PHILADELPHIA -- Matthew O'Connor is a third-generation flag maker at Humphry's Flag Company in Philadelphia's Old City section.
They take walk-in customers and do large orders for customers locally, but they also ship nationwide. Once Russia signaled their intent to invade Ukraine, O'Connor knew they needed to prepare for an onslaught of Ukrainian flag orders. He even unfurled a large 10 foot by 15-foot flag to drape on the front of their building by 3rd and Arch streets to show support for the embattled country.
"There was a caravan of cars waving Ukrainian flags. As soon as I got back, I called my dad and said, 'I was stuck in traffic, and everyone had Ukrainian flags; we need to ramp up production,'" said O'Connor."We make two different kinds of Ukrainian flags. We make the regular two-color Ukrainian flag which is easy to make. You just put the two stripes together," he said.