Household goods that earn their keep

Look across these shelves and a pattern appears quickly. Much of what sits here is a cover for something that wears out first. Vinyl table covers, faux leather chair pads, quilted pillow covers and a vinyl shoe case all do the same sensible job. Beside them you will find heat plates, burner covers, microwave bowls, an omelet pan and pants stretchers. None of these pieces photograph particularly well on a page, and that was never the point of them. They do the work they were made to do.

A folding cane seat belongs in the very same company. It folds flat when nobody needs it, and it gives a person a place to sit when the line is long. Under our roof, this label sits quietly beside Miles Kimball and Fox Valley Traders without pretending to be either of them. The other labels carry the gifts, the stitched names and the holiday pieces. This one stays busy with the kitchen table, the stove top and the chairs people pull out three times a day.