Johnson City company turns out flags made in the U.S.A.
Thursday, Jun 14, 2007 - 01:41 AM
BY Amy Hunter
Reporter
tricities.com
David Crigger/Bristol Herald Courier
Nancy Barry sews the edges on an American Flag
at the Tennessee Flag Company in Johnson City TN Wednesday.
People across the nation will fly American flags today in celebration of the red, white and blue’s 230th birthday.
Some of those flags, our nation’s most recognized and revered symbol of freedom, were made in foreign countries where our concept of freedom doesn’t exist.
If it wasn’t made in America, some believe, it isn’t an American flag.
Customers have flocked to stores in recent weeks to buy flags for Flag Day and the Fourth of July, but the high demand puts a burden on the manufacturers that produce them. To help lighten the load, some retailers sell imported flags made overseas.
"We make our flags right here, it isn’t good to be associated with [foreign-made flags]," said John Grindstaff, manager of the Tennessee Flag Co. in Johnson City, one of two flag manufacturers in the volunteer state.
"We turn down business if we can’t meet the demand," he said.
Grindstaff said while his company can produce more than 400 per day, demand often outweighs supply in the weeks between Memorial Day and the July 4th. But, he said, recent demand is nothing compared to the demand in 2001.
"After 9/11, flag manufacturers couldn’t keep up with demand," said Grindstaff, "so a lot of flags were imported."
According to the Flag Manufacturers Association of America, $51.7 million worth of American flags were imported from foreign countries in 2001, most of which arrived in October. And last year, $5.3 million were imported, the vast majority of which hailed from China.
Jamie Dunn, a spokesman for the association, said that many people feel the flag loses its weighty symbolism if its 22,000 stitches aren’t sewn in America by American hands.
To promote American-made flags, the association began a program in 2005 called the "Certified Made in America" that certifies flags made in the U.S., by U.S. citizens, with U.S. manufactured materials.
"The program was started to make sure a flag is a true symbol of freedom," said Jamie Dunn, spokesperson for the FMAA.
Grindstaff said it can be difficult to tell where a flag was made because many importers avoid identifying flags with their country of origin. Instead of labeling each individual flag, companies label the large shipping boxes that carry bulk quantities into the country.
"Any foreign markings make it not an American flag," Grindstaff said.
Tennessee Flag Co. produces 7,000 to 10,000 American flags each month, and each one is made on premises. In the company’s lofty warehouse, 12 hard-working seamstresses spend their days stitching the tiny seams that hold the stars and stripes together.
Grindstaff said it takes about 10 minutes to make one outdoor nylon flag, which is the traditional outdoor fabric. Such a flag generally have a six- to eight-month lifespan.
Most people buy 3-foot-by-5-foot flags, which sell for about $22.
The company has made much bigger – the largest was 30 feet by 50 feet, or, about four automobiles long and five across. It hangs in the mini-dome at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City.
Because they hold several government contracts in states nationwide, the company’s products span the country. Two flags made in the store on East Main Street have been viewed countless times worldwide.
The flags were flying atop the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001.
ahunter@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2531 |
