Quote:
Originally Posted by SAMIAM
For years, Annalee's employed locals to assemble dolls at home. It allowed many mom's who couldn't get out to the workplace to contribute. It was sad to see those jobs go to China. I wonder if any of those people who lost their jobs will be buying the dolls from China that they used to make.
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My wife and I were members of the Annalee Doll Society from almost the beginning. We would go to the Barbeque and Auction weekend every year (with a few extra days to enjoy The Lake) and we have a rather large collection including the original collector series, some signed by Annalee herself. We enjoyed touring the "Factory in the Woods" and talking to the local people that hand crafted the dolls. "Made in Meredith" was a part of the charm and made it worth the price. I have a cap signed by Annalee, Chip, Chuck and Townsend that is one of a kind.
That being said, it was sad to hear that production was moved "offshore" and the "Factory in the Woods" and "Made in Meredith" had ended. The last weekend we ever attended was just after Annalee passed away and we found out the last doll personally designed by her was NOT made in Meredith. The local hands that crafted the dolls were gone. That was the last Annalee we ever purchased. Son Chuck continued as the designer and parted ways with his brother Townsend and a major family feud ensued. We knew that was the end of what had been a fantastic family business.
We are not interested in dolls made in China.
I feel sorry for those that lost their jobs and the home workers. We talked to many workers at the weekend events and they seemed to enjoy what they did and the home workers all said it was a good thing being able to work at home and care for their children at the same time.
So sad.
