May 24, 2010

Holding a banner and keeping the flameBy Lisa BackusNewBritainHerald.com

New Britain, CT — Marnie Aucoin thought she was managing a flag shop — one of the few in the area that sells American flags made in America — when Eddy Flag Shop moved to 500 Burritt St. in 2001.

But thanks to the devoted customers who used to visit the building to buy their Memorial candles for Sacred Heart Cemetery up the street, Aucoin soon realized the value in giving the Polish community a way to honor their dead.

“It was a print shop that also sold the candles,” Aucoin said while standing between the stores two biggest sellers — American flags and memorial candles. “People kept coming in looking for candles so I said I’d see what I could do.”

She now regularly orders items from Poland and if she can’t find the right chimney glass or stand for the votive candles, she has them specially made. “This is what people are looking for,” she explained. “I wanted to service the community.”

Eddy Flag, Candle and Gift Shop offers all sizes of American flags starting at four inches by six inches. If a customer wants a large flag, she can have it ordered.

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