Charleston is a manufacturing hub for high-quality American flags. And with the Fourth of July just around the corner, the local team behind red-white-and-blue flags is faced with soaring demand during what it calls “flag season.”
Allegiance Flag Supply got started in North Charleston in 2018 after they learned most American flags are made outside of the United States.
“We were surprised to learn that so many American flags were actually being made overseas,” said co-founder Max Berry. “We just felt like of all things that deserve to be made in America, the American flag is at the top of that list.”
Allegiance has around 60 employees who produce nearly 1,000 flags daily and distribute to customers in every state. Co-founder Katie Lyon said the company’s patriotic prioritization and high-quality products set it apart.
“We prioritize American jobs and a 100% American supply chain,” she said. “Then, of course, also quality — we use what’s called a first-run nylon, and we take extra steps in our stitching strategy to ensure our flags are higher quality.”
Each flag is hand-sewn by South Carolina employees with locally sourced materials, as highlighted in the company’s mission.
Doubling down on American
While many businesses outsource labor and materials to countries to save money, Berry said Allegiance is moving in the opposite direction.
“We’re planting our feet here in Charleston, South Carolina, and doubling down on our local workforce,” he said. “And I think it’s just something like that that’s just one of our core values. That’s what we care about, and it’s something that we’re really proud of.
“In what we’ve seen in the people that work for Allegiance, they blow us away every day with the quality that Allegiance is able to put out,” he added. “That’s why our customers are happy to pay more for our flag than a flag that they could get on the shelf of a hardware store or on Amazon.”
In May, Allegiance Flag Supply relocated its facility to 7600 Southrail Road in North Charleston, giving it 24,000 square feet to use for its manufacturing and distribution operations. That $6.3 million investment is allowing the company to more than double its workforce, creating new job opportunities within the Charleston community, according to S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster.
“It is always gratifying to see homegrown companies find success in our state. We congratulate Allegiance Flag Supply on this expansion in Charleston County and look forward to the impact this investment and the 84 jobs it creates will have in the local community.” McMaster said in a May 22 press release.
Of the 84 new positions, there will be seamstresses and sewers as well as fulfillment personnel — packaging, marketing, product development and human resources. Berry said the inward expansion will allow Allegiance to continue to advance and create more products.
“We’re so excited to be able to continue to grow here in Charleston where we can hire more people and have them be able to make more flags,” Berry said.
For more information, visit showallegiance.com.
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