CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Confederate flags are becoming scarce on store shelves as manufacturers join other major retailers to stop producing the controversial southern symbol following the Charleston church massacre.
Ernie Creech prides himself on how many important, historic flags Conder Flag Company offers.
But there's one flag that won't be returning to store shelves.
"We sold all we had," owner Creech said.
Sales for the Confederate battle flag surged this week as other retailers decided to pull it.
U.S. flag manufacturers decided to stop making the flag that is being stripped from official buildings in many Southern states.
Dan Morrill, with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmark Commission, said Charlotte has significant history with the Confederacy.
"There was a Confederate naval yard," he said. "What they were doing was manufacturing torpedoes and munitions. It also had a powder factory. It was very important strategically."
A memorial still stands in uptown for the soldiers who served in the Confederate navy. The memorial moved to Elmwood Cemetery when the Epicentre was built.
County commissioners will consider next month whether to remove a 1929 memorial to the 39th Confederate reunion near Memorial Stadium.
Morrill said the debate over the flag is just as much about heritage as it is hate.
"We need to learn from it," Morrill said. "Not glorify it. Not elevate it but we need to know what it was."
Conder Flag Company also pulled all novelty items with the Confederate flag because of the manufacturer's decision.
The Mecklenburg County Commission will decide what happens to the memorial near Memorial Stadium at its meeting in two weeks.
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