Once-upon-a-time, stuff was made in America and built to last. Take this Montgomery Ward hand towel, for example. My parents purchased this back in the 1970s. After 5 decades, it’s still going strong. Thick, quality fabric is used here. Compare that to the towels being sold today: you’re lucky to get a year’s worth of use out of them.
I keep hoping we’ll eventually come full circle, coming to a place where product quality and longevity matters again. Unfortunately, rising costs for labor and materials means that probably won’t happen in our lifetimes. It’s a never-ending spiral of companies trying to charge more for less. At least we still have examples like this towel to show our kids and grandkids that there was a time when items were made well and built to last.