Local brand makes good.

Sometimes it seems like there are no local brands anymore. 

And then, sometimes, I'll see something like Marcal and have to buy it. 

For those of you not in the New Jersey/New York area, Marcal is a product of Soundview Paper Company and has been around since 1932. Their HQ is in Elmwood Park, NJ, and I don't think their distribution goes farther than Maryland. It's seen in Philly, but not in Pittsburgh. It's available in my Hudson Valley town, in one store, and I found it elbowing in between the Brawny and Bounty and Viva. Marcal is a leader in post-consumer paper recycling. 

Like a lot of local brands, Marcal used to have cheesy ads on local TV stations. Haven't seen or heard them in years, but the brand somehow hangs in there. My local market just carries the paper towels (toallas de papel!), but they also make napkins and toilet paper. 

You might think Marcal is a cheap brand like Sparkle, for the economy-minded consumer who doesn't worry about absorption or softness. And indeed, it's not an expensive towel; nor is it an attractive paper towel, with seasonal designs or licensed characters. It actually looks kind of lumpy. 

And it feels very rough. But that's the key. The Marcal towel feels like paper that has been dried of every bit of moisture it had ever encountered from the time it was a tree. It is exceptionally absorbent for its weight. It's a fine paper towel. I wouldn't want to use it as emergency TP, which would be a bad idea since you should never flush paper towels anyway. But as a paper towel, it is very handy. I'm not 100% sure I would enjoy using their toilet paper.

In a world where Yoo-Hoo is owned by Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Nathan's Hot Dogs are made by Midwest meat king John Morrell, and Dr. Brown's sodas are bottled by Pepsi, I'm glad there are some local brands that are still local, managing to find a way onto our shelves and into our hearts. The big national brands are fine, but the little guys keep 'em honest.