Family Owned: Uncle Sam’s Flag and Gift finds that ‘both sides’ love the USA

From Flag Day through the Fourth of July, the stars and stripes wave from cars, homes and boats – especially this year, with the celebration of the United States semiquincentennial.

But many folks fly the flag all year long, and a shop in Spokane Valley stocks every version of Old Glory you could want, plus much more.

Since 2005, Uncle Sam’s Flag and Gift has been the go-to destination for flags, flagpoles, and patriotic gifts and collectibles.

James and Jenny Martin purchased the business from founder and U.S. Navy veteran Lance Johnson in 2023.

“I’ve been a longtime shopper,” said James, also a Navy veteran. “Eventually, we discovered that we’d both served on the USS Nimitz at the same time! Lance had been mentioning for years that he wanted to retire.”

After a lengthy career as a welder, James felt more than ready to try something new.

The store was located in the Spokane Valley Mall at the time, and James agreed to work with Lance to see if owning a store might be a fit.

At first it wasn’t.

“I quit on him three times,” James said.

He hated the confines of mall hours. In 2022, they found the location on East Sprague, and James was much happier.

“The people who come in here are veterans – they’re our kind of people,” he said.

In a time when our nation seems so divided, he believes we can all agree on at least one thing.

“There’s nothing political about the American flag,” he said. “Both sides love their country.”

With the exception of car flags, all American flags are made in the U.S.

Jenny said they offer a variety of flags across budget, everyday and premium price ranges.

They also retire flags properly. An old mailbox out front serves as a repository. People can drop off tattered or worn flags, and the Martins take them to be burned at the Waste to Energy Plant.

“Waste to Energy was very good about helping us set this up,” said Jenny.

While the stars and stripes is their biggest seller, area university flags and Seattle sports flags are popular, too. Shoppers also enjoy the selection of holiday and celebration flags.

“The biggest selling celebration flag is the yellow smiley face,” Jenny said.

Uncle Sam’s also stocks indoor and outdoor décor. Metal signs made in Tri-Cities line a wall and barn wood flags made in Oregon sell quickly.

“We try to bring in fun stuff and something for everyone,” Jenny said. “I’m in charge of drinkware.”

BrüMate insulated leak-proof tumblers are popular, and whiskey towers made in Texas catch the eye. The decorative, gravity-fed pouring systems let you invert standard liquor bottles upside-down into a fitted base, allowing you to pour spirits with the pull of a tap handle.

“We can customize them,” James said.

Racks of fun socks, ball caps and license plate frames abound, as do displays of stickers, patches and lapel pins.

“Vets always want something for their shadow boxes,” he explained. “Challenge coins have become a huge thing over the years. They used to be for military, but now they’re for first responders, too.”

A remembrance lamp draped with dog tags sits in the front window. Dog tags are made in-house on a WWII-era machine. Those who want to remember loved ones can hang the tags on the lamp. The proceeds are donated to a designated charity.

“I love the stories we hear from vets,” Jenny said. “This is a safe place for them.”

She was initially unsure if James had the temperament to be a shop owner, but has enjoyed watching him come into his own.

“He really has a gift for talking to people and teaching them about the flag,” she said. “We make a good team.”

It’s the people who visit Uncle Sam’s that make the difference for James.

“The vets come in and tell their stories,” he said. “A lot of them haven’t had a chance to, especially Vietnam vets. They come in and after a few minutes they relax – you can see a weight lifted off them.”