If you’re flying an American flag, having one made in the USA from 100% US-sourced materials is a must. Allegiance Flag Supply thinks so too, and they’ve been making them since 2018 in Charleston, South Carolina.
We discovered Allegiance Flag Supply back in 2019 while doing research on American made flags and have stayed in touch with the team ever since. We knew they had a special story and mission to share, so we finally secured an exclusive interview with them to give y’all a behind-the-scenes look at this great American manufacturer.
Below is our chat with Wes Lyon, Co-Founder of Allegiance Flag Supply. Our questions are marked with “AAO” and his answers have “AFS” beside them. We hope you enjoy their story as much as we did!
Behind the Scenes of Allegiance Flag Supply
AAO: Give us a look inside the history of Allegiance Flag Supply. How did y’all grow up into the company you are today?
AFS: We started Allegiance Flag Supply in 2018. We noticed one of two things with all the flags we were previously flying – they were either made in another country or were made in America with lower-quality materials and craftsmanship…Almost like they were spit out of a big machine, thousands of flags at a time. We wondered…Is anyone making really high-quality flags today? Like our forefathers would’ve wanted them.
The co-founders of the business are Max Berry, Katie Lyon, and Wes Lyon (me). Katie and I are married and Allegiance started in our garage in 2018. This was a total passion/side project for the first few years of existence. We were naive to think we would just build a website and people would purchase our flags. We quickly realized, there is a lot more to it than that.
Long story short, in about February of 2020, we started to figure some things out on the digital marketing front. We also got our product fine-tuned and where it needed to be…. All the while, still working our corporate jobs. That spring was interesting for a few reasons.
First, it was the start of “flag season.” Each spring, flag season starts when people start sprucing up their front porches in preparation for the summer holidays.
Second, it was an election year – flag sales are always higher during presidential election years.
Third, the pandemic resulted in a huge boost in e-commerce shopping.
And finally, we were and remain very differentiated in our flag and product offerings. All of those factors came together to help us truly launch this business that we had been working on for 3+ years previously.
We moved into our first “space” in April of 2020. 700 sq ft we sublet from another e-commerce business we’re friends with in town. We hired our first employees, starting with Max’s cousin, Zach, who is still with us and now leads a team of 15 people in our order fulfillment operation.
We outgrew that space in about 2 months, and have moved three times since then. We’re currently about to move again this March to a brand new 24,000 sq ft facility in North Charleston. We also have a few offices in Downtown Charleston now.
Overall, this grew from our garage with just us three co-founders, to now over 50 people working full-time on this…We’re hopeful to continue the growth.
With the growth, we see it as an opportunity to provide more jobs, bring more manufacturing back to America, and continue to have a positive impact on this fully American supply chain… Spreading patriotism along the way, of course!
AAO: What made you want to get started?
AFS: When we purchased our first homes, we searched for a high-quality American flag to fly. But we all encountered the same problem: finding a high-quality American flag made in the USA. Purchases from Amazon and big box stores resulted in flags that quickly deteriorated, wrapped around our flagpoles, and were often made overseas. After an exhaustive search for a flag worthy of our country’s colors, everything came up short. That’s when we decided to take matters into our own hands, launching Allegiance Flag Supply in Charleston, SC, in 2018.
AAO: How many U.S. based employees do you have and in what locations?
AFS: We are proud to support over 50 American jobs directly. Our employees are mainly located in Charleston, SC, at our manufacturing and fulfillment facility and corporate offices. We also have some remote employees across the country. Our American-sourced materials and accessories also support many more American jobs across the country.
AAO: Why do you choose to manufacture in the U.S.?
AFS: One of our main goals is to contribute to a resurgence in American textile manufacturing. Thousands of American workers saw their jobs disappear as the textile industry moved overseas in the 20th century, and we couldn’t be prouder to bring those jobs back to our great country.
It’s extremely important to us that we source the materials and craft our products 100% in the USA. It’s not just the jobs we provide making flags; it’s the trickle down through all of our partners that make our accessories and supply our raw materials. It’s amazing that this little idea now supports a thriving and growing supply chain that was nonexistent just a few short years ago.
Our Favorite Allegiance Flag Supply Products
Check out these great flags from Allegiance Flag Supply. Wes included his notes below each one to tell you a little bit more about them.
3′ x 5′ American Flag
AFS: Using the toughest nylon fabric, embroidered stars, and a painstakingly detailed hand-stitch process, this is simply a superior flag. Each flag is folded into a proper triangle and packaged in 100% recyclable material.
Pre-Assembled 3’ x 5’ American Flag Set
AFS: 3′ x 5′ Allegiance American Flag: 100% made in the USA with the highest quality materials.
- Vermont White Ash Flag Pole: As strong as it gets, and finished with a protective coating to shield it from the elements.
- Pair Of Non-Tangle Flag Pole Spinners: Made from anodized aluminum and designed with a bearing to spin around the pole as the flag is blown in the wind. This alleviates the constant annoyance of your flag wrapping around your pole.
- Cast Aluminum Flagpole Bracket: Assures a sturdy connection from base to pole. This thing isn’t going anywhere.
Doing It The Right Way
AAO: What do your customers love most about Allegiance Flag Supply and your products?
AFS: One of Allegiance’s top core values is integrity. We do the right thing, even if it’s the hard thing. That can be shown in everything we do from start to finish at Allegiance. We take the long way and take the more difficult way, but we do it to have the highest quality American flag that represents our country in the best fashion, right down to the packaging. Our customers love supporting a small American business that makes the highest-quality, American-made American flag.
Our customers also love knowing that by supporting Allegiance, they also support uplifting the lives of Veterans, service members, first responders, and their families when they need it most. Allegiance is proud to partner with numerous military/first responder non-profit organizations to help play a small role in giving back to our nation’s heroes.
AAO: What makes your products unique vs. the competition?
AFS: We’ve scoured our great country to find the highest-skilled American seamstresses and curate the highest-quality materials. Our flags must be individually sewn so that every single stitch is given attention by a master seamstress.
We’ve spent years innovating modern design improvements to increase the longevity of our flags. These include a one-of-a-kind, sturdy, mold-resistant grommet strip, double-needle lock-stitching—so if one stitch breaks, the flag won’t unravel, and stress points reinforced with bar tacking to enhance the stability of the flag. We also purvey the highest-quality, American-made flag accessories, including flagpoles made of Vermont white ash, flagpole spinner rings, and cast-iron mounting brackets.
Allegiance flags are individually sewn by the most talented seamstresses in this country. This means every single stitch is given attention, a far cry from mass-produced flags.
Our customers also love our white-glove customer service. We employ four customer service representatives to ensure that our products are being used correctly and if anyone has any kind of issue with our products, they can get support from us.
Not only are we just a phone call away, we’re taking those phone calls on American soil. You’re not going to be put on call waiting or speak with someone in a call center in a faraway country.
The Future
AAO: What gets you excited about the future of Allegiance Flag Supply? Where are you headed?
AFS: We see a real opportunity to continue to expand our Made in America commitment. We certainly will be making additional flags, but we think there is an opportunity to make other products in our country. The American flag will always be the backbone of our business, but we’re excited to offer other products that embody the same ideals and commitments to our country.
Thanks so much to the team at Allegiance Flag Supply for sharing their story with us! We wish y’all the best of luck and can’t wait to see what your future holds.
