“Prescott has a lot of veterans who are proud of their service and want to display their flag,” he said.
Robert Newman has the kind of store that attracts vexillologists, that is, people who study flags. It also appeals to just good, patriotic Prescottonians and Americans.
Newman owns Flags Galore and More just off State Route 69 at Diamond Drive in between Prescott and Prescott Valley.
The store sells flags of all stars, stripes and colors: American, Arizona, other states and nations, military branches and sports teams.
A 3-by-5-foot polyester American flag, made in the United States, costs $45. Go big with a 30-by-60-foot version of Old Glory, the kind favored by car dealerships, for about $2,500.
U.S. Marine and Army flags are the most popular military flags at Flags Galore, Newman said.
“Prescott has a lot of veterans who are proud of their service and want to display their flag,” he said.
The flag business is steady, with a revered product that seemingly never goes out of style.
Sales pick up each year around Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Labor Day and Veterans Day, Newman said.
Flags Galore also sells, installs and repairs flagpoles. That can include adding solar-powered lights to illuminate flags after dark. Flagpoles start at $129.99 and come in three standard sizes — 12, 18 or 22 feet.
Newman, 45, and his wife, Melissa, acquired Flags Galore and More in 2019. But the flag store was in business for about 20 years under two previous owners. It closed for about a month in spring 2020 because of COVID-19 but still managed online sales during that time.
Since he’s had it, Newman said he has added a lot of America-themed merchandise beyond flags. The two-room store is stocked with windsocks, coffee cups, military-branch hats, stickers, refrigerator magnets, car flags and front-end license plates. It also features patriotic jewelry and belt buckles.
Business has been growing, Newman said, in part because Flags Galore has limited competition from big-box and other small retailers. He has one of the only brick-and-mortar flag stores in Northern Arizona.
Newman also owns Air-A-Zona Flag Co. in Mesa, one of the few flag stores in metro Phoenix. Each of his two stores has three employees.
Flags typically last a year or more, depending on whether they are left out in harsh weather and other factors, he said.
In Arizona, state law dictates that homeowners associations cannot prohibit the installation of a flagpole in a resident’s front or back yard and must allow the display of up to two flags. That includes an American flag, military branch flag, Arizona flag, Arizona Indian nation flag, Gadsden flag, first responder flag, Blue Star or Gold Star service flags and any historic version of the American flag. Flagstaffs can only be as tall as a resident’s rooftop. FBN
By Peter Corbett, FBN
Photo by Peter Corbett: Robert Newman owns and operates Flags Galore and More in Prescott with his wife, Melissa.