Stars, Stripes Flying Proudly as Sales Go Up : The owner of U.S. Flag & Pole in Tustin says the Persian Gulf War has prompted higher demand for Old Glory.

National parks hoist them each morning, politicians enjoy standing in front of them and military color guards would be lost without them.

However the American flag is used, the stars and stripes is a commodity in demand, especially on a federal holiday, such as Veterans Day. Few people know that better than Les Bursten, owner of U.S. Flag & Pole, whose Tustin company has sold Old Glory and the flags of foreign nations for 13 years.

His company’s flagpoles and custom banners adorn the roofs of Ralphs supermarkets, Carl’s Jr. restaurants, schools and fire stations throughout the Southland. When President Bush met with Japan’s then-Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu in Newport Beach, Bursten’s banners fluttered on the lampposts that line Fashion Island and along the route to their mini-summit meeting in April.

U.S. Flag & Pole is still riding high on the wave of U.S. military success in the Persian Gulf War, and Bursten said it expects sales of about $240,000 by year end, up 37% from last year’s $175,000. And competing flag sellers, such as Windrose Custom Flags in San Clemente and Nikki’s Flags in Newport Beach, also report higher sales.

“Since (Operation) Desert Storm, people have become more aware of the different patriotic holidays in the country and they’re replacing worn flags more often,” Bursten said. “I’m even getting more invitations to give flag talks to local clubs.”

Total sales of the American flag are estimated at $150 million annually, said Robert P. Caggiano, national sales manager of Annin & Co. in Roseland, N.J., the nation’s largest U.S. flag manufacturer. The private company says it has sold 35% more flags since the start of the year than in all of 1990.

“When the war hit, orders came from everywhere,” Caggiano said. “We could’ve sold five times as much if we have more capacity to meet the orders.”

Miniature American flags, usually 4 inches by 6 inches, are by far the least expensive and most popular, said Peter Vandeputte, president of the National Independent Flag Dealers Assn. in Mission, Kan. Among full-size banners, the 3-feet-by-5-feet ones are the bestsellers, he said.

Eder Flag Mfg. Co., the Oak Creek, Wis., supplier of U.S. Flag & Pole, said its sales are up 20% this year. “Before the war, there was a steady increase in sales by about 4% or 5% annually,” said Tom Evans, Eder’s vice president.

But the euphoria of winning the Gulf War has been replaced by the realities of the recession. Although business is good, competition becomes more fierce each month, Bursten said. U.S. flags still sell well, but because there are fewer new buildings going up, demand for flagpoles is down, he said.

“The market is extremely competitive,” Bursten said. “Most of the business I get is because I’m the lowest bidder.”

To maintain profits, Bursten has become more creative. For example, earlier this year, when he was stuck with more than a hundred miniature Iraqi flags, he bought canisters of lighter fluid and sold them as a package. For $3, customers could vent their anger at Saddam Hussein by burning the Iraqi flag.

“We sold everything in three weeks,” Bursten chuckled.

Bursten has also begun to bid on projects outside Southern California. U.S. Flag & Pole has won contracts in Nevada and in Northern California to provide flagpoles and state banners to schools, police and fire stations, cemeteries, supermarkets and city government agencies. The company has also diversified into designing custom-made flags for real estate developers and apartment management firms.

To sell even more of the popular miniature flags, Bursten has come up with plastic U.S. or corporate flags with perforated ends for promotional giveaways. The customer can print a name, address and telephone number on the tear-away edge.

ANSWERS: (1) June 14; (2) Red; (3) Written for the 1892 Chicago World’s Fair by Francis Bellamy; (4) July 4, 1960; (5) Vexilology.

Flag Trivia

1. When is Flag Day?

2. What is the color of the top stripe of a U.S. flag?

3. For what event was the Pledge of Allegiance written?

4. When was the present U.S. flag--with 50 stars--adopted?

5. What do you call the study of flags?

Answers at end of column