I probably only noticed the label on the catering event chairs last weekend because I have been through New Holstein. It's in lovely country, eastern central Wisconsin, north of Milwaukee, between Lake Michigan and Lake Winnebago. Kestell is, according to their website "the oldest and largest manufacturer of quality poker tables in the world. . . family owned and operated since 1950." I'm not much of a poker player, but the folding leg card table and the folding leg domino table are both pretty sweet. I didn't have a chance to take a picture of the whole chair, but they are on the website if you want to take a look, just a decent looking, easily folded folding chair.
The somewhat upsetting part for me is that the rental chair supplier for this particular event no longer buys the Kestell chairs, they buy an exact reproduction, sold by another company and manufactured in China. As usual, I have conflicted feelings. I can't really blame the local rental company, they may have needed to buy the (presumably) cheaper chairs to stay competitive here and keep their employees working. If I were planning an event, would I look for a rental company that only sources American made products? Would I be willing to pay the higher rate that might very well go with that? Even if I were, would there be enough other people concerned about it to create the demand to make it a good business strategy for the rental company? I don't know but I doubt it. I don't blame China, or other places willing to produce all the crap we want for cheap. I don't really even blame the Illinois company that outsources their manufacturing.
Happily, Kestell is still in business. I'll keep an eye out for it next time I pass through New Holstein, you should too.
