The October meeting of the Innisfil Historical Society was a vexillologist’s delight.
It might help to know that 'vexillology' is the study of the history and symbolism of flags. The society’s guest speaker was Cecilia Burke, owner of The Flag Store in Thornton.
Founded in 1965 by her parents Gord and Beth Burke, the family-owned and operated company has a fascinating history.
The company became famous for its sewn flags, put together by the eight Burke children, and for its custom work – earning a reputation for being able to create a banner or flag to match any design.
While today most flags are printed on polyester, those just don’t stand up to the weather the way that sewn flags do, Burke said. Printed flags fade, but a sewn flag “is just like a quilt. It’s heavy duty,” she noted, with layers of fabric pieced into place.
Since even the best-made flag will eventually fray in high winds and rain, The Flag Store offers a guarantee with every sewn flag sold, promising to “repair them for free.”
The Flag Store is now the only Canadian company producing sewn Canadian flags in Canada, Burke said. “We believe that a Canadian flag should be made in Canada,” she added – and her customers agree.
Those customers have included governments, companies, private citizens, and celebrities like author Pierre Burton and broadcaster Peter Gzowski.
Burton told listeners on the radio that he had “bought a flag that didn’t turn pink,” and named the company on the air – creating a boom in sales.
But with booming business came unwanted attention and a hostile take-over in 1998, that almost put the Burkes out of the flag business. A total of 83 employees lost their jobs in the take-over; as part of the deal, family members were required to sign a non-competition clause.
The exception was Cecilia. Employed outside the family business, she was the only one who hadn’t signed – and short while later, was able to reopen in Thornton, as The Flag Store.
The Flag Store now has a factory on Saunders Road in Barrie that employs 14 people, and produces a wide range of sewn and printed flags and banners in various sizes – from desktop paper flags, to the 6 metre by 12 metre Canadian flag that flies at the Husky Station at County Rd. 88, atop a 30.5 metre tall flagpole.
Exposed to the winds at that height, “that flag has to be repaired every six weeks,” Burke said.
The Flag Store is the supplier of the official Jamaican flag. Since green, black and yellow fade rapidly, the country can’t purchase printed flags. The sewn flags from Ontario are “actually five layers of material,” Burke said. “They go through 100 of them every three months.”
Giant flags for the Raptors and the Maple Leafs; flags and banners for CFB Borden; even work for the Royal Family - in 2017, The Flag Store produced the official Canada 150 flags, in a choice of red, blue or white.
“That was a real honor for us,” said Burke. “Our little store in Thornton had a line-up three weeks before July 1.”
Burke brought along some of her favourite flags to the Knock School Heritage Site for the meeting – including a sewn flag of Australia, that takes four hours to make, and samples of custom and “fun” flags, like a dairy cow that farms can purchase and customize.
Her favourite overall? The Canadian Blue Ensign, a flag designed to be flown on the water. Only the Red Ensign, once Canada’s official flag, could be flown on land. “They were very strict,” Burke said; those who flew the Blue Ensign on land faced a fine or three months in jail.
“Now it’s obsolete,” she said – and flies in her backyard.
Other members of the Burke family have gone into related fields, and Burke recently purchased a company that produces light-weight fibreglass flagpoles. Now The Flag Store can not only provide the flags and banners, but the flagpoles, and the installation.
“We’re No.3 in Canada,” Burke said. No.1 is Flags Unlimited – the company that the Burkes originally launched. “We’re awfully proud to be from Thornton,” she said - still there, and still thriving.
The next meeting of the Innisfil Historical Society will be the Annual General Meeting and dinner, Nov. 16 at the Churchill Community Centre from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dinner, provided by Catering by Colin, will be served at 1 p.m. Tickets are $25 for members, available from the society.
