Decking your home with red, white and blue: Patriotic owner of Judy’s Flag City offers wide selection

Gearing up for the busiest season of the year, numerous loyal patrons visited Sheldon Friday afternoon looking for all things red, white and blue.

“It’s been a very patriotic year. It actually started around Memorial Day with the flags, and it just picked up. It’s on a roll and it’s been great to see,” Sheldon said, noting she thinks more people are buying American flags this year as a way to show solidarity. “Just look at our world, what a mess it is. I think people just want to do their part.”

While she carries one of the largest selections in North America with everything from other countries’ flags to holiday banners, stars and stripes are by far the most popular, she said.

Paul Picciani said celebrating Independence Day has long been a tradition for him and this year, he’s expanding his collection.

“I’m from Philadelphia so Fourth of July is a big deal,” Picciani said as he picked out another set of bunting. “I come in here a couple times a year. She’s great, she’s always got a great collection of stuff. And I never know what I’m going to find in here. I just think it’s a great store.”

Sheldon, who was born in Greece before immigrating to the United States in the 1960s, said her husband first encouraged her to open a flag store. After he died about 11 years ago, having the store to focus on was a comfort — particularly as her customers are like family.

Gayla Olsen, a San Mateo resident and retired Belmont police community services officer, said she and her family are very patriotic.

Showing up at Judy’s Flag City with a red and blue manicure, Olsen said she likes visiting the store as “everything’s upbeat and everything’s just quality stuff and she’s a fantastic person.”

Plus, there’s no shortage of options when it comes to decorative flags, Olsen said.

“It makes everything look festive. I hang them in my window, I have them in my front yard. It just brightens everything up. When you walk up my front steps, you see one of Judy’s flags there, then two in the window and the most recent holiday one outside,” Olsen said.

Sheldon is also full of suggestions when it comes to maintaining your flag and she’s not shy to share.

American-made flags tend to last longer and she tells all of her customers to use Scotchgard to prevent fading if they go with a cheaper version. But one of the most important things, she said, is to properly dispose of them.

The thought of someone throwing an American flag in the trash is nothing short of blasphemy for Sheldon.

She urges all of her customers, as well as anyone with an American flag they’re not sure what to do with, to bring it to her shop. She ensures they’re taken to the local American Legion and burned at the Golden Gate National Cemetery during an annual Flag Day celebration, she said.

John Agius brought in an old flag that had been hanging outside one of Pacific Gas and Electric’s local offices where he works. He’s been buying and properly disposing of flags at Sheldon’s for nearly 20 years.

“She pushes the flag etiquette, which is good,” Agius said with a smile.

Sheldon became a citizen years ago and raised her children in Belmont. She expressed an affinity for the country that she chose to become a part of and how hanging an American flag, particularly during a national tragedy or a holiday, is one way for people to show pride and solidarity.

“Being a naturalized citizen, it makes me even more aware of what people do with flags,” Sheldon said. “I know what it’s all about and I appreciate being in this country. I think it’s the greatest country in the world and I just love it.”

Judy’s Flag City is located at 1340 El Camino Real, Belmont. Visit judysflagcity.com or call (650) 610-0500 for more information. The store will be closed on July 4.

samantha@smdailyjournal.com

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