American Originals Holiday Special w/ Mike Rowe

Today we are presenting a special holiday episode where we recommend some genuine made in the USA products just in time for the holiday gift giving season. These are products that are actually made right here in America. We really did our research. So when you're buying something you're supporting a fellow American and joining me for this Mary Mission is a friend with a laundry list of media accomplishments, including the host of dirty jobs, as well as he was host on QVC. He's America's blue collar champion and he's here today to help encourage you to support American made while checking off your holiday hitter list. Today's guest is Mr. Mike Rowe. I can't believe we're doing this. I know. I mean we talked about this like a year ago as a goof. Like Wayne's World meets QVC to celebrate American manufacturing and Theo was like yeah man I'll do that. We wanted to highlight American creativity. Yeah. You know we want to just create gifts where it's like a lot of times you want to give a gift to somebody and a lot of stuff we buy now in America is from other places. So it was like well it's buy stuff that's from our neighbor from our fellow American because then you're kind of given like two gifts. It's like I'm giving one gift because I am giving an actual physical gift to my friend. Yeah. But then I'm giving another gift because the money from it is going towards an American family or an American company. Well the thing that got me man you you've been touring forever. We've been to 250 something cities over the past four years. So yeah. Well anybody who gets around the country sees that things are tough in certain areas like really super tough in other areas and the idea of reinvigorating manufacturing and showing people what's possible. I mean that's the idea. Like these products people should know that nobody paid to be on here. These are just items that we found made by people that we think are super cool and it would be great to crash their website and at the same time give give the audience you know something cool the stuff and a stocking. Yeah we just picked a lot of stuff that we thought was cool to us you know. Yeah. And like Mike mentioned we do want to say that none of these products are paid to be here and a lot of these products are like companies that we happen to pull in different places. Some of them were businesses that we walked into when we're out on the road. Some are ones that are near and dear to your heart and places that you've been a champion for a long time. And it's just nice to let people know that there is stuff that is made here in our country. You have to seek it out a little bit. But that the desire and the ingenuity is still there and we put together a best hodgepodge of Christmas gifts that you can give to somebody you care about or even somebody that you don't. Everything on this show is working right they've got a heartbeat and they figured something out and yeah maybe you can drag them over the finish line. I think we can start highlighting them. Shall we jump in? Let's jump in. This is our first item from the Sullivan Glove Company. Hailing from Bend, Oregon, the Sullivan Glove Company has been keeping their premium gloves distinctly American made since 1941 sourcing everything from within these United States and crafting each glove through their dedicated and domestic 10 person team who managed to churn out over 12,000 pair every year. Sullivan Glove products are handsome and made for versatility. They're perfect for a full spectrum of activities from a night out on the town to the ranch or the workshop. Sullivan Glove stand for warmth, durability and the American spirit. Get your special holiday someone's hands into some warm American made goodness. This year this feels great and what is this leather? That's elk this deer. Touch my arm with the ears do that. Oh it's like two animals meeting in the woods huh. Here's what you do if you really want to mix it up. Give me the one on your right hand. Like give me the one on my right hand. Yeah. I don't know that this has ever been done before at the Sullivan Glove Company. But oh wow these are, see. That's a heavier duty glove. Yes. Yeah this is very, has a very Russian sort of we can do it. Type of thing. I feel like you definitely this thing a lot. You could do a lot. You could also train that falcon with this one. Sure. The falcon will come back. I feel like if you walked outside with this one on, the falcon will come back. This was made for work for sure. These feel like almost like driving gloves. There was a guy on the show a while back. A guy, a small guy. Which is a child. And he was on here and he found some gloves just in his pocket. He found some like latex gloves in his pocket. He gloves in my pocket. Are they really? Rizzler. That's his name. Yeah. Is that really his name? Yeah. That's his name. His first name? Christian is his real name. And he's somewhere, he's like six to eight years old. He's a great kid. But he actually, we sent him up here. Remember when I pulled these out? Yeah. Now I'm going to upgrade something even better. Check these out. They're really nice. Well I'll tell you this. There's nothing I like putting my hand more in. Then something made right here in America. I'll tell you that. I mean, that could have gone a few different ways. But I'm glad it went the way it did towards Sullivan Gloves, man. I am too. You know, these gloves were created by Edward Sullivan. He got started producing gloves for World War Two. Mainly for the Navy. That's how this glove company started. And it's still here. And it's up in Bend, Oregon. And I'll tell you a little bit of something about Bend. You know, that is a resilient place. Michael. Sure it is. It's the home of the last blockbuster. You know what I'm saying? They're stubborn people. They like to do things their own way. There's a lot of like a, even just the way it's set up there. It's not like a regular little city. It's little pockets of this and that. And somebody's in the woods sucking tree sap out of something. You know, it's just that kind of people. If I see somebody sucking on something, I'll look the other way. I'll support them. You're walking through the woods. And you see a fella sidled up to a tree. Say a maple. Just slurping it. Yeah. And he's sucking on the tree to get the sap out. Do you approach? Do you take a photo? Do you step back? Oh, I think you wait a few minutes till he steps back and then you just let him spit it on your hotcakes. That's what I'm saying. That's, I mean, if it's pure maple, I don't know what he was getting. But let's get back to the gloves here, Michael. I do want to say there's only five glove companies left that manufacture in the USA. They've got work gloves. They've got driving gloves. They've got rodeo gloves. They've got going around town gloves. They're all soft. They're all supple. They're all tough. It's great company. Yeah, these can be great. They have classic. It says leather motorcycle. Wow. So if you want to get out there and you want to get your baby girl one of those big sodas and let her sit behind you on a gold wing or something and you want to get out there and show off. If you want to be a little sturgis baby out there you can do it in these elements. And they have rodeo and ranch. If you want to, if you like dipping your nuggets in some deep ranch you can wear these gloves and do it. Is that what they mean you think? I don't think so. Oh these feel good man. Honestly, you can feel quality. Like you really really really know it. You know when you see it you really know when you touch it but when to your point when you push your hand slowly into something that is undeniably of quality then all of your fingers come together and a joyous fist of solidarity. Come together. Right now. And how do they smell? Like if you really have to sum it up what is the aroma? They smell great. The inside smell a little different than the outside but that's kind of nice. That's how I like it. Sullivan gloves. Thank you guys for us sending us a few pairs so that we could show them off. All you need is glove. Only a knee. Bang bang Maxwell still. Ha ma can't remember that. That is a serious copy right in the fridge but right there. I'll be amazed if you can get away with that. You see the beetles they're very gravey with their what you call their IP. Yeah. But yeah, I think when people look back at this and wonder what the heck just happened the image that's really going to stick with them is the guy in the woods sucking the sap out of the maple tree. Yeah. Well let's shout about a new product here. Mike I hate to keep us moving along but we got a lot of products to hit. Miles to go before we sleep. Hey man. Some of those Sullivan gloves are so dexteritous. You could actually enjoy a fine piece of fruit in them. I got to admit I hadn't thought about that but as Tim comes in with these delicious looking beautifully wrapped perfectly boxed pieces of fruit I will say that the idea of eating them with glove hands is appealing. Mm hmm. And we're talking about choucars cherries out of Yakima Valley, Washington. Will you give us a little bit more intel on those? I mean, yeah. In a heart of Washington states cherry country an idea was hatched by a woman named Pam Montgomery whose family owned a cherry orchard as Pam strolled beneath the cherry trees enamored by the sweet smell of the sun-dried fruits she began to experiment with storing the cherries without adding any sugars or preservatives as was recommended instead Pam made a commitment to keep her cherries additive free and eventually combined them with chocolate and choucars cherries were born. Now sold in Seattle's famous Pike Place and from its headquarters in Prasser, Washington you can also find these in a variety of cherries and chocolates at choucars.com that's choucars.com. Oh, I love that. Yeah, you got to think if you think about a cherry it's really all some people say it's a it's just a little apple. Have you ever seriously heard of anybody referred to a cherry as a little apple? Ever. Nope. All right. There's no wrong answer but part of why I wanted to do this was just to sit close enough to you for a protracted period of time to see if I can become one of the few people on the planet with some insight as to how your brain actually works. Well, I think it actually does a lot of time with the real truth. But there is something beautiful about a little cherry because sometimes you want an apple. Sometimes you want 40 apples and you're like, I can't eat all these 40 apples at one time and you see a cherry and you're like, oh, okay. So I'm going to show it up. Put some out here. Yeah, I'd love to have one. You can see them. Oh, wow. They don't look like your normal cherries. I would say they look like a dehydrated cherry almost. Guys, these are good. I know. They're amazing. And I think just knowing that they're natural, knowing they're not all jacked up. Like you see a lot of fruit these days and it's doing peptides. It's on GLMP1 or whatever. And it's on, you know, you will get a pear or whatever and it's been doing creatine. You're like, what the hell is? Is it's big as a pumpkin? You know, the most suspicious thing is the color. When they're really super vibrant and when they look so delicious that, you know, that's just not how it is in life, man. That's not what natural is. This is natural. Who would you get these for in your family? Be honest with me, my. Maybe for an office worker. You know, it's a thoughtful thing to do. You know, once you're talking about an ingestible, you are getting into like a personal kind of thing. Do you give it to perfect strangers? Oh, I've sold bad pills to people over the years. So inviting people to buy something that's good for them is certainly not a problem. What's a new direction for you then? Yeah. Oh, dude, I bought about to fake steroids from somebody in high school injected it into my body for like 12 weeks, dude. What happened? I don't know. Well, look, just for the record, if you're just tuning in, these are, these are cherries. They're natural cherries. Don't inject them in your body. There's no, there's no need for it. Just put it in your mouth, chew it, and let the unmistakable delight of cherries the way God made them. Wash over your palate and thrill to the delight as it journeys through your digestive tract. And I'll tell you this, these come in a beautiful case. What is this? Look at that. No, honestly, that's a great point. That's nine by 12, I believe. Looks about right. Maybe more. I think that's a foot. I think that's 12. I think that's 12 by nine. Okay. Well, I guess to be the same would nine by 12. I'm going to challenge you there, Mike. I mean, that's at least a foot. But the simple fact that you know these chocolate covers your in your sleeping and I don't want to I know it's the lights are bright. I'm just going to expose them right away. I'm real. Oh yeah. Look at that. Raspberry truffles. Vanilla almonds. Classic cranberries. You can see the list for yourself. One layer comes. I think that's right. Oh my gosh. Look at that. And look at these. I'm going to show these up so the baby girls at home can see them. There we go. Hello, Pam. Hello, Theo. Yep, that's me. Thank you so much for being a part of our gift giving. Holiday season and inspiring us with your Choucar cherries story. This is one of our heroes, Mike. Hi, Pam. Hi, Mike. And Pam, tell me this and thank you so much for joining us today. How do you pray? Is it Choucar? Choucar? It's Choucar. Choucar. It's a bird. You know the logo that looks like a little penguin. Yeah. Well, that's that's actually a Choucar bird. That's awesome. Yeah. Congratulations. Yeah, last thanks. And last year we dried 700,000 pounds of cherries. Ooh. Holy cow. Oh my gosh. What's the most interesting thing about cherries that the average American would benefit from knowing, but currently doesn't? Probably the average wouldn't know that this is one of the best places to grow cherries in the world. So how many people do you employ now? About 75 a year. Nice. We really have focused on using US products, US labor. Well, that's one of the things that stood out to us whenever we're searching for companies like yours is just the desired use American products, providing jobs for other Americans. Having people have a wonderful place where they like to work and customers that enjoy what you're doing. I think that will keep Choucar going. That's the American Dream right there. Yeah. You're living it. Exactly. You're living the American Dream through cherries. I think it's terrific. Hey, man. Well, thank you so much, Pam, for creating Choucar cherries and Mike. Literally going to order three of these for the holidays. My family's got to absolutely love them. They look great. And it's just nice to know you're out there doing your thing for as long as you've been doing it. Congratulations on building something great. Thank you. Thank you. It's been my pleasure. We could keep it moving, Mike. Why wouldn't we? I don't think there's any reason not to. All right. Oh, yeah, this is a good one. Crippling hot sauce. When life gives you lemons, make hot sauce. In a small Missouri town, Drew Davis did just that. Born with cerebral palsy, Drew started crippling hot sauce at 16 with $3,000 of folding table and his grandmother's kitchen. What began as a high school project became a national movement selling over 500,000 bottles. This incredible feat is one built on family faith and the belief that strength comes in all forms. Every bottle is made and bottled here in America with bold original flavors like spicy bacon, special treatment. And salsa Verde limping. Drew's determination has inspired millions proving that when you bet on yourself, even the hottest challenges can turn into something extraordinary. Yeah. Yeah. Let me take a, I wouldn't mind taking a little hit of this deal with it. Yeah. So let's correct that open. Huh? Get your little gannick, your little. Sorry. Oh, yeah. No, it's got a wing to it. We got Drew on the line. What's up, Drew Davis? How are you? Good. How about you? We're doing great, man. I just accidentally drank a decent amount of your deal with it, sauce, man. That should'll give you the runs. It will. Well, it's good to know, man. We just started the show. The sauce gives you the runs better than I run. Yeah. Yeah, you won't give anybody the runs. Yeah. When did you get it into your head to start making hot sauce? So I actually had a school project. It was due in two days. I'm like, man, what am I going to do? And I looked down and looked at myself. I'm like, huh, it'd be funny. I like making fun of myself. And I like hot sauce. Let's present an idea called crippling hot sauce. So I was wondering, and I get the grade back. It's 82%. And as a person with cerebral palsy, my brain is the only thing that works 100% well on my body. So I kind of got mad. I was like, so I went up to the teacher and asked him why I'm like, I've never gotten a grade this way. Why? Why this grade? He goes, oh, I thought it was a great idea. Just didn't think you could do it. Thought it was unrealistic. So I went home that day out of spite, learn how to make hot sauce and launch it in a couple of years later, we've sold hundreds of thousands of bottles all while supporting people with disabilities along the way. Let's go. Oh, fantastic, dude. It says on your box here that 5% goes to cerebral palsy research for every sale. Is that right? Yep. I'm trying to fix this stuff. Oh, hell yeah, dude. I was going to say I was going to recommend a car practice for you, but yeah, I tried that. Yeah, I bet, dude. Drew, it's exciting, man, even to seeing you and feeling your energy, dude, it just feels like the American spirit, you know, like, oh, I'll find a way to get this done, right? I love that, man. And I love this quote on the box. It's not the hot sauce that put me in the wheelchair. It's the cerebral palsy. Bit on the nose, but, you know, I just always have liked making fun of myself. So now that I get to monetize that, I couldn't ask for anything better. What makes this a perfect gift for someone for the holidays? Man, I think it just encompasses like the true, like, a lot of our humor and I think it does well. So it's like a gimmick product that tastes well. Bowser does like great for the for the disabled community, which is 1.3 billion strong. And the world, can you believe that? Oh, you see 1.3 billion wheelchairs in the world. Wow. Dude, imagine if we all raised, dude. It'd be like the, um, no running, not running. Yeah, like that. Yeah, almost like the running of the bulls, the rolling of the bulls. How good is the product? We are flavor first. None of them are too terribly hoppacides that ghost pepper palsy. I guess specifically for a Bowsery repulsy, do you feel like it's something that can be defeated one day? Like, what do you think about that? Yes, I do think so because the, what cerebral palsy is is it's brain damage to the cerebral cortex in your brain. So my brain doesn't get the right messages to my legs for them to work. Oh, yeah. It's like 3G wireless or whatever. Yeah, my brain got one power, dude. What are sales like? We've done like 2.5 million, um, this year and, um, you know, still crippled, but at least I sell how it's all. Blessings to you, bro. Happy holidays to you and, uh, and thanks for being so creative. Thank you so much for having me, guys. You bet. Peace, Drew. Thanks, Drew. Bye-bye hot sauce. Ooh, are we going to take me out to the ball game? What do you got here, bro? Well, what we have here is maybe, maybe the best baseball glove I've ever made. These are Nikona baseball gloves. Nothing, maybe more American than baseball. And with this next product, once again, we are going all American. The Kona baseball gloves from the Kona, Texas are a premium, customizable, American made baseball glove worn by both young players and major leakers alike. These gloves have been in iconic baseball movies, field of dreams, illegal their own. You see them in ball parks all over the country. America's pastime deserves American leather made on American soil. And when you visit their website, you will be treated to a grand slam of customizable options from sizes and colors to personalized and craving and stitching catch the holiday spirit this year with Nikona baseball gloves. That's a Nikona. Baseball gloves. Yeah, that's a beautiful piece of equipment, huh? Did you ever break in a glove? We had a horrible, whoa, they put my name on it. Oh, look at that. There's yours at Mike on it? Yeah, the best. No, I know Nolan Ryan was a famous Nikona user. I remember that from growing up. 2026 is the 100 year anniversary. For 100 years, they've been making these gloves right here in the USA. These are the top baseball glove maker in America. A great piece of art, which is what I would think of this glove as. You know, it's not just a baseball glove. It's a it is a love letter to everything we're talking about. You give that to the kid and you make sure they see the story and they understand what they're getting. And they understand the company culture that made it. And then, you know, then it's more than a glove, right? Yeah, Bob's story who is the founder of Nikona gloves. He, there's a famous quote by him, I'd rather take a bucket of worms and go fishing than import an Nikona glove. Yeah. He wanted to keep it American made. Yeah. One beautiful thing that happened in World War II, they got a government contract to send gloves over to our soldiers. Over to soldiers. Yeah. So they could have some, a bit of something that felt American. That's pretty amazing. And those are the kind of stories I think when you get somebody a gift like this, that you want to share, right? It's like, it's like so much of it. Yeah, you're right. It's not about the product. It's about the story, right? It's about like a sense of tradition and a sense of why we do this and why you would think this goes perfect for somebody. What's your favorite baseball movie? My favorite of all time is all League of the Round. Why? Just devout lesbianism hidden behind war and sports. I think that's right off their poster. Some of the products that we're looking at have been around a hundred years, right? Some of them are almost institutional to the point where you can look back, see how they built it and be inspired by it. And then some of them are first generation. They're just getting started. And, you know, I wouldn't put a value judgment. Honestly, on what's better or what's more important, it's the idea. Whether it's Bob's story, who a hundred years ago, says, I'm going to do this the way I'm going to do it. Or whether it's the kid with, you know, Drew with cerebral policy or the lady making the cherries. I remember though I wasn't good at baseball, I remember that glove. I just, I can remember exactly what it looked like. I'll never hear my first car, first baseball glove. Pocket knife, my granddad gave me some of that stuff. Matters. Yeah. And now that I think about it, they were all American made products. Yeah. Yeah. That's the thread. Yeah. That's the spirit. Who's life would change if you, if you present them with a glove like this and Bob's stories, story. Now you got a gift. Maybe it's not your son or daughter. Maybe it's an East. Maybe it's an FU. Somebody loves baseball. Somebody's going to unwrap this. And they're never going to forget it. That's an American dream right there. I want to thank Shopify for sponsoring this special American made holiday gift episode. A lot of the brands we've been talking about today run on Shopify. Those are real people making real products, trying to build something honest right here in the US. I remember I saw somebody was selling glacier water, melted, get you a little half a jug at that or get you a court or get you a little cup. They even even come in one of those little baby cippers. Shopify has always supported entrepreneurs from some of the largest corporations in the world to your favorite shop right down the street. And that's what I love about Shopify. It's the engine behind small shops, behind mom and pop garage dreams, even in the in the craziness of the holiday season shopping, Shopify gives the little guy a fair shot. So if you want to join millions of hardworking men and women that managed to create their American dream out of nothing, head to Shopify.com slash Theo today. You've got the ideas and you've got the grit. Shopify has the know how to help turn that dream of yours into a future legacy. It can happen. You can do it. You know, we all hate buying clothes. And after a week, they're falling apart. You'll see something on the ground. It's like, what is that? It's part of your clothes, dang. Your shirt broke down on the side of the road. Not with American giant. If you listen to this podcast, you probably heard me talk about American giant before. They make high quality clothes and they make them right here in America, right here. I bought a sweatshirt from them about a year and a half ago and I love it. It's one of my favorites. I bought a zip up hoodie from them and a really great black t-shirt as well. They were starting more than 10 years ago by this guy named Byrd Winthrop who was fed up with everything feeling so cheap. I love knowing I'm supporting an American made brand. Yep. I mean, from the cotton grown on American farms, all the way through the finished product made entirely in the USA. I think an item from American giant would make the perfect Christmas gift for the guy or girl in your life because it comes with a story. Tell them the story and right now you can shop at American-giant.com and get 20% off your first order with code Theo. Yep. You can shop at American-giant.com and get 20% off your first order with code Theo. And starting now throughout the holiday season, you can find links to all of these companies at TheoVon.com slash American originals. One thing I wanted to share with you right here next is a company that I learned about about 10 years ago, oddly sweet dolls. People collect all kinds of things from baseball cards to watches to rocks. So this shouldn't be too crazy to hear. I collect oddly sweet dolls. That's a true story. For the last 10 years, I've been buying these dolls for my own collection and sometimes I'll send one to a family member or friend. Oddly sweet dolls are created in the one woman art studio of Miss Lacey Michelle, who hand sculpts every creepy cute doll straight from her home workshop. What began in 2009 as an experiment in sculpting faces what became a world of imperfect, soulful characters each brought to life with humor, heart, and a touch of mischief. After surviving a brain tumor while 27 weeks pregnant, Lacey turned creation into her therapy, infusing every piece with gratitude and grit. Entirely American-made oddly sweet dolls stands for originality, resilience, and the beauty of imperfection proof that even the strangest ideas can be oddly sweet. How long have you been buying these? Honestly. Probably about one decade. How many do you own personally? I think I have 11, but I've given some as gifts. How many of you have given as gifts? 15. Is this the thing you talk about often on the pod? A lot of people won't know about this. I think a lot of people are going to run with this really. This field, maybe not like headline news, but you're an open book. That's the charm of you, man. Just the eyes. Some of them seem like maybe they've been using or in recovery. But I did love the fact a lot of them. Some of them have a meat cleaver or different knife. Just the fact that they're willing to work. Millions of people have hundreds of millions of dolls. Yeah, I think I would remember going over certain friends' homes and some of their moms or stepmoms would have a doll room. I mean, like this is where the dolls are. Oh, dude, I just remember my friend, I would sleep at his house. Dude, his mom would, if you got up to go pee in the middle of the night, she'd make the bed while you were up. She's very organized. Was this the same thing you were telling me about in the back of the car on the road trip? Yeah, my buddy that was masturbating behind a map. His family was driving somewhere. He's pretending he's reading a map. Yeah. And he was touching his body behind it. Hmm. What do you, I mean, what do you get a guy like that for Christmas? I mean, a bigger map, maybe. I mean, there's something about it to me that's very much like, even though something's messed up, there's still, please find something endearing about me. And just the fact that Lacey Michelle was pregnant and is dealing with a brain tumor at the same time. You know, that has to be like fear and hope at the same time, so much going on. See that that's interesting because, you know, if you have fear and hope in the same feeling, then you can also have creepy and cute on the same face. For sure. When you actually get your, uh, your, uh, sonogram picture mixed up with your, with your MRI scan, you know, you're showing somebody the baby and like, that's the baby. It's, it's, where's it? It's by your brain. Yeah, you know what I'm saying? But just the whole ambiance of that is absolutely kind of wild. But that's the stuff that people go through. And that's the stuff where creativity comes out of. I really believe that kind of thing. Yeah. And, uh, and here we are. I'm inspired, I'm inspired by her story to have two things growing inside you at the same time. And one of them's really good and one of them's really bad. Right. The fact that she makes each one of these, it's pretty fascinating. Yeah. I mean, the attention to detail on them. Yeah. No, it's great. It's great. And I do know it's a limited item. This item should probably only have maybe 150 to 200. So if you do go to her side and she sold out, then that's awesome, right? And you can go back next year. And these are out of Salt Lake City as well. I want to say you've been there to beautiful area. It's very nice. If you haven't been there, it's beautiful. It is gorgeous. It's beautiful. Do you know why some of the heads are severed? So you don't have time for a statue? I don't have time for a statue. There you go. This is an ornament. For a Christmas tree. Yeah. You could hang on a maple. You could hang on a friend that's not moving much. Sure. How have your friends reacted who have received one of these gifts from you? I think they're excited about it. Some people are afraid to display the truth though. Yeah. And I think that's what these things are doing. And it just shows you like, this is neat to me. It's as somebody else that may not be. But there's probably a ton of other creators who are making really neat stuff. And can. You can have a whole business. This, the fact that Lacey Michelle does this and has an entire business built around it. The fact that she's going to be able to fulfill 150 to 200 orders for Christmas gifts this year. Dude, that's, to me, it's fascinating, man. Is there someone in your life that has something going on just below the surface, something they may not be keen to talk about casually in polite company? But something that nevertheless needs to be tapped into maybe, just maybe, a doll like this is exactly what they've been waiting to receive. They just don't know it yet. And they won't until Christmas morning when they unwrap it. And the universe suddenly starts to make sense for the first time. Hey, man. There's been some neat stuff, man. Thanks so much for, uh, hey, kid, man. Onward. This is from our friends. It's, scraggly, bush, a truly unforgettable American original where deep from papillon, Nebraska, a husband and wife have turned laughter and hard work into a true American dream. Craig and Carly Summit founded scraggly bush after Craig's high school trapping hobby and gag wedding gift. The first wallet, also known as a squirrel wallet sparked a wild idea with a COVID stimulus check and a lot of faith they began sowing fur goods by hand in their home workshop. Today, their creations include racuzzi's, possum packs, even satin-lined squalettes. Their shipped nationwide. They're made from ethically sourced American furs. And they're named after Craig's late best friend. Scragly, bush is more than a business. It's a tribute to friendship, laughter, and the power of the American spirit to turn even the wildest idea into something worth hoarding. So this is a squirrel where it was. This is an actual squirrel. And maybe it was hunted, maybe it was found. I don't know the etymology, but I know it was a real squirrel. You can get them pretty easy. But now it has a zipper where it's abdomen used to be. Satin-lined interior. What was that satin in there? Yeah. Oh, that is nice. Wow. It's very nice. Keep some pills in there. Keep whatever you want in there. Carkeys, paraglasses. The aforementioned pills, medication. What are those? Medication we could say, jelly beans, whatever you want in there. Sure. And squirrels are notorious for hoarding and hiding things anyway. So they're still getting to live the life they want. Right. You could actually fit... Without all the hassle of being alive. You know? Sure. Sure. I mean, what about nuts? That's the ultimate irony. Oh, if you pop that bitch open at some cashews in it, dude. Right. I'd be the happiest guy in the world. The squallet right there. And that's for males and females. Sure. And you've got a little, like, a carabiner right here. Right. So you can clip it, I guess, to your... Are you belt-loop, maybe? One beautiful thing about this company is that they received a COVID stimulus check and created something from it, right? This company makes $250,000 a year. All fur is sourced and harvested from American hunters. There are no farmed fur. This is straight out of God's refrigerator, the forest. And there's also the rakuzy right here. If you get tired of drinking out of a squeeze, you got that rakuzy, baby. And it's more of my... This is a little thicker fur. And this is from a raccoon or raccoon body. That's where this hide is from. Nice inside. It's dry, beautiful, tail. You want to let a kid play with the tail while you stay in there and drink at regular level. If you got a son and wants to bat that tail around while you're drinking here at human level. If I see somebody drinking out of that... You don't ignore it. I mean, what baby girl ain't going to want that squallet? Think of the story you're going to have. You're going to have condoms and net things to a very high school. You've got astroglyde, you've got birth control. You could have... I meant gum. ...Mint gum and a Roman therapy candle. You could outfit this squirrel. Man, you want to improve your odds in a rough and tumble, unpredictable dating world. Hollow out that squirrel and never take it off your belt. Look, I got to work early tomorrow, but I'm in. You know? That's squaggly bush. That's their company right there. And we can go support them. Thank them so much for their creativity. Yeah, man. Why settle for a bush when you can have a squaggly one? Let's keep it moving, man. One of the things that I'm inspired by is the way that people use things in their area. You know? Yeah. And one of the best stories that I've heard about that, turning something kind of a negative into a positive, is with the Albusia Project. Under the Hawaiian Sun, where the trade winds rustle through wild forests, a once-destructive tree has found new life. The Albusia Project transforms Hawakty's most invasive wood and the stunning handcrafted cutting boards that help restore the island's native forests. Husband and wife founders Joey Valenti and Christine Johnson, alongside their team, hunt Albusia trees and turn them into heirlooms made entirely on Oahu. From their Wahaiwa workshop and cafe, they're building strong community, one cup of coffee and one cutting board at a time. They make a few legendary surfboards out there as well, out of Albusia also. This holiday season gives something with true aloha, proof that even the most invasive species can be transformed into something regenerative, enduring and proudly American. Look at that, man. It's just amazing that they, ooh, picked that up. Yeah. Ooh. Later than you think. Yeah. But stronger than you know. Gosh. Yeah. New wood smell? Yes, smells great, man. Imagine you walk into somewhere and they got a couple own bones cut up on that thing, baby boy. Couple of carrots. It's hard yet light wood. Hard and light surprising, boy. I can't think of a better combination for everything you would want in a cutting board. Hawaii tourism plummeted during COVID, so they got a $250,000 US Forest Service Grant to launch the company. Wow. Yeah, I think the invasive species thing is fascinating. You've got to be very careful with what you introduce into an environment. Oh, it's like bringing someone horrible home for the holidays to meet your parents. That's an invasive species. Yeah, it is. But it's large. Yeah. Something you're not going to have with this. One of the beautiful things about this is then not only creating a gift, you're giving a gift from other nature too, because you're getting bad things out of the forest. But the other thing too, it's like, it's super personal. Like that specific piece of wood gets traced back to a specific tree. It gets traced back to the specific person who cut it. That's what these guys do. They knew where it grew. They knew who cut it. And it's only possible through what they would call a super localized domestic supply chain. Wow. So it's like, yeah, if you need a cutting board, you can go to any retailer, you can buy any cutting board. And now there's a piece of wood in your kitchen and that's it. You use it, you don't use it anymore, whatever. But that's not the albusia project, no? No. No. That's not cleaning up Hawaii, keeping it natural. Yeah. Which is one of the most greatest gifts that we get in the world is nature. It's a big one. And it's a family-run business. Who would this be a good gift for? I will see a mom would love this, especially with the story. Like mom, you're one of the things, or mom, remember when you try to marry that guy? He was an invasive species. Glad we don't have him. Look, whatever it is. I mean, look, I'd say, Johnny or whatever his name was. You can use it as a small shark, or a couldary board as well. If you want to put you a little summer solstice, a little bit of winter meat. You do that. And if you want to use this one, I say, as it makes shift paddle. Mm-hmm. I'm not saying it should, it shouldn't, but... I'm not saying you shouldn't. I would definitely paddle some kids if they let you paddle someone else's kids. I'd run across the street right now. And you know, don't. Yeah, you could not use one of these to surf on, but they do make surfboards. They make lamps. They make a plethora of different options. Without busy, you can check it out. Imagine you want to cut something. What you're going to cut it on? Your counter? No. No. Your friend's back, a strong friend? It's possible, but no. Get a cutting board. From an invasive species. Yeah. That's been repurposed and reimagined into something truly useful. That's what I'm talking about. It's like going to a detox center for wood. You go in somewhat misplaced and not necessarily welcomed in the world you find yourself, but you come out repurposed, reshaped, reinvigorated. And who knows, one day regifted. Yeah. A lot of guys out there, they don't know what's going on. Right? And they're loaned, summer, whatever. I will tell you this, if you have those types of feelings sometimes, thinking you can do his blaze up a titting your room like this. These are candle tits. They're made in this country. Let me pop off that egg up for you, homie. It comes straight out of Chicago. Candle tits proves that light and laughter can come from the most unexpected of places founded by an artist named Bailey. This one woman brand hand casts every candle from real bodies to celebrate shape, self-love, and good humor. Each piece is made from locally sourced wax, poured and finished by hand. Some come for the fun, others for farewell. A keepsake made before surgery, helping them see their body with tenderness instead of fear. What started as a bold art experiment is now a movement that supports breast cancer survivors and anyone learning to appreciate one of God's year round, holiday treats. During this festive season, skip the vanilla jar candle and motorboat yourself over. To candletit.com, handmade in Chicago, because nothing warms a room like compassion, confidence, and a perfect pair of wicks. A thick tiddle keep your warm, homie. I know that. That's why a tits got two sides on it, one free chain, brother. Who am I to disagree? Why aren't these lit? You can pop. You can't pop. I know you want them all lit, freak. Almost more like a time capsule in a way for people that are going to go through possible adjustments to their bodies. People that could be dealing with breast cancer or breast removal, something like that. To have a keepsake, to have a fun, almost a time capsule way, you lock that tid in forever with these blazers. Sure. And you spark one of these things up at a campfire. It's going to be a great story. Who don't like talking tits with their bodies or their family? You know what, my sister and I never even talked about tits, but I spark one of these up. Who knows what can happen? I mean, this is an American doing something creative, doing something cool. You guys can check it out. We just, we sparked up five of them right now. Right there, you got an eight cup. I was breastfed on an eight cup and, oh, it's herring to see it. You ever watch a baby try to get milk out of an eight cup, too? I have. Oh, it's herring. I've seen it. He's beating on a drum. Probably it was, I felt bad for the kid. It took a little 17. Yeah. Oh. It was me. Oh, well, damn, that's, uh, I don't know. OK. What the? I want to tell you about this. All right. So we had a showing Casper Wyoming. I get back to my room and somebody hit got me a little box of Don L's candies. The people are so sweet. And I didn't know if I wanted it or not. I was like, what is this? And I cracked it open, dude. And this is, I kid you not the best Taufi I've ever had in my life. And their place was just a few blocks from us. And so I had to get loaded up on it. I got me some of that. I ate my whole box in one night. Couldn't even sleep. I want to tell you a little bit about it. These candies have been curated by the STEP family since 1956 when Don and Elma Step opened their little shop on St. Patrick's Day. And for nearly 70 years, their family has handcrafted Taufi's chocolates, caromels, and other sweets using the same original recipes and copper kettles. Three generations later, every batch still carries that small town pride in patience. So this season skipped the bullshit, French truffle, or that Chinese made Lafayettepe, and give the gift of truly American made sweetness. Don El's candies were holiday tradition taste better when it's American. And every piece gonna make you holla fajoy and slap your cousin. That's good. So if you hate your cousin, I can put two pieces of this and go whoop the zai, I see what I'm saying. But it's good, man. It just... There was something perfect about it for me. And I'm gonna try one more of their candies live right here. I've never even tried it. Don El's candies almond brittle. Never had almond brittle. Hmm. Well, his mouth is full. I'll tell you, three generations strong. What started with Don Elma and their son Mike now includes. Grandson Ryan, they're still crafting candies by hand, 70 years later. And if that doesn't make your mouth water, my friend, I don't know what will. Dear God, it's good. This is beautiful. I can't recommend it enough. It's an American company who'll support them. They got a great website. They can fulfill a lot of orders. They'll let you know when they can't. But I don't think you can go wrong supporting such a company, like Don El's candies. I couldn't even close my eyes at so much to offer that one night. It wouldn't close because of the pressure. But it was good, the pressure. I know some of these products we were asking around to some of our friends to see if they recommended any in their area. And my friend Kate Thornton wanted to recommend a domestic company in her area, so I thought we'd see if she could help. Can you hear us, Kate? I can. Ooh, it looks nice out there. What's going on out there? This is my real backdrop. Can you believe that? Seriously? That's not AI, Kate. This is not AI. I'm not sure if I can do it. I'm not sure if I can do it. I'm not sure if I can do it. I'm not sure if I can do it. I'm not sure if I can do it. I'm not sure if I can do it. Hey, I, Kate. This is not AI. That's Whitestone Mountain. And this is Whitestone Mountain orchards that are sending you some fruit and how and clear they're the ones running that orchard and they do an excellent job like through and through. Thank you so much, Kate, for recommending one of your neighbors. Can you tell us how often do you guys harvest apples? We start harvesting pears in mid August and then start working our way through apples all the way up until now. Usually it goes into November, but it's a pretty long season. So we're all kind of cranky at the end of it, but it's a beautiful day. So what's, what's to be mad about? How many kinds of apples are there? Well, there's at least 30 on the commercial market, but there's over 7,000 different varieties worldwide. I told you. I told you they're more than you think. There are a lot of apples. Who's keeping them? How do we get more of them? Oh, wow. And maybe you got the granny Smith. You got the golden delicious. Cosmic crisp. That's my favorite. That's three. I said there's 6,997 more. There's a lot of apples, man. What are these apples here? And how do you like them? Right, Kate? Yeah, I've heard that one before. I bet you did. Whitestone Mountain Norture, this card says, Thank you for your order and for supporting small, family-owned farms. Your apples include an American heirloom from the 1800s and a new variety. Remember to ripen your pears by leaving them out at room temperature for several days. How do you know her again? I know, Kate. Well, we met just online, but then she came to our comedy show and then we went and talked concert together one time, I think. I can't remember exactly. Oh, we went for a walk somewhere, remember? Yeah, we went for a walk in the park, was he? Yeah, but yeah, we know each other. What does it even matter? I was like, this lady's got some nice fruit. Um, that's, I go, yeah, I'd like to learn more about it. That was it, dude. It's good people. Mike, what is your problem? I don't have a problem with it. I'm trying to celebrate the fact that you're still curious enough to go on the Instagram, look around and find a fruit, a picture of fruit. It's called stalking people, Mike, and learning. But thanks for highlighting that. Yes, but I picked a good person this time because Kate's one of the best and she just spent so much time like in the community with farmers, learning about farming, working on her own farm, all types of stuff. She's just constantly, if you watch her social media, it's a, it's always a good time. I think it's a Christmas miracle, Kate. I appreciate you being part of it. Well, thank you. This is my absolute passion. My family's been doing this for a long time. So it's, it's a privilege to be able to highlight, even if it's not my family, but other families that do this. So thank you. I love this fruit. This is great. If you want to, uh, have a nice story to tell your family and get them some fruit. Um, that's American grown. And it's not one of the big vendors. It's, uh, more of a mom and pop organization. Is it Kate? Yes, it's absolutely like family run. They, you can learn all about them on their website. They do a great job of like explaining everything. I love it. That's Claire and Hal right there. Let's zoom in a little bit so we can see the good people that are there and that work there. Oh, that's awesome. I like them apples. That's my kind of area. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, Kate, thank you so much for highlighting them and, uh, and for just being a part of this, um, holiday gift show. Well, I adore you both. So let me know if I can help any in any way. Appreciate it. Have a good day. All right. Bye you guys. See ya. Bye Kate. That was Whitestone Mountain Orchard Establishing. 1993. Mike, I do want to let you know some of this nice to have something in your mouth. You know it. Well, sure. And Olympia provisions is our next company that we're going to feature. There's an old saying where I'm from and it's that American meat is the real good kind of meat. And where you from again? It's Louisander, right? From Louis. Yeah. That's what they say down there. That's what people were saying that to each other. Some people even wrote it down. And here we got some of the best all the way from Portland, Oregon. This is not just made in America. It's independently owned by its founder Elias Cairo, who first discovered his passion for cured meat. When on an apprenticeship in Switzerland, upon returning home he perfected a curing process that has seen the company grow to a team of 150 that crafts tens of thousands of pounds of cured meats every week. Their secret? No automation. No gimmicks. Just skill, time, and care. What do you got, Mikey? Well, this appears to be a summer sausage. Yeah. But you found that on my grandmother's drawer, huh? Get that meat out, Whitey. This is good, huh? It's delicious. Salami with red wine and fennel. Really? You don't have to text my sponsor, but I'll have a little cut of it. Why don't you chop into that bad boy forest right there? Look on Nico. Greek inspired sausage with garlic, oregano, and lemon zest. Three fully cooked sausages right here. God, that looks good, Michael. And then I'll just have these. They have dog treats as well. If your dog gets jealous. Because every time you know, when you crack open, you meet your dog comes around. He's a bum. He had been doing shit all day, but he pulls up to get your shit. Give him a dog treat right there from Olympia provisions, pure port. These guys are slaying meat. What a perfect stocking stuffer. Mm-hmm. It's already been stuffed. Olympia provisions, guys. That's cured meats. You want something that's American made. It's been sourced from America for a long time. You want to put together a sharp crude oil board. You want to get somebody some summer sausage that's right here in a moment. Right here in America. Cured and taste. That's the best hasten I've ever had, I think. You're a belt guy. Or a spedrous guy. Yeah. I've never worn suspenders except for once for Halloween. Good day. Right. Like, there's something you can snap with enthusiasm. It was like having a cup of coffee without a heaven one. That snap would get you going, dude. You're right in the nipples. You have to walk back into work. Calavera Tool Works. Deep in the woods of John's Island, South Carolina, Michael Williams, ditched corporate life to do something truly uplifting. Make belts by hand. Welcome to Calavera Tool Works, a small batch leather shop with a cult like following and zero interest in outsourcing overseas zero interest. Every single Calavera belt is cut and stitched and finished from American raised leather and solid US hardware. These aren't just belts, Theo. They're heirlooms. This holiday season skipped the tie and give this handsome gift that could literally hold up Santa's bridges after power munching through a stocking full of cookies. Hand made on John's Island tough as a $2 Christmas stake on New Year's Eve and built to outlast the Christmas dinner politics. God. That's a belt right there, huh? If somebody spanked me with that, I would get my act together. All my dad had to do was walk in the room and go. Never had to use it. Oh, yeah. Straightened you right up. I want to go right now to a testimony from Jackson. Yeah, let's hear from him. What did you have to say about these Calavera belts? I have folks. I recommend Calavera belts and two belts. They're really well made. This one holds up to all my farm uses and jobs. So go check out Calavera belts. You heard it. Here's a sentence I've never said before, but this is a belt. You can pass down to your loved ones. Amen. No? It'll grow with you. It'll shrink with you. But it'll never let you down. And it'll always keep your pants up. Amen. You have never had any goose, man. I'm trying to think of something nice that I've had around the holidays. Maybe a little bit turkey. A ham? Oh, yeah. A good Christmas ham? God, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I've liked a good ham. I liked the way it looks. Well, there's no reason to put a ham in one of these. But you want to jump in the one of these right now? Yeah, I'd love to see what you have here. This is a Dutch oven. Ooh. Ooh. Strapping. OK, dude, let me out of the covers. Brother, tell me more. Smithy Ironware, Donna Charleston, South Carolina. There's a workshop where the holidays smell like cast iron and cornbread. And that's where Isaac Morton started Smithy Ironware, restoring old skillets before deciding to make his own. Each piece crafted by hand polished to a mirror finish and built to last for generations. Today, every single Smithy skillet and carbon steel pan is made from 100% recycled American iron. Poor and polished in an old naval base turned foundry. They are as beautiful as they are tough. Kitchen heirlooms meant to be passed down, not tossed out. So if you're looking for a gift that says forever, forget the foreign made gadgets and give the skillet that could cook an all American Christmas breakfast for your grandkids one day. I love that having grand peppy skillet. Ooh, that's a heavy deal there, man. That has some real weight to it. Look at, I mean, it's a good, you know, seven eight pounds. That's beautiful. It's solid as can be. It will, it will simply never wear off. Anything in there will taste good. I mean, like I like what? Like a lamb stew. The beef stew, right? Put some beef carrots in, put it on a low heat. It's not a classic Christmas meal, but what a, what a, I mean, the smell. When you walked into your house, growing up and you smelled food, what is the smell you most remember? I'll say maybe mom would make a little bit of a holiday jambalaya in there. Well, that's nice. See that's festive and at the same time, demographically authentic to where you come from. God. Fight. I could have probably one egg out of that and it probably make me something good. You get a big, you get an ostrich egg. You ever see an ostrich egg? No. I got it. I don't know, pervert, brother. But I'll eat a nice egg out of that and go get out in the world, find me a job, find me a wife. Made from 100% recycled American iron. Look at that. Look at them working on it right there. Building a handle at. Doing all the work so you don't have to. All you got to do is cook you up something. Make your daddy something. Your daddy won't talk to you and make him something. Grandma looking for a new hobby. Hey, grandma. Or do you have a creepy uncle who needs a woodsy cabin activity? Huh? Who is it? Or maybe just a fun tradition for you and the kiddos. Heart puzzles. Are gorgeous American made gifts right out of central Indiana. Puzzles will keep you sharp. Yeah. I do love the puzzles. I can't get enough of them. Oh, I love them, dude. I sit there. I'll sit there. It might step daddy likes to make puzzles. He made a bunch and put them on the walls at home. You can't frame them? Yeah, he framed them. He's all puzzle and then you frame it and you put it up. Yeah. Why not? But he loves doing it. It's fun to sit there together. You know, he's like, hey, can you help me find the pieces? I can't find him. He's lying. He's just trying to spend time with me. But it's nice. It's a beautiful shout out, Rhett. I enjoy doing that with you. If you want to get somebody a puzzle, why just pick one up off the shelf from some company you don't even know. Get one that's made by one of your fellow Americans. These are great little ornaments and gifts, Mike, right here. Protagon pottery. There's a ministry out of Central Alabama called King's Home who is doing the Lord's Good Work by serving women and children, fleeing domestic violence, homelessness and trafficking. That's heavy, but it's happening through custom made mugs, bowls and Christmas ornaments with their self-made business, Protagon pottery. These amazing women are turning ceramics into salvation. God bless us all, but especially these women at King's Home, O'Come All ye faithful, Theo. Wow. It's a great way to support everybody. Well, they make things like this beautiful sheep right here. Look at this sheep, Mike. That's a good looking lamb. Yeah, I meant lamb. Well, I mean, I'm just thinking, you know, the lamb of God. Oh, yeah. Is a lamb a sheep? Uh, yeah. Yeah. They make Christmas ornaments, mugs, candles, soap dishes and bowls. One thing that I think is pretty special is last night, Jenna, who is the current director, drove three hours up here to bring us ornaments from them. And we have a video right now that she sent. Protagon pottery is very personal for me as it gave me my life back. But this isn't just about me. It's about the hundreds of women who have walked through the door, hopeless beaten and not sure if they were going to live to see another day. And I get the privilege to watch women find hope and the lights come back on in their eyes and watch them regain their lives back. I get the watch women get their children back to buy their first cars, to buy their first houses, things that we think we would have never going to achieve. And only through the dignified work and the safety of proclamation pottery, or these women able to just heal. Well thank you, Jenna. Thanks so much for bringing on. I'm glad that we could talk about them. And yeah, this is great. You can go on here, buy one item and tell the story when you give it away to somebody. Yeah, thanks Mike, so much for helping out and just for inspiring. I think this whole energy just like in reminding us about America that it's a thing. We interviewed Ken Burns recently. Yeah. He talked about the American Revolution and he's like, it's not that America got started and it's just going to be that way forever. It's like you have to keep America America. It's this malleable thing that's constantly evolving that can come or go. You know, but the only thing that keeps it going is us. If we really want to celebrate the people who are making stuff here, whether it's an ornament or an axe, we got to support them. Yes. It's important to me. I think some people think that America this or America that but in the end America is just us. It's us. Yeah. And it's how we operate and how we choose to operate. And if we can choose to buy something from our neighbor, then we win. Did I learn so many stories of so many different groups today? It was great. I mean, the guys chopping down trees that are bad and turning them into a wood that we can use for products. Knowing that Nikona Gloves sent their gloves over to people in World War II so that those guys could have a respite from the nightmare to throw a baseball back and forth for a few minutes. And do something that feels like home. Yeah. When they're on the other side of the world. There's a family that's challenging like, you know, sure, you could buy fruit from some of these companies that have been doing it for hundreds of years and stuff. But you could also get it from a company that's been doing it for 15 or 20 years that has five people working at it that can ship them out. You know, it's like there's just different options out there. And sometimes some of those options don't get as much advertising or don't get the word out there. So yeah. And if you see something that you guys like, just let us know in the comments. And if we couldn't feature one of your products and we'd spoken to you, we're really sorry about that. Some of it just became time. Like we thought this would take a few hours and we've been here for probably 12 hours, which is, it's okay. You know, which is, but it is a, it's a long day and so we tried our best. And I know you tried your best too. Everybody we introduced you to though has a, has a spirit that we admire. That's Christmas. Yeah. Oh, oh, oh. Oh, happy holidays, Mike. Happy holidays to you all. Now I'm just falling on the breeze and I feel I'm falling like these leaves I must be cornerstone. Oh, but when I reach that ground I'll share this piece of mind I found I can feel it. And I'm about to say that it's going to take.