JEFFERSONTOWN, Ky. — The United States adopted the Stars and Stripes as the official symbol of the nation 245 years ago. A reflection of our founding values of freedom, hope and opportunity.
Today, it remains a symbol worth preserving, and you don't have to look far to find it.
Old Glory waves high above Oates Promotional Services and Flags, situated off Electron Drive in Jeffersontown.
"It's very important to us. That's the core of what our company is. It was founded on that," Greg Strafer, the general manger of Oates said.
As a family-owned company, backed by generations of military service, it's become part of their mission to breathe new life into the frayed. Oates staff will trim off the worn and ragged edges of the American flag and finish it off with a new hem. For a company, it's a cost of a few hundred dollars to repair compared to buying new in the thousands.
"If they watch what they're doing it can be repaired once or twice, depending on the weather," Strafer said. "We had a storm last year, where a company had their flag up and it came in looking like someone did a braid on it and it was destroyed. A $3,000 flag and it had only been up three weeks. Wind and ice will destroy anything."
For the last 75 years, Oates has made a name for itself, as the go-to place to buy custom flags and banners, made in the USA, whether it be for a school or commercial purposes.
But during the pandemic, it was the American flag that kept the business running.
"There was a huge increase, to the point where we were looking around, going, where are the flags going? I was bringing them in left and right," Strafer said.
Today, it's becoming harder to get shipments in with continued supply chain issues. So, for now, it's back to the sewing room for more repairs while they wait.
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