Two local manufacturers proudly proclaim they are 'Made in New York'

NEW YORK (WABC) -- They assemble the bikes here, they weld them here, and they paint them here. In fact, the 60 dedicated employees at Worksman Cycles first started building recreational bicycles, food delivery carts and tricycles back in 1898 - first in Lower Manhattan, then in Fort Greene, Brooklyn and now in a block-wide factory in Ozone Park, Queens.

"The workers we have are pretty serious, no-nonsense, 'get the job done' - they have the mentality of 'let's get it done'," says Wayne Sosin, "we have a very interesting group of people with different, diverse backgrounds. We kind of like that."

Apparently some of the workers like that as well, considering a few are second-generation employees.

Sosin admits it would have been easy to do what many other bike manufacturers did decades ago - move the business overseas where regulations are loose, and labor is cheap. However, aside from his loyal work force, something else kept him in the Big Apple - pride.

"A lot of the Worksman bikes that you see in New York, people associate those with being a big part of New York - a delivery bike, a pizza delivery bike, a food vending cart. And we take a lot of pride in saying, 'hey, that's ours' - it's kind of a cool feeling."

From bicycles to buttons, and a pair of brothers who represent the sole survivor of a dying breed. Steve and Dennis Hoffman are the second generation owners of the only wood button manufacturing company in North America.

The Buttonwood Corporation first opened its doors in 1939. Most of the machines inside the brothers' shop, located on the second floor of a storage facility in Wiliamsburg, Brooklyn, have been there since day one. Take a step inside, and you take a step back in time.

"Wood comes in one door, wooden buttons go out another door - that, I think is a wonderful thing," says Steve.

What's also wonderful is the brothers' loyalty to their hometown - a New York dedication often cited through customer appreciation.

"We get reviews from our web people - people who buy from the website, that are constantly saying, 'I love that you are made in Brooklyn, New York," says Dennis.

In their every day travels across the city, the Hoffman Brothers and the staff at Worksman Cycles can look around and easily see someone riding their bikes, or wearing their buttons. 'Another satisfied customer' they say to themselves. And frankly, there are many more still to come.