By By SCOTT NOVAK / Niles Daily Star
NILES -- To say that sales of patriotic supplies are up this holiday season probably would be a huge understatement, according to area retailers.
Many retailers said sales of anything that is red, white and blue have been going strong for months, but have been so brisk of late that many of their items are gone off the shelves and cannot be replaced.
Among the top sellers at Walgreens have been car flags, lapel pins and yellow ribbons.
Paper products with patriotic themes, such as stars and stripes, were gone long before the holiday season even kicked in.
Walmart store manager Dennis Carlson said by the time the Fourth of July holiday is over, his Niles store will pretty much be out of patriotic supplies.
In Dowagiac, Randy Hale of Hale's Hardware said that flag pole sets have been huge sellers ever since Sept. 11, 2001, and have remained steady.
Hale said that 20-foot flag poles have been every popular, as well as 3×5 flags and 2×4 flags.
At Family Dollar in Cassopolis, there is no doubt that sales of patriotic supplies are up because the store didn't really carry many of those items last year.