This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Anyone who has driven south on Interstate 15 through Sandy has seen the enormous American flag flapping in the wind.
The Stars and Stripes, at 9400 South, belong to Colonial Flag Co., which makes and sells flags in Utah and around the country.
But in the wake of the shooting last week at a historic black church in South Carolina, the company has joined other retailers in removing its stock of Confederate flags.
The shooting suspect, Dylann Storm Roof, appeared in photos holding the flag.
"Paul Swenson, the owner, talked with his teenage daughter the other day and she was very concerned [about the flag]," said John Hartvigsen, an adviser to Colonial Flag Co. and president of the North American Vexillological Association. "He understood her feelings, and he felt in view of what's happened, and the strong feelings that people have, it would be appropriate to remove the few Confederate flags from the showroom and to remove those items from the website."
The flag wasn't in high demand to begin with, Hartvigsen said. The store sold about 11 last year, sometimes for historical productions.
"I've seen the box [they put them in]. There's just a very small box of a few items," Hartvigsen said. "It's just not a big seller here."
The Confederate flag products are still available for sale, however, if someone specifically asks for them.
Other retailers, such as Wal-Mart, Amazon, Sears and Etsy, also have pulled Confederate flags from shelves and websites. The nation's oldest and largest flag manufacturer, Annin Flags, has decided to stop making and selling the flag, as well.
The northern New Jersey company's announcement came amid calls for South Carolina to remove the Confederate battle flag from its Statehouse. Company President Carter Beard told NJ.com the flag has become a symbol of a negative aspect of the country's past.
Online auctioneer eBay also announced Tuesday that it will ban the sale of Confederate flags and similarly themed merchandise, in keeping with its policy of prohibiting items that promote hatred, violence and racial intolerance, spokeswoman Johnna Hoff said.
Colonial Flag doesn't want to promote that either.
"People of all races in Charleston and South Carolina and around the country have come together and had sympathy for one another, [saying] we can't allow this to happen," Hartvigsen said. "In that situation, Colonial Flag says we understand those feelings and we share those feelings, and there's really no reason to show it on our Web page or have it in our showroom."
Hartvigsen pointed out that what people commonly call the Confederate flag, the square one with the blue cross, was never the official flag of the Confederacy during the Civil War. Rather, soldiers used it as a battle flag.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Twitter: @MikeyPanda