Naturally my thoughts turned to China as the time came for me to source a product specifically for The Power of Staging Classes. With the course gaining both in popularity and momentum I felt that it was time to take it to the next level by adding a simple yet effective teaching tool that agents could use with their clients.  This would certainly add an additional element of professionalism to their AHS Designation   For many years I had sourced and manufactured furniture and decorative accessories in countries around the world and Asia was my favorite stomping ground.  To this day I have a keen eye as to where products within the décor industry are coming from and I pride myself as being able to spot the country of origin long before I turn the item over to read the label. What struck me immediately nine years ago when moving to the USA was the fact that, affixed to almost every product, was a sticker that read ‘Made in China’. Of course I understood why.  Today, using the internet, sourcing is quick, easy and painless.  From the comfort of your office chair you’re able to scroll down to see what factories around the world have to offer, while at the same time avoiding the nightmare of air travel The next few weeks saw a flurry of emails backwards and forwards from China.  India popped up as a resource and, completely unfazed, I perused that too.  After all, I know India well, having traveled there for business on three different occasions.  But soon, bleak memories of ‘Delhi belly’ came flooding back following a frustrating phone call in Hindi with a factory manager.  Perhaps I’d best work with China, India presented too many opportunities for misinterpretation. Undaunted I forged ahead determined to source my product for the lowest possible price.  Bid upon bid left me aghast at the demands of the Chinese factories coupled with prices that were outrageously high, until finally despondent I decided to widen my search to factories in the USA.  You can guess the rest of the story as it has a happy ending right here in our own country. I’ve had a most fortunate shopping experience, superb service and the end result is a high quality product that is priced right.  Makes me think more of us should give the US A chance.  Won’t we be solving a myriad of problems in the process? OK – now I know you’re dying to know what the product is – well stay tuned, the launch is imminent………