The American flag business fades for a Catskills fixture
Stucki Embroidery, a small business in the Ulster County hamlet of Boiceville, has been sewing the stars onto American flags since 1973. A decade ago, Stucki stars decorated every flag sold in Wal-Marts across the United States.
But the stars no longer bring in the money that they once did. Stucki has shrunk from 65 employees in 2002 to 13 now. This year, Murray Fenwick, Stucki's owner, sold two of his mammoth embroidery machines. To make ends meet, the business is diversifying into non-star lines of business, such as making small-run embroidered patches and screenprinting.
Left: Fenwick, with the punch card system that powers one of his older embroidery machines. Photo by Julia Reischel.
In May, I wrote an article for Esquire Magazine online about why the American flag business can no longer support small manufacturers like Stucki. Fenwick gave me a tour of the Boiceville plant and a crash course in the economics of the increasingly-conglomerating business of American patriotism.
When you're surrounded by red, white, and blue this Fourth of July weekend, think of supporting local Catskills businesses like Stucki. We used Stucki to embroider our Catskill Reservoir Paddler badges this year, instead of using an out-of-state embroiderer. They did a fantastic job, and we kept the dollars local.
Here's an excerpt from the Esquire story. To read the whole thing, go to Esquire by clicking here.
