CINCINNATI—Written in a child’s hand, the words on the whiteboard were shaky but legible: “Art 2 Work on the flag co—do you think that it will hapin Dad?”
Cindy Schaller beamed as she explained the message from her grandson, Arthur Schaller IV. The 7-year-old dreams of joining his father at the National Flag Co., where Schallers have been producing flags since 1903.
But Cindy was not getting ahead of herself.
“That’s still a long way away,” she told The Epoch Times. “Would it be awesome? Sure.”
The Cincinnati firm specializes in custom, carefully stitched flags with U.S.-sourced materials. They are the people that bigger flag makers call when a client needs something exceptional.
On June 6, the company’s president and Cindy’s son, Artie Schaller III, showed The Epoch Times around the production floor—a colorful galaxy of fabric and half-finished banners. Alongside the red, white, and blue, there were flags for a high school, the state of Colorado, and even the country of Sri Lanka.
Artie III said it is hard to find workers with the skills to make bespoke flags. But for those who can, variety is the spice of work life.
“Something’s always changing,” he said.
(Top) Artie Schaller III, president of National Flag Company, and his mother, Cindy Schaller, at the National Flag Company in Cincinnati on June 6, 2025. The Schallers have been making flags since 1903. (Bottom Left) American flags come together at the National Flag Company in Cincinnati on June 6, 2025. (Bottom Right) Flags at the National Flag Company in Cincinnati on June 6, 2025. Nathan Worcester/The Epoch Times
Flag Season
It was a Friday afternoon—flex time—so only a few people sat at sewing machines. The day before, Artie III said, every station had been occupied.June is the heart of “flag season.” After Memorial Day on May 26 comes Flag Day on June 14. Finally, there is July 4, when Americans celebrate their independence.
Artie III said he expects that demand will be particularly high this time next year, the 250th anniversary of 1776.
“We already have been talking with our suppliers,” he said. “I think there’s going to be a lot of red, white, and blue everywhere.”
Artie III has taken over management of the company from his father, Art II, over the past three years.
Cindy said her son’s commitment to the family legacy did not come as a surprise.
“It was fairly clear from the beginning that he loved this company, and this is what he wanted to do and where he wanted to be,” she said.
Before Art II, there was Art Sr., who became president of the firm in 1977, and Larry Schaller.
The first Schaller at the National Flag Co., George, was Art Sr.’s uncle. He started as a 12-year-old stock boy in 1903. George retired more than seven decades later in 1976—the same year the United States turned 200.
The company was already more than three decades old when the first Schaller came on board. A man named Frederick Spencer launched it in 1869, when it began as a printing business.
(Top) Artie Schaller III in front of a cabinet of mementos from the National Flag Company's history in Cincinnati on June 6, 2025. (Bottom) A red, white, and blue bunting at the National Flag Company in Cincinnati on June 6, 2025. Nathan Worcester/The Epoch Times
Family Traditions
Cindy started helping out in 1990. She went full-time in 2005 and plans to retire at the end of this year.Her work over the years has been administrative—tasks such as computerizing records and handling payroll.
“I’m not a sewer,“ she said. ”I’d be all thumbs.”
She was there when the company weathered the 2008 and 2009 financial crisis—what Cindy called “crazy times.”
“We had to lay people off, and it was really upsetting,” she said, noting that the company has been cautious about expanding since then to avoid a repeat of that experience.
“A lot of people have worked here a really long time, and everybody’s treated as much as possible as family.”
The Schallers are not the only family with a multigenerational footprint at National Flag Co.
Lindsay Briede was listening to a fantasy novel as she sewed. She used her machine, a Juki with two needles, to finish a sheet of white nylon.
“I’ll hem or seam the material,” Briede told The Epoch Times after taking off her headphones.
Lindsay Briede sits beside a sewing machine at the National Flag Company in Cincinnati on June 6, 2025. She started at the company as a teenager and has worked there for more than a decade. Nathan Worcester/The Epoch Times
She has worked at the National Flag Co. for more than a decade, starting with simple tasks as a teenager.
“My mom runs the art department,“ Briede said. ”She’s been here for 30-plus years.”
She said she is not sure if her own young daughter will want to follow in her footsteps.
“Right now, she wants to collect rocks and be a dinosaur,” Briede said.
Honor and Remember
One of the company’s specialty flags helps connect U.S. families with their own legacies.The stitched “Honor and Remember” flags, produced for an
organization of the same name, commemorate those who lost their lives while serving in the U.S. military.
On one flag, above the words “Honor and Remember” and the name of the soldier, a triangle of stars was slightly off-center. But that was no mistake in stitching.
“That’s how [the family] received [their] son’s flag at the funeral,” Artie III said.
They produce about 300 of the flags per year. Still, the waiting list is long.
“These are going to be more like heirlooms,” Artie III said.
He advised families to not fly the flags every day: “You want to pass it down.”
In a U.S. firm passed down through the generations, legacy seems to be everywhere.
The National Flag Co.’s building even includes a small museum stuffed with artifacts from the company and the Schaller family’s past.
The Schaller tradition might continue. Whatever happens, the flag-making family is proud of its past.
“Fourth generation is good,” Cindy said.
Seven-year-old Art IV has already made his mark on the business—and not just on the whiteboard.
A flag made by 7-year-old Arthur Schaller IV hangs at his family's firm, the National Flag Company, in Cincinnati on June 6, 2025. Nathan Worcester/The Epoch Times
One of Art IV’s first contributions to the family legacy hangs on a wall near Cindy’s desk. The hand-drawn flag has nine stripes and 15 stars, counting the three across the bottom. Across the top, a message reads, “Arthur Made This.”
This Family Has Made American Flags for More Than a Century
The National Flag Co. is a fixture in Cincinnati. The Schallers started making flags there in 1903.
CINCINNATI—Written in a child’s hand, the words on the whiteboard were shaky but legible: “Art 2 Work on the flag co—do you think that it will hapin Dad?”
Cindy Schaller beamed as she explained the message from her grandson, Arthur Schaller IV. The 7-year-old dreams of joining his father at the National Flag Co., where Schallers have been producing flags since 1903.
But Cindy was not getting ahead of herself.
“That’s still a long way away,” she told The Epoch Times. “Would it be awesome? Sure.”
The Cincinnati firm specializes in custom, carefully stitched flags with U.S.-sourced materials. They are the people that bigger flag makers call when a client needs something exceptional.
On June 6, the company’s president and Cindy’s son, Artie Schaller III, showed The Epoch Times around the production floor—a colorful galaxy of fabric and half-finished banners. Alongside the red, white, and blue, there were flags for a high school, the state of Colorado, and even the country of Sri Lanka.
Artie III said it is hard to find workers with the skills to make bespoke flags. But for those who can, variety is the spice of work life.
“Something’s always changing,” he said.
Flag Season
It was a Friday afternoon—flex time—so only a few people sat at sewing machines. The day before, Artie III said, every station had been occupied.June is the heart of “flag season.” After Memorial Day on May 26 comes Flag Day on June 14. Finally, there is July 4, when Americans celebrate their independence.
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Artie III said he expects that demand will be particularly high this time next year, the 250th anniversary of 1776.
“We already have been talking with our suppliers,” he said. “I think there’s going to be a lot of red, white, and blue everywhere.”
Artie III has taken over management of the company from his father, Art II, over the past three years.
Cindy said her son’s commitment to the family legacy did not come as a surprise.
“It was fairly clear from the beginning that he loved this company, and this is what he wanted to do and where he wanted to be,” she said.
Before Art II, there was Art Sr., who became president of the firm in 1977, and Larry Schaller.
The first Schaller at the National Flag Co., George, was Art Sr.’s uncle. He started as a 12-year-old stock boy in 1903. George retired more than seven decades later in 1976—the same year the United States turned 200.
The company was already more than three decades old when the first Schaller came on board. A man named Frederick Spencer launched it in 1869, when it began as a printing business.
Family Traditions
Cindy started helping out in 1990. She went full-time in 2005 and plans to retire at the end of this year.Her work over the years has been administrative—tasks such as computerizing records and handling payroll.
“I’m not a sewer,“ she said. ”I’d be all thumbs.”
She was there when the company weathered the 2008 and 2009 financial crisis—what Cindy called “crazy times.”
“We had to lay people off, and it was really upsetting,” she said, noting that the company has been cautious about expanding since then to avoid a repeat of that experience.
“A lot of people have worked here a really long time, and everybody’s treated as much as possible as family.”
The Schallers are not the only family with a multigenerational footprint at National Flag Co.
Lindsay Briede was listening to a fantasy novel as she sewed. She used her machine, a Juki with two needles, to finish a sheet of white nylon.
“I’ll hem or seam the material,” Briede told The Epoch Times after taking off her headphones.
She has worked at the National Flag Co. for more than a decade, starting with simple tasks as a teenager.
“My mom runs the art department,“ Briede said. ”She’s been here for 30-plus years.”
She said she is not sure if her own young daughter will want to follow in her footsteps.
Honor and Remember
One of the company’s specialty flags helps connect U.S. families with their own legacies.On one flag, above the words “Honor and Remember” and the name of the soldier, a triangle of stars was slightly off-center. But that was no mistake in stitching.
“That’s how [the family] received [their] son’s flag at the funeral,” Artie III said.
They produce about 300 of the flags per year. Still, the waiting list is long.
“These are going to be more like heirlooms,” Artie III said.
He advised families to not fly the flags every day: “You want to pass it down.”
In a U.S. firm passed down through the generations, legacy seems to be everywhere.
The National Flag Co.’s building even includes a small museum stuffed with artifacts from the company and the Schaller family’s past.
The Schaller tradition might continue. Whatever happens, the flag-making family is proud of its past.
“Fourth generation is good,” Cindy said.
Seven-year-old Art IV has already made his mark on the business—and not just on the whiteboard.
One of Art IV’s first contributions to the family legacy hangs on a wall near Cindy’s desk. The hand-drawn flag has nine stripes and 15 stars, counting the three across the bottom. Across the top, a message reads, “Arthur Made This.”
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