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July 5, 2016

Maine Stitching moves into the big business of the Stars and Stripes

Courtesy / Flickr, Conal Gallagher Maine Stitching Specialties produced its first run of American flags this year, with its flags available at L.L.Bean and Renys retail locations.

This July 4 brought a first for Skowhegan-based Maine Stitching Specialties, as it was the first Independence Day that American flags produced by the company were available on select store shelves, including L.L.Bean and Renys locations across the state.

While the bulk of Maine Stitching’s business is in manufacturing draperies and curtains for the hospitality industry, owner Bill Swain told the Bangor Daily News that the company shipped thousands of flags to retailers across the state this year.

And 2017 will bring even more of a focus to the flag-making sector of Maine Stitching, which currently consists of one employee whose entire job is to stitch the stripes of the nylon flags together.

“Our goal for next year is to sell 10,000,” Swain told the BDN. “That’s really what we’re working toward, and at that level it’s profitable and efficient to manufacture.”

Flag-making is a multi-million-dollar business across the nation, with the BDN reporting that approximately 150 million American flags are sold each year, with sales topping $302 million.

Photo: Flickr, Conal Hallagher

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