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Patriotic wave buoys flag sales
By JENNIFER GOLDBLATT
© St. Petersburg Times, HUDSON -- The product, propped up in a cardboard box, was so hot it literally stopped traffic on U.S. 19 Wednesday afternoon. Someone in town for a funeral bought one. Someone on his way to Clearwater Beach with out-of-towners swung a U-turn to check them out. A firetruck stopped. So did a taxi. Many just beeped in support. Others just called out their orders from the far right lane. The product? Old Glory. Hudson residents Joan Littlefield and her husband, Mike Josefowitz, opened up the makeshift flag store in the back of their minivan alongside U.S. 19 just south of Ranch Road this week. The couple were making a buck on what's most in demand these days -- ways to show patriotism and support for the American way. American flags have been flying off the shelves ever since the terrorist attacks Sept. 11. "Everybody wanted flags. We couldn't find them ourselves. I'd like to see the flags set up up and down (U.S.) 19 as far as you could see, showing support," said Littlefield, 54. She glanced at Josefowitz, who was hurriedly fastening flags to poles. "I tried to get him to paint our house red, white and blue, but he wouldn't do it." The couple own a Hudson business, Joan Littlefield Promotions, that does grand openings and other events for businesses, said Littlefield. They ordered flags from suppliers just after the attacks. The flags ranged from $8 to $20 depending on the size, and the couple had lost count of how many they'd sold. "They're going as fast as we get them," said Josefowitz, 53. "People want to show their support." The couple planned to be back on the roadside again Friday. And flags were big sellers elsewhere in west Pasco on Wednesday. Workers at the Wal-Mart supercenter and Home Depot in Port Richey said flags were selling as quickly as they could put them on the shelves. Back out on U.S. 19, Walt Van Derhoen, a 43-year-old cabdriver from Port Richey, had been looking everywhere for a small flag for his car. "I couldn't find them anywhere," he said. "We've got to stand up for what we believe." Deron Mikal, 67, thought long and hard under the hot sun about what kind of flag he wanted. For the former U.S. Army officer who fought in the Korean War, it was an important decision. Terrorists attacking the World Trade Center "was such in-your-face bravado," said Mikal, a Brooksville resident. "Going into the institutions that represent our nation, it really strikes the heart."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
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From today's Pasco Times |
