Regalia Flag Store keeps history of American flag alive
Since 1897, Regalia Flag Store, a family-owned company in Rock Island, opened its doors.
'You want to keep it going because it has been an institution in Rock Island, even though a lot of people in Rock Island don't know we are here because we don't look like a store from the outside,' said Patricia Jahn, Regalia Flag Store's corporate secretary treasurer. 'We are building on the shoulders of those that came before us.'
Regalia is known for creating ribbons for county and state fairs across the country, but within one step inside the door customers are surrounded by flags of all kinds and sizes.
'I just want to be sure that people in the Quad Cities have a place to buy their American flags, and we appreciate the fact that there are a lot of veterans in our Quad Cities that constantly do get new flags,' Jahn said.
It's a store filled with red, white, and blue pride that goes back before World War I.
'The manufacturing part did actually physically make the American flag here,' Jahn said.
For Jahn, seeing American flags throughout the store hits close to home.
'It's important to keep history going,' Jahn said. 'My grandfather was the first person that was drafted out of Rock Island County for World War I, and he was very patriotic. He belonged to the American legion. So he instilled that in me, and I'm glad to carry it forward.'
Jahn doesn't take seeing the American flag waving in the wind for granted.
'It means that people have sacrificed their lives,' Jahn said.
To learn more about Regalia Flag Store, click here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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