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The following members sell American Made Products in the Outdoor Recreation Category
One of the products Creative Sales Company sells is Made in the USA Super Handy Hooks. A more complete list of their products is provided by Made in America Secrets, to review their list click here.
For more information about Creative Sales Company and its American Made products see the following:
Creative Sales Company is located in beautiful Columbia Falls, Montana, just a few miles away from Glacier National Park. We produce injection molded products in a range of sizes, to a variety of industries, including hardware, sporting goods, general merchandise, automotive and industrial markets, but we welcome the opportunity to work in any industry.
Our company was founded by Gary Byers in 1979, out of the desire and drive to make a product that helped others ? an easy-to-use knife sharpener. The Byers' Brand of products was created to market this product, and is still going strong today. Since that time we have expanded our brand to include a range of other popular products, such as the Big Bobber Floating Cooler. Though our product lineup has changed and evolved through the years, we remain committed to manufacturing only quality items, hand assembled right here in America.
In 2012, we launched the Pro-Defense brand to bring to market an innovative new self defense product, the F4 Tactical rail-mounted pepper spray system. This system was expanded to include The Defender, a revolutionary self defense platform utilizing the F4 Tactical as the basis for a complete, multifaceted self defense system. We have also produced a line of tactical rifle accessories and accessories for the defender, as well as a tactical-oriented line of sharpeners and other various tactical products.
Everyone here at Creative Sales Company values putting in an honest day's worth of hard work, the way so much of America was built. We feel that Made in the USA means doing things right, doing things honestly, and caring about those around you.
In addition to manufacturing our own products, we welcome the opportunity to design, manufacture and assemble custom products for your business, large or small. For more information, please get in touch!
For more information about Creative Sales Company and its American Made products see the following:
Creative Sales Company is located in beautiful Columbia Falls, Montana, just a few miles away from Glacier National Park. We produce injection molded products in a range of sizes, to a variety of industries, including hardware, sporting goods, general merchandise, automotive and industrial markets, but we welcome the opportunity to work in any industry.
Our company was founded by Gary Byers in 1979, out of the desire and drive to make a product that helped others ? an easy-to-use knife sharpener. The Byers' Brand of products was created to market this product, and is still going strong today. Since that time we have expanded our brand to include a range of other popular products, such as the Big Bobber Floating Cooler. Though our product lineup has changed and evolved through the years, we remain committed to manufacturing only quality items, hand assembled right here in America.
In 2012, we launched the Pro-Defense brand to bring to market an innovative new self defense product, the F4 Tactical rail-mounted pepper spray system. This system was expanded to include The Defender, a revolutionary self defense platform utilizing the F4 Tactical as the basis for a complete, multifaceted self defense system. We have also produced a line of tactical rifle accessories and accessories for the defender, as well as a tactical-oriented line of sharpeners and other various tactical products.
Everyone here at Creative Sales Company values putting in an honest day's worth of hard work, the way so much of America was built. We feel that Made in the USA means doing things right, doing things honestly, and caring about those around you.
In addition to manufacturing our own products, we welcome the opportunity to design, manufacture and assemble custom products for your business, large or small. For more information, please get in touch!
One of the products Duluth Pack sells is American Made Archery. A more complete list of their products is provided by Made in America Secrets, to review their list click here.
For more information about Duluth Pack and its Made in America products see the following:
For over 130 years, Duluth Pack has been located in Duluth, MN. Here we have been manufacturing high quality, built-to-last canvas and leather bags, packs, and outdoor gear in our century-old factory. At Duluth Pack, we maintain the handcrafted American made heritage, and one-customer-at-a-time way of doing business that we have always valued. Our craftsmen and women value and use the same artisanal techniques that we have used since our company began. We are proud to offer a lifetime guarantee on our craftsmanship and hardware of all our products. Our customers understand that our packs have the unique ability to capture stories and evoke memories, this is what makes Duluth Pack special.
Since 1882, Duluth Pack has grown into a worldwide organization. We sell our products to a global consumer through our flagship retail store in Duluth, MN, our online retail store, and a global network of dealers.
For more information about Duluth Pack and its Made in America products see the following:
For over 130 years, Duluth Pack has been located in Duluth, MN. Here we have been manufacturing high quality, built-to-last canvas and leather bags, packs, and outdoor gear in our century-old factory. At Duluth Pack, we maintain the handcrafted American made heritage, and one-customer-at-a-time way of doing business that we have always valued. Our craftsmen and women value and use the same artisanal techniques that we have used since our company began. We are proud to offer a lifetime guarantee on our craftsmanship and hardware of all our products. Our customers understand that our packs have the unique ability to capture stories and evoke memories, this is what makes Duluth Pack special.
Since 1882, Duluth Pack has grown into a worldwide organization. We sell our products to a global consumer through our flagship retail store in Duluth, MN, our online retail store, and a global network of dealers.
One of the products Eagle Claw sells is Made in America Sinker Weights. A more complete list of their products is provided by Made in America Secrets, to review their list click here.
For more information about Eagle Claw and its American Made products see the following:
In the late 1920's Drew McGill and Stan Wright formed the Wright & McGill Co., for the tying of high grade fishing flies. Drew was on the upper Colorado River pursuing his favorite sport, fly fishing that magnificent stream.
It all happened when he stopped to light his pipe and take a short rest.
The morning's fishing had not been as good as it could have been, for it seemed that even though the rainbows and native Trout were rising, they were difficult to hook. While thinking of this and the ways that he could improve his fishing techniques, he watched the lazy circles of two large eagles. As he sat quietly enjoying this wilderness scene, one of the eagles slowly spiraled downward and landed beyond him in the top of a dead cottonwood, the tips of the bird's talons lightly gripping a weathered bare limb. His thoughts turned to the penetrating power of those lethal claws, and then to the penetrating power of the fishhooks he was using.
As the powerful bird took to the air, Drew took his fly and holding it by the tiny leader pulled it across the leather of his fishing creel. The point scraped along the leather, but did not penetrate. Using his fishing pliers, he changed the shape of the hook by slightly curving the point. He tried the fly again and found that, this time it would penetrate. He quickly modified several flies and was back on the stream. The results were encouraging, and he eagerly tested shapes and sizes until driven from the stream by an afternoon thunderstorm.
Returning to the fly factory in Denver, Drew started working to produce a fishhook design with greater penetrating power. A hook that would exert this power in the direct line of pull of the leader. From this research came a fishhook that had sweeping curves and sharper points. It was forged for strength and was double offset for greater hooking qualities. The hook's point was in direct line of pull and shaped like the talons of that mighty bird.
The rest is history.
This design quickly swept the country, for it offered the first improvement in fishhooks in hundreds of years.
When Drew and Stan sat down to name their new product, what else could it have been except Eagle Claw? That's how it all happened, and that's the story of the bird that built a fishhook business.
Snell Tying 295x180
In 1946, Wright & McGill Co. created a separate company to build and sell fishing rods, since the demand was high for recreational products, due to the end of World War II, and a market was open for fishing rods. Wright & McGill Rod Co. was formed with Drew McGill being a strong influence and president of the newly-formed company. He succeeded in leasing the entire operation of the Goodwin Granger Co., which was well established, and had a very high reputation for the building of bamboo rods. It was believed that because of the already well established manufacturing operation of Wright & McGill Co., they would do a better job maintaining the Granger reputation for quality than other competitors.
Wright & McGill Co. acquired the Granger building on Grant Street, the inventory of rods, blanks, raw bamboo, and other rod components. During the first year of production, Wright & McGill Co. produced its first and only catalog under this name. Later, the rods were incorporated into the general tackle catalog.
The Wright & McGill Co. no longer manufactures the Granger line of bamboo rods. Rods today are manufactured with graphite and fiberglass materials. Wright & McGill markets many models and styles of rods and reels under the Eagle Claw brand name and has continued to use the tradename Granger in their rod line. In 2004, a signature line or professionally endorsed rods was introduced. The Skeet Reese signature series of S-Curve rods became one of the hottest rods in the industries history. These rods also opened up the door for other anglers such as Rick Clunn, Trevor Storlie and Tony Roach to create a line of professional grade rods at a reasonable price to the consumer.
Lazer Sharp Fishhooks were introduced in 1985. Lazer Sharp fishhooks are ultra sharp, ultra smooth and ultra strong. This was considered to be the most important development in fishhooks since the invention of steel. Over the years this process has been improved and perfected giving anglers a fishhook that is consistently sharp and strong making Lazer Sharp the best hook for every fishing application.
Snell Tying Close 295x180
In 2002 the Wright & McGill Co. purchased the assets of Laker by Jadico and named the new company Laker Fishing Tackle. Laker Fishing Tackle is based in Camdenton, MO and specializes in importing a wide variety of products including rods, reels, tackle accessories and many products for private label programs with major retailers throughout the United States.
Also, in 2002 the Wright & McGill Co. started marketing a full line of Terminal Tackle products. This product line currently features over 1,500 items, such as fishing line, floats, swivels, sinkers, nets, scales, cricket tubes, tools and many other terminal accessories. Under the brand name of Eagle Claw, it is the only brand name in Terminal Tackle!
In 2003 the Wright & McGill Co. purchased Lightning Bait of Red Bluff, CA. Lightning Bait manufactured a line of bait and scent products under the brand names of Crave and Nitro. The bait line was part of the overall product mix until 2011 when it was phased out.
Lazer TroKar was introduced by the company in 2009, and was touted as the world's first Surgically Sharpened fishhook. Created with technology out of the medical supply field, Lazer TroKar quickly garnered the recognition as being the sharpest fishhook in the world.
For more information about Eagle Claw and its American Made products see the following:
In the late 1920's Drew McGill and Stan Wright formed the Wright & McGill Co., for the tying of high grade fishing flies. Drew was on the upper Colorado River pursuing his favorite sport, fly fishing that magnificent stream.
It all happened when he stopped to light his pipe and take a short rest.
The morning's fishing had not been as good as it could have been, for it seemed that even though the rainbows and native Trout were rising, they were difficult to hook. While thinking of this and the ways that he could improve his fishing techniques, he watched the lazy circles of two large eagles. As he sat quietly enjoying this wilderness scene, one of the eagles slowly spiraled downward and landed beyond him in the top of a dead cottonwood, the tips of the bird's talons lightly gripping a weathered bare limb. His thoughts turned to the penetrating power of those lethal claws, and then to the penetrating power of the fishhooks he was using.
As the powerful bird took to the air, Drew took his fly and holding it by the tiny leader pulled it across the leather of his fishing creel. The point scraped along the leather, but did not penetrate. Using his fishing pliers, he changed the shape of the hook by slightly curving the point. He tried the fly again and found that, this time it would penetrate. He quickly modified several flies and was back on the stream. The results were encouraging, and he eagerly tested shapes and sizes until driven from the stream by an afternoon thunderstorm.
Returning to the fly factory in Denver, Drew started working to produce a fishhook design with greater penetrating power. A hook that would exert this power in the direct line of pull of the leader. From this research came a fishhook that had sweeping curves and sharper points. It was forged for strength and was double offset for greater hooking qualities. The hook's point was in direct line of pull and shaped like the talons of that mighty bird.
The rest is history.
This design quickly swept the country, for it offered the first improvement in fishhooks in hundreds of years.
When Drew and Stan sat down to name their new product, what else could it have been except Eagle Claw? That's how it all happened, and that's the story of the bird that built a fishhook business.
Snell Tying 295x180
In 1946, Wright & McGill Co. created a separate company to build and sell fishing rods, since the demand was high for recreational products, due to the end of World War II, and a market was open for fishing rods. Wright & McGill Rod Co. was formed with Drew McGill being a strong influence and president of the newly-formed company. He succeeded in leasing the entire operation of the Goodwin Granger Co., which was well established, and had a very high reputation for the building of bamboo rods. It was believed that because of the already well established manufacturing operation of Wright & McGill Co., they would do a better job maintaining the Granger reputation for quality than other competitors.
Wright & McGill Co. acquired the Granger building on Grant Street, the inventory of rods, blanks, raw bamboo, and other rod components. During the first year of production, Wright & McGill Co. produced its first and only catalog under this name. Later, the rods were incorporated into the general tackle catalog.
The Wright & McGill Co. no longer manufactures the Granger line of bamboo rods. Rods today are manufactured with graphite and fiberglass materials. Wright & McGill markets many models and styles of rods and reels under the Eagle Claw brand name and has continued to use the tradename Granger in their rod line. In 2004, a signature line or professionally endorsed rods was introduced. The Skeet Reese signature series of S-Curve rods became one of the hottest rods in the industries history. These rods also opened up the door for other anglers such as Rick Clunn, Trevor Storlie and Tony Roach to create a line of professional grade rods at a reasonable price to the consumer.
Lazer Sharp Fishhooks were introduced in 1985. Lazer Sharp fishhooks are ultra sharp, ultra smooth and ultra strong. This was considered to be the most important development in fishhooks since the invention of steel. Over the years this process has been improved and perfected giving anglers a fishhook that is consistently sharp and strong making Lazer Sharp the best hook for every fishing application.
Snell Tying Close 295x180
In 2002 the Wright & McGill Co. purchased the assets of Laker by Jadico and named the new company Laker Fishing Tackle. Laker Fishing Tackle is based in Camdenton, MO and specializes in importing a wide variety of products including rods, reels, tackle accessories and many products for private label programs with major retailers throughout the United States.
Also, in 2002 the Wright & McGill Co. started marketing a full line of Terminal Tackle products. This product line currently features over 1,500 items, such as fishing line, floats, swivels, sinkers, nets, scales, cricket tubes, tools and many other terminal accessories. Under the brand name of Eagle Claw, it is the only brand name in Terminal Tackle!
In 2003 the Wright & McGill Co. purchased Lightning Bait of Red Bluff, CA. Lightning Bait manufactured a line of bait and scent products under the brand names of Crave and Nitro. The bait line was part of the overall product mix until 2011 when it was phased out.
Lazer TroKar was introduced by the company in 2009, and was touted as the world's first Surgically Sharpened fishhook. Created with technology out of the medical supply field, Lazer TroKar quickly garnered the recognition as being the sharpest fishhook in the world.
One of the products Fire Pit Art sells is Made in the USA Fire Pits. A more complete list of their products is provided by Made in America Secrets, to review their list click here.
For more information about Fire Pit Art and its Made in America products see the following:
Fire Pit Art? fire pits are created from one quarter inch ( 6.35 mm) thick steel. This is by far the heaviest gauge metal used in any fire pit available today. The sturdy construction assures you of having this functional art for many years to come. They have an iron oxide patina on the outside which will darken a little with time then become permanent. The inside is coated with a high temperature resistant paint and has a rain drain in the bottom. Created in Tennessee by Tennessee Craftsmen using 100 % American Steel.
I hope you enjoy my work
Please feel free to call me should you have questions or specific needs.
Rick Wittrig
Functional Steel Artist
e: rick@firepitart.com
p: 615.668.3311
For more information about Fire Pit Art and its Made in America products see the following:
Fire Pit Art? fire pits are created from one quarter inch ( 6.35 mm) thick steel. This is by far the heaviest gauge metal used in any fire pit available today. The sturdy construction assures you of having this functional art for many years to come. They have an iron oxide patina on the outside which will darken a little with time then become permanent. The inside is coated with a high temperature resistant paint and has a rain drain in the bottom. Created in Tennessee by Tennessee Craftsmen using 100 % American Steel.
I hope you enjoy my work
Please feel free to call me should you have questions or specific needs.
Rick Wittrig
Functional Steel Artist
e: rick@firepitart.com
p: 615.668.3311
One of the products Flag Lady USA sells is Made in the USA Boat Flags. A more complete list of their products is provided by Made in America Secrets, to review their list click here.
For more information about Flag Lady USA and its Made in America products see the following:
The Flag Lady's Flag Store was founded on a profound sense of patriotism, love and faith. The Flag Lady, Mary Leavitt has been inspired throughout her life by the patriotism she was taught as a child and she carried those lessons forward. She began selling flags out of her car while living in Libertyville, Illinois, during the Iranian crisis, in February 1980. A few years later she, her husband Tom, and children moved back home to Columbus, Ohio, where she went back to working as a legal secretary. The Flag Lady missed selling The Flag so much that she began selling it on her lunch break. One day she read an article about the dedication of the addition to the Veteran's Memorial building and she wanted the Veterans to have BIG USA and Ohio flags inside the new addition. When she contacted those in charge she learned there was no money in the budget for the flags but she was encouraged to get someone to donate them.
She sat at her desk and envisioned the whole city and wondered, Who would donate these flags? Bob Caldwell of Caldwell Chrysler-Plymouth came to her mind. He always had displayed U.S.A. flags across each of his car dealerships. Mary called him and asked him if he would donate the flags and he didn't hesitate one moment. When Mr. Caldwell was sitting at his desk writing the check, he looked at Mary and said, Why are you a legal secretary? She replied, I have been a legal secretary all my life, why are you asking me that question? He replied, Because you should be selling The Flag. She got tears in her eyes and told him she would love selling the flag again. He asked her, Why aren't you selling it? She told him she had problems: no money for inventory or office equipment. He said he would loan me the money for the inventory and give her a room with equipment in his company. Then he asked, if there were any other problems, and Mary replied, Yes, I don't have a car. He said, That is no problem. I have a lot full of cars. I will give you a car to use to get started. The question is, ?Mary, do you want to sell the flag or not?' She called her husband and he said, Go for it! That evening she picked up a Reliant K and the next day gave her painful two week notice to her boss, Arthur I. Vorys. He was absolutely disappointed, but having been a WWII veteran who lost an eye at Okinawa, his heart was touched about how she felt about Our Flag.
Through the kindness of Mr. Caldwell and her Aunt Nigel (who gave $5,000 to buy inventory and a typewriter), she was selling The Flag once again from the trunk of her car in Good Ole' Hometown Columbus. The business grew from her basement to her first storefront on Indianola Avenue in 1984.
Mary began to feel overwhelmed, the business had grown beyond her expectations. She knew that she needed help and just as she did during her most troubling times, she said a little prayer. A short while later she saw her husband get off the bus. He came into the store and explained with a heavy heart that he had been laid off. Her reaction surprised him, she was elated. I just asked for help and here you are! Now let's sit down together and start this business? she said.
That's exactly what they did! Their business grew, eventually moving to its current location on North High Street in Columbus, Ohio and adding a handful of valued employees. Their daughter Lori joined the business after finishing college and rapidly grew the Custom Department of the business. Today Mary and Lori run the business together and continue to maintain growth while looking towards the future.
Why was the Flag Lady passionate about Old Glory? It all started because of the family in which she was blessed to be born. Here is more of her story?..
I came into the world as Mary Margaret Haley in Columbus, Ohio.
My father (Daddy) was Irish and a pipefitter with the Pennsylvania Railroad. He had an 8th grade education. Daddy's family served in the revolutionary war, the war of 1812, the battle of Tippecanoe and my great-grandfather served as a captain in the civil war for 4 years. Daddy's family was steeped in patriotism. My father, who died of cancer when I was 13, asked me to promise him that I would graduate from high school. I kept my promise and graduated from Columbus North High School.
My Mother was German. She was the second generation to be born in the U.S. and she had a 6TH grade education. Mother had a rule in our home: do not lay anything on top of the bible and do not let our flag touch the floor.
There were six Haley grandchildren, and I was the only one who noticed that Grandma Haley always had a 4x6 U.S. flag in her purse. One day I asked her, Grandma Haley, why do you always carry that flag in your purse? she replied, Who knows, I may get a chance to wave it today. She loved for us to sit at her desk with her while she shared our family's patriotic history and told me about Abraham Lincoln.
When President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (my parents always addressed him with his full name) was on the radio with his Fireside Chat, I was directed to be at the radio to hear him. When the Star Spangled Banner was played, Mother, Daddy and I stood beside the Philco radio, placed our hands over our hearts, and faced the east (towards Washington, D. C).
When my big brother, Bobby, 15 years older than I, went off to World War II, Mother displayed our flag from the porch, put the serve star banner in the window and dressed me in red, white and blue. Those years are indelible in my mind. It was my way of life. We were proud of Bobby, kept him in our prayers, and Mother waited everyday to see if Pat, the mail carrier, had a letter for us. Sometimes they were censored. We made sure he got letters from home. He called me his little angel from heaven.
Daddy wanted to do something more. He became an air raid warden. When the sirens blew and the lights went out all over the city, Daddy put on his helmet and carried the flashlight out the door. I felt soooo safe.
I had the biggest and best wagon. Daddy and I used to pick up scrap metal and take to the Sohio station. I ran around the neighborhood exchanging Mother's nylon hosiery ration stamps for the sugar and flour ration stamps.
Almost every weekend after Daddy got off work on Friday, we took the train to Indianapolis to see our family. I noticed that the white-haired ladies offered their seats to the military men. Sometimes when we arrived in the middle of the morning at the train station, there would be ladies with a buffet set-up to give the men going off to the war one more good home-cooked meal.
On Saturday mornings after breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa Haley, we would walk across the biggest park in Indianapolis to the home of my Grandma and Grandpa Pfeiffer. I loved the walk across the park. There were many people in the park. I saw military trucks, trucks with red crosses, saw people crying and heard military bands playing. When old glory passed us (no matter how many times), Daddy would be put his hat over his heart, Mother and I would put our hands over our hearts. There was one song that helped me figure out (in my little mind) what Mother and Daddy meant when I asked them, When is bobby coming home? and they answered, When it's over, over there, Bobby will be home. This is what I memorized of that song and it made sense to me:
Over there, over there, send the word, send the word that the yanks are coming, the yanks are coming, and it won't be over 'til it's over, over there.
Life went on. I married my high school sweetheart, Tom, and we were blessed with three children. Our older son, Andy, elected to join the U.S. Navy when he graduated from high school. After boot camp, his ship was sent to the Mediterranean and then his ship ended up off the coast of Iran in case the military went in.
We were living in Libertyville, Illinois. When we were looking for our home with realtor, I saw it on the map. I loved the name. It wasn't convenient for my husband since he was working in downtown Chicago and Libertyville was 45 minutes from the Wisconsin border.
On the radio, there was a disc jockey, in Chicago, saying repeatedly, Fly your flag, put a candle in the window and a yellow ribbon around the tree. I put the candle in the window and the yellow ribbon around the tree, but I couldn't find our flag anywhere. I went out to buy a flag, but not one merchant anywhere had our flag in stock. They told me to come back during flag season. That really upset me. Tom, my husband, said, Why don't you do something about it?
I heard him. I did something about it! I found a flag company about 30 miles away but he only sold wholesale. I pled my case with him and he finally sold me a flag. Then I asked him if he would wholesale me some flags to sell in Libertyville door-to-door. I really didn't fit the description of its wholesalers. I shared with him how my family was steeped in patriotism. They had served in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Battle of Tippecanoe, the Civil War, WWII, and now my son was off the coast of Iran. I finally convinced him. He gave me 12 flags and told me to have the money back to him the next Saturday or the flags.
Off I went to Libertyville - could hardly wait to start selling Old Glory door-to-door. I had the twelve sold by Wednesday and took the money to the company. They asked me if I wanted twelve more - - - and told me I could really sell the flag. Then, one day, they opened their catalog and said, Welcome to the wonderful world of flags. We think you can really sell the flag. We would like for you to start calling on companies. It was my turn to payback. They put some larger flags in my car for corporate poles and off I went on a new venture into the wonderful world of flags.
One day, while I was out ringing doorbells, I noticed a tattered Old Glory flying from a bank. This was going to be my first call on a company. I got out of my car and walked in snow halfway up my legs into the bank. The man who welcomed me at the door was the president of the bank. I told him I was selling our flag from the trunk of my car and I asked him if he would like to replace his tattered Old Glory flying from the flagpole. He got tears in his eyes and said, I am a WWII veteran, and I certainly will replace that tattered Old Glory.
A man who had made a deposit came to me and asked, Did I hear you say that you are selling 'Old Glory' from the trunk of your car with snow halfway up your legs? I said, Yes sir, I am. he said, I am with the Libertyville news. May I interview you for a story? The next week the article appeared in the paper, titled Woman Sells U.S. Flag Door-to-Door. From that article, I sold another flag to a company.
On the coattails of that, the Chicago Sun Times called me and asked if they could interview me for an article in the paper for President's Week. It was entitled, Meet the Flag Lady.
On that day - February 15, 1980 - my life changed. It led me on my journey to The Flag Lady's Flag Store.
Now you know the rest of the story.
About Us
The entrepreneurial gut instinct led The Flag Lady's Flag Store to where it is today. Time has marched on since 1980 when, The Flag Lady, Mary Leavitt started selling the USA flag from the trunk of her car in Libertyville, Illinois. The Flag Lady firmly believes that only in the United States of America could someone, like her, raised in a low-socio economic family, with a high school education, be given such incredible opportunities and that America is a Tradition of Legacy.
Mary Leavitt, Founder, and Lori Leavitt Watson, her daughter, along with their devoted employees, have worked the business together and continue to maintain growth while looking towards the future. They have had the opportunity to do business with Small Business America, Corporate America, Fortune 500 Companies, military units and families, schools, churches, government entities, and homes owners across the United States.
The Flag Lady's Flag Store is ABOUT YOU, NOT US! You mean so much to us. We don't take you for granted. You are our inspiration. We strive every day to give you Good Customer Service, Timely Deliveries, Quality Products (Our USA flag will always be made in the USA and the majority of our products are also made in the United States). Thanks to you we are one of the top 5 Flag Dealers in the United States.
We got there through hard work, determination, passion, creativity and team work. We will not let you down. Our work is guaranteed. We over see it ourselves. We have the capacity to sell or produce one piece or thousands of pieces. It all starts with good knowledge of the product, closely listening to what the customer wants and filling their order accordingly. We will not let you down. All we need is your idea or your art file and we will handle the rest. Click here for our custom information page.
If we don't have it, we will find it and we can't find it we will make it.
We are dedicated to Our Veterans and the the military who are serving Our Country. We see ourselves as a small business surrounded by communities, cities and villages who will find a way to honor Our USA Flag for which it stands: One Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
God Bless You and Yours and God Bless America!
For more information about Flag Lady USA and its Made in America products see the following:
The Flag Lady's Flag Store was founded on a profound sense of patriotism, love and faith. The Flag Lady, Mary Leavitt has been inspired throughout her life by the patriotism she was taught as a child and she carried those lessons forward. She began selling flags out of her car while living in Libertyville, Illinois, during the Iranian crisis, in February 1980. A few years later she, her husband Tom, and children moved back home to Columbus, Ohio, where she went back to working as a legal secretary. The Flag Lady missed selling The Flag so much that she began selling it on her lunch break. One day she read an article about the dedication of the addition to the Veteran's Memorial building and she wanted the Veterans to have BIG USA and Ohio flags inside the new addition. When she contacted those in charge she learned there was no money in the budget for the flags but she was encouraged to get someone to donate them.
She sat at her desk and envisioned the whole city and wondered, Who would donate these flags? Bob Caldwell of Caldwell Chrysler-Plymouth came to her mind. He always had displayed U.S.A. flags across each of his car dealerships. Mary called him and asked him if he would donate the flags and he didn't hesitate one moment. When Mr. Caldwell was sitting at his desk writing the check, he looked at Mary and said, Why are you a legal secretary? She replied, I have been a legal secretary all my life, why are you asking me that question? He replied, Because you should be selling The Flag. She got tears in her eyes and told him she would love selling the flag again. He asked her, Why aren't you selling it? She told him she had problems: no money for inventory or office equipment. He said he would loan me the money for the inventory and give her a room with equipment in his company. Then he asked, if there were any other problems, and Mary replied, Yes, I don't have a car. He said, That is no problem. I have a lot full of cars. I will give you a car to use to get started. The question is, ?Mary, do you want to sell the flag or not?' She called her husband and he said, Go for it! That evening she picked up a Reliant K and the next day gave her painful two week notice to her boss, Arthur I. Vorys. He was absolutely disappointed, but having been a WWII veteran who lost an eye at Okinawa, his heart was touched about how she felt about Our Flag.
Through the kindness of Mr. Caldwell and her Aunt Nigel (who gave $5,000 to buy inventory and a typewriter), she was selling The Flag once again from the trunk of her car in Good Ole' Hometown Columbus. The business grew from her basement to her first storefront on Indianola Avenue in 1984.
Mary began to feel overwhelmed, the business had grown beyond her expectations. She knew that she needed help and just as she did during her most troubling times, she said a little prayer. A short while later she saw her husband get off the bus. He came into the store and explained with a heavy heart that he had been laid off. Her reaction surprised him, she was elated. I just asked for help and here you are! Now let's sit down together and start this business? she said.
That's exactly what they did! Their business grew, eventually moving to its current location on North High Street in Columbus, Ohio and adding a handful of valued employees. Their daughter Lori joined the business after finishing college and rapidly grew the Custom Department of the business. Today Mary and Lori run the business together and continue to maintain growth while looking towards the future.
Why was the Flag Lady passionate about Old Glory? It all started because of the family in which she was blessed to be born. Here is more of her story?..
I came into the world as Mary Margaret Haley in Columbus, Ohio.
My father (Daddy) was Irish and a pipefitter with the Pennsylvania Railroad. He had an 8th grade education. Daddy's family served in the revolutionary war, the war of 1812, the battle of Tippecanoe and my great-grandfather served as a captain in the civil war for 4 years. Daddy's family was steeped in patriotism. My father, who died of cancer when I was 13, asked me to promise him that I would graduate from high school. I kept my promise and graduated from Columbus North High School.
My Mother was German. She was the second generation to be born in the U.S. and she had a 6TH grade education. Mother had a rule in our home: do not lay anything on top of the bible and do not let our flag touch the floor.
There were six Haley grandchildren, and I was the only one who noticed that Grandma Haley always had a 4x6 U.S. flag in her purse. One day I asked her, Grandma Haley, why do you always carry that flag in your purse? she replied, Who knows, I may get a chance to wave it today. She loved for us to sit at her desk with her while she shared our family's patriotic history and told me about Abraham Lincoln.
When President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (my parents always addressed him with his full name) was on the radio with his Fireside Chat, I was directed to be at the radio to hear him. When the Star Spangled Banner was played, Mother, Daddy and I stood beside the Philco radio, placed our hands over our hearts, and faced the east (towards Washington, D. C).
When my big brother, Bobby, 15 years older than I, went off to World War II, Mother displayed our flag from the porch, put the serve star banner in the window and dressed me in red, white and blue. Those years are indelible in my mind. It was my way of life. We were proud of Bobby, kept him in our prayers, and Mother waited everyday to see if Pat, the mail carrier, had a letter for us. Sometimes they were censored. We made sure he got letters from home. He called me his little angel from heaven.
Daddy wanted to do something more. He became an air raid warden. When the sirens blew and the lights went out all over the city, Daddy put on his helmet and carried the flashlight out the door. I felt soooo safe.
I had the biggest and best wagon. Daddy and I used to pick up scrap metal and take to the Sohio station. I ran around the neighborhood exchanging Mother's nylon hosiery ration stamps for the sugar and flour ration stamps.
Almost every weekend after Daddy got off work on Friday, we took the train to Indianapolis to see our family. I noticed that the white-haired ladies offered their seats to the military men. Sometimes when we arrived in the middle of the morning at the train station, there would be ladies with a buffet set-up to give the men going off to the war one more good home-cooked meal.
On Saturday mornings after breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa Haley, we would walk across the biggest park in Indianapolis to the home of my Grandma and Grandpa Pfeiffer. I loved the walk across the park. There were many people in the park. I saw military trucks, trucks with red crosses, saw people crying and heard military bands playing. When old glory passed us (no matter how many times), Daddy would be put his hat over his heart, Mother and I would put our hands over our hearts. There was one song that helped me figure out (in my little mind) what Mother and Daddy meant when I asked them, When is bobby coming home? and they answered, When it's over, over there, Bobby will be home. This is what I memorized of that song and it made sense to me:
Over there, over there, send the word, send the word that the yanks are coming, the yanks are coming, and it won't be over 'til it's over, over there.
Life went on. I married my high school sweetheart, Tom, and we were blessed with three children. Our older son, Andy, elected to join the U.S. Navy when he graduated from high school. After boot camp, his ship was sent to the Mediterranean and then his ship ended up off the coast of Iran in case the military went in.
We were living in Libertyville, Illinois. When we were looking for our home with realtor, I saw it on the map. I loved the name. It wasn't convenient for my husband since he was working in downtown Chicago and Libertyville was 45 minutes from the Wisconsin border.
On the radio, there was a disc jockey, in Chicago, saying repeatedly, Fly your flag, put a candle in the window and a yellow ribbon around the tree. I put the candle in the window and the yellow ribbon around the tree, but I couldn't find our flag anywhere. I went out to buy a flag, but not one merchant anywhere had our flag in stock. They told me to come back during flag season. That really upset me. Tom, my husband, said, Why don't you do something about it?
I heard him. I did something about it! I found a flag company about 30 miles away but he only sold wholesale. I pled my case with him and he finally sold me a flag. Then I asked him if he would wholesale me some flags to sell in Libertyville door-to-door. I really didn't fit the description of its wholesalers. I shared with him how my family was steeped in patriotism. They had served in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Battle of Tippecanoe, the Civil War, WWII, and now my son was off the coast of Iran. I finally convinced him. He gave me 12 flags and told me to have the money back to him the next Saturday or the flags.
Off I went to Libertyville - could hardly wait to start selling Old Glory door-to-door. I had the twelve sold by Wednesday and took the money to the company. They asked me if I wanted twelve more - - - and told me I could really sell the flag. Then, one day, they opened their catalog and said, Welcome to the wonderful world of flags. We think you can really sell the flag. We would like for you to start calling on companies. It was my turn to payback. They put some larger flags in my car for corporate poles and off I went on a new venture into the wonderful world of flags.
One day, while I was out ringing doorbells, I noticed a tattered Old Glory flying from a bank. This was going to be my first call on a company. I got out of my car and walked in snow halfway up my legs into the bank. The man who welcomed me at the door was the president of the bank. I told him I was selling our flag from the trunk of my car and I asked him if he would like to replace his tattered Old Glory flying from the flagpole. He got tears in his eyes and said, I am a WWII veteran, and I certainly will replace that tattered Old Glory.
A man who had made a deposit came to me and asked, Did I hear you say that you are selling 'Old Glory' from the trunk of your car with snow halfway up your legs? I said, Yes sir, I am. he said, I am with the Libertyville news. May I interview you for a story? The next week the article appeared in the paper, titled Woman Sells U.S. Flag Door-to-Door. From that article, I sold another flag to a company.
On the coattails of that, the Chicago Sun Times called me and asked if they could interview me for an article in the paper for President's Week. It was entitled, Meet the Flag Lady.
On that day - February 15, 1980 - my life changed. It led me on my journey to The Flag Lady's Flag Store.
Now you know the rest of the story.
About Us
The entrepreneurial gut instinct led The Flag Lady's Flag Store to where it is today. Time has marched on since 1980 when, The Flag Lady, Mary Leavitt started selling the USA flag from the trunk of her car in Libertyville, Illinois. The Flag Lady firmly believes that only in the United States of America could someone, like her, raised in a low-socio economic family, with a high school education, be given such incredible opportunities and that America is a Tradition of Legacy.
Mary Leavitt, Founder, and Lori Leavitt Watson, her daughter, along with their devoted employees, have worked the business together and continue to maintain growth while looking towards the future. They have had the opportunity to do business with Small Business America, Corporate America, Fortune 500 Companies, military units and families, schools, churches, government entities, and homes owners across the United States.
The Flag Lady's Flag Store is ABOUT YOU, NOT US! You mean so much to us. We don't take you for granted. You are our inspiration. We strive every day to give you Good Customer Service, Timely Deliveries, Quality Products (Our USA flag will always be made in the USA and the majority of our products are also made in the United States). Thanks to you we are one of the top 5 Flag Dealers in the United States.
We got there through hard work, determination, passion, creativity and team work. We will not let you down. Our work is guaranteed. We over see it ourselves. We have the capacity to sell or produce one piece or thousands of pieces. It all starts with good knowledge of the product, closely listening to what the customer wants and filling their order accordingly. We will not let you down. All we need is your idea or your art file and we will handle the rest. Click here for our custom information page.
If we don't have it, we will find it and we can't find it we will make it.
We are dedicated to Our Veterans and the the military who are serving Our Country. We see ourselves as a small business surrounded by communities, cities and villages who will find a way to honor Our USA Flag for which it stands: One Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
God Bless You and Yours and God Bless America!