Mar
18
The China Experiment
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There have been a number of news organizations talking about the Made in America movement. More retailers are starting to offer more products Made in U.S.A. — and even the big guns like Walmart have jumped on the bandwagon due to customer requests.
News reports have also stated that more American’s are looking for the Made in U.S.A. label or wording on products than in the past.
At FlagandBanner.com we did an experiment a few months ago we’d like to share. Just to test if one of our larger product lines could be manufactured in China for less than what can be manufactured in the United States, we did a test run. The results surprised some of our staff while others were glad to see they were right.
We asked for a supplier in China to produce 100 items. It took weeks for communication, manufacture and shipment. When we received the products we were not impressed. The quality was poor compared to our American made product of the same type. They also had several problems that had to be corrected in our own manufacturing facility. While the Chinese made products on price point alone were significantly cheaper than the American made, the cost of shipping and wait time as well as having to rework all 100 products in house made them more costly than their American counterparts. If the experiment had worked, we could have saved around .90 cents each but in the end we spent upwards of $2 more for a lesser quality product.
We were surprised by the results but in the end it turned out to be a good surprise. What we were already selling was the better deal in the long run. It cemented our belief more than ever in the American made philosophy and gave us a very nice anecdote to use in favor of American Made products.
One of the biggest things we renewed our faith in was just because a cheaper price may seem a better deal — sometimes it just isn’t.
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Dec
11
Made in USA Christmas
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ABC News recently did a story saying, “Economists say that if each American spends $64 on U.S. made items this h0liday season, they’d create 200,000 jobs”. Wow, is it really that easy? No, because even if you try, it is hard to find anything made in America. In the 1960s, nine out of 10 holiday gifts that Americans bought were made in the U.S. But these days, more than half of what Americans purchase for the holidays is made overseas. So with U.S. shoppers expected to spend more than $700 this holiday season – and the average shopper having already forked over about $423 on Black Friday weekend – “ABC World News” took to the streets of New York City recently as it kicked off the return of its “Made in America Christmas.”
Kim Hoffman of the Poconos let ABC News peek inside her bags outside of FAO Schwartz.
“Oh, I hope it’s American,” she said of the items she’d just purchased.
But the teddy bear inside bore a “Made in China” label. In fact, according to the U.S. census, Americans spent $2.5 billion on Christmas toys made in China last year.
Marianella and Denise Sorita traveled from Mexico to buy U.S. products but found Chinese tags inside two shopping bags.
These were just random shoppers who had no idea where what they purchased was made.
When AFB goes to market, we look far and wide for American Made products. Of course, all our US flags and US flag home kits are made on our shores but we managed to find a few more….toys, Zippo Lighters, patriotic clothing made just “next door” in Oklahoma… So be a patriot this Christmas in more ways than one, by shopping FLagandBanner.com!
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Aug
13
Why Donate to The Red Cross
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Recently, I was asked to chair the Red Cross Blood Drive for my Club 99 Rotary group and I couldn’t have been happier. I have always liked the Red Cross. Part of my duties was to inform and invite our members and to solicit volunteers to help. I started thinking about what I knew about the Red Cross. A host of memories began to flood my mind. My favorite memory, and the one I decided to tell, was one of my father’s. After you read my short speech below you will again be reminded of why they are called “The Greatest Generation”.
My speech went something like this:
Everybody has heard of the Red Cross and knows they collect and distribute blood exceptionally well. And that there name seems to be synonymous with disaster relieve. But they are more than that.
Can you remember the first time you heard or learned about the Red Cross? Can you remember what you thought?
I can.
My father was a prisoner of war during WWII. Shot down in Germany in 1944. He spent 2 years in Stalag 13. Yes, it was the same Stalag number as Hogan’s Heroes, but it wasn’t like the TV show.
Like so many war veterans, my father didn’t like to talk about the war. He didn’t want to think about the hard times and the people he killed, or the people he saw killed. But as time went by he healed and became proud of his service, the colorful war stories, and his purple heart.
I was about 12, when at the dinner table, father began to talk about the end of the war and how he was released from prison camp. That is when I heard about this magical organization, called the Red Cross. Dad said, “The day the war was over, we were released from prison, and walked out the prison gates to a Red Cross truck loaded with coffee and donuts. They were the first Americans we saw. We were so happy.”
At the time of my father’s release from prison, he weighed 90 pounds.
The Red Cross story was the first positive thing my father ever told me about the war. I believe there are many more Americans with similar stories of hope brought by the Red Cross.
I hope you will all join me in supporting our local chapter. This month we will be having a Rotary Blood Drive for this great organization.
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Jul
6
Another Flag Season Has Come and Gone!
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Well, with the Fourth of July behind us we have made it through another flag season here at Arkansas’ FlagandBanner.com.? And I am happy to report it was a fabulous one!!!? So far this year we have met all our monthly goals and are up almost 15% for the year!
A big THANK YOU to all our wonderful customers!!!
Kerry McCoy
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Mar
22
Old State House Needs Your Help in Preserving Historic Flags
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Karen Martin
Fri, 19 Mar 2010 10:11 CDT
The Old State House Museum recently added two flags to its Arkansas Civil War Flag Collection.
The flags are currently mounted on linen and encased in dark netting to keep the aged, fragile fabric intact. These antiquated methods of conservation prevent the ventilation of the fabric and expose the flags to further deterioration.
Both flags must be cleaned and preserved using modern conservation techniques. The museum’s goal is to conserve these two flags in time for exhibition in 2012 during Arkansass commemoration of the Sesquicentennial of Americas Civil War.
* Cost of conserving the newly acquired Consolidated 6th & 7th Arkansas Infantry Regiment Flag : $11,154
*? Cost of conserving the newly acquired Harts Battery (or Dallas Artillery) Flag: $14,727
* Total Conservation Costs: $25,881
Can you help? Contributions may be mailed to:
Save the Flags, Old State House Museum, 300 West Markham St., Little Rock, AR, 72201.
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May
27
Flag Season at FlagandBanner.com
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It is here…”Christmas” for Flag Dealers! Yep, the Flag Season has officially arrived. It started the week before Memorial Day, goes through Flag Day in June, and ends after July 4.
My neighbors, the Blairs, are on it. This week they decorated their old home with vintage bunting from FlagandBanner.com. They have a 1930 home with cream paint and red brick. The vintage bunting looks fabulous! People stop and ask them, “Where did you get the antique looking decorations and are they really old?” Dan Blair tells them he found it in the attic and it is from the first World Fair. Man he is a good B S’r.
I put the traditional red, white and blue bunting on my house. There is so much to choose from now days, you can go crazy. But if you don’t want to make any decisions you can keep it simply by buying one of our many home decorating kits.
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Feb
4
Inaugural Day Party
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Where were you Inauguration Day?
Where were you during Barack Obama’s swearing in ceremony on January 20, 2009? I will never forget where I was. Grady and I attended the Inaugural Day Party at the home of our friend Kaki Hockersmith. And not just any party but the best planned Inaugural party I have ever participated. Kaki reenacted the events or the Inauguration! She left nothing out! Knowing her, she probably had more fun planning the event than attending it. >wink<
The guests sat outside in front of a podium and (2) flat screen TV’s, as if we were sitting at the real inauguration (and it was just as cold). Our very own Arkansas’s Attorney General Dustin McDaniel began the ceremonies with a sobering comment about the importance of this historical day. Together we all watched Barack’s speech and hung on his every word. We wept tears of joy as Lawrence hamilton, from the balcony above, sang our National Anthem.
After the momentous event, we were ushered to the front lawn for the Inaugural parade. To all of our joy, down the neighborhood street in a sharp Mercedes convertible guarded by secret service agents came the man and woman of the day, Barack and Michelle. Tagging along behind Barack and Michelle was, Bill Clinton (thumbs up), Dick Cheney (in a wheel chair holding a shotgun), George Bush (without Barbara), John and Cindy McCain, and last but not least, Sarah Palin with a baby.
It began with coffee and muffins and ended with Bloody Marys, Caesar salad and chicken pasta. It had seriousness, humor, warm company, and cool weather, mixed all into one. I know I had a fun filled day. The party lasted 4 hours, but the spirit lasted much longer.
One of my employees, Tim Williams, got to see the real Inauguration in Washington D.C. If you would like to view those pictures on the Arkansas Democrat website go to this link: http://focus.arkansasonline.com/galleries/320538/
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Nov
6
America, Once Again
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After a long primary season and a relatively anticlimactic general election, it feels as if we have a chance at being One America again. Regardless of who you voted for, Barack Obama defied the odds and one cannot help but feel the optimism that is in the air today. While those dancing in the streets of other countries may not help us deal with the financial crisis we now face, it’s at least good to know that the rest of the world has renewed faith in the American Dream.
And this was not lost on John McCain. He is a class act. In one of his most eloquent speeches, he recognized this moment for its historical significance and urged everyone to unite under President-elect Obama.
I can proudly say FlagandBanner.com was part of the process by providing flags to both campaigns. The McCain campaign used our flags in Florida and those seen on stage as Barack made his acceptance speech, were all provided by yours truly, Arkansas Flag and Banner.
But I have to say, after such a long election, I am definitely ready to move on. Whew!
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Nov
3
Election Peace
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Peace after the election that is what I am looking for. Arkansas’ FlagandBanner.com had a great September but October felt like slow motion. Half the country truly believes that if McCain is elected then the country is going to Hell in a hand basket and the other half of the country feels exactly the same way about Obama being elected.
I feel frozen in time. I am ready to get back to work. Hurry up Tuesday!
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Dec
10
Wounded Soldier’s Email
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This Holiday Season I expect to be a heart warming one, it will be the third anniversary of my Father’s passing. He died on Christmas Day along with my husband’s, fifteen year old, brother who died 20 years earlier on Christmas too. It is a special day for our family to get together and celebrate their lives. This will also be my second Christmas with my granddaughter, Evelyn.
But what about our servicemen healthy and wounded in the hospital awaiting the time to spend with their families? We had an e-mail circulating around our office with an address to send season’s greetings to soldiers in the hospital. Sounds like a good idea but after further investigation the address is wrong.
If you want to find out how you can do more for our servicemen, go to USOCARES.ORG.
Happy Holidays!
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