Maker's Row

Maker's Row is an online matchmaker that connects designers with industry-specific factories and suppliers-all based in the U.S. Product designers and small businesses can join the website for free, while manufacturers pay $200 a month. Maker's Row founder Matthew Burnett is a designer and Detroit native. He relocated to New York City to work for major apparel labels, before launching his own watch line. His grandfather was a watchmaker so he's been around small shop manufacturing all his life. But manufacturing his designs overseas was a costly headache. Orders and tweaks, shipped abroad, took weeks to resolve. "You add import taxes and it becomes such a gamble manufacturing overseas as a small business," Burnett said. Maker's Row was launched in 2012 and breaks down the manufacturing process for small- to medium-sized ventures. The site allows entrepreneurs, many first-timers, to plug into a U.S. supply chain including factories in all 50 states. Participating businesses straddle apparel and accessories. "It's harder to find a manufacturer in the U.S. than in China," Burnett said. Maker's Row plans to add other industries, and is wrapping up their seed round of funding. The site includes about 10,000 small-business owners and roughly 1,800 manufacturers, including Cahn of Unionwear. And a vibrant U.S. manufacturing sector means more domestic jobs. For a $1 million backpack order, for example, Cahn estimates he's able to hire 35 to 40 New Jersey workers. Less than 10 percent of American jobs come from manufacturing.