Nguyen says the hardest thing to keep constant is the price.
"We look for products that are not only made in the USA, but the tough part is they have to provide the true economic value. That is, they have to be brought to market at a favorable price point that's comparable to goods that are made overseas," said Nguyen.
