Ambitious Entrepreneur has Independent Style
 The Arkansas Gazette features Keri Thompson for their Fashion Profile. Interviewer Mardi Epes asks Ms. Thompson what her favorite clothes to wear to work, what her fashion opinions are, and how she shops. She prefers black, white, and red, in solid colors to keep her outfits matching.
"Anything goes when you work at home and you are your own boss. I usually choose something very comfortable."-Keri Thompson
Posted on February 28, 1985
Flag Sales Brisk; Patriotic Fervor High in Arkansas
Arkansas Democrat
By Marsha Allen
 Americans are still in love with Old glory's broad stripes and bright stars, as indicated by a recent Wall Street Journal article that reported America's flag-selling businesses were doing very well. In Arkansas, that seems to be true , too.
Kerry Thompson, owner of Arkansas Flag and Banner located on Kavanaugh Boulevard in Little Rock, said that for the past two years flag sales have increased in her business by 50 percent. "It's up about $5,000 to $10,000 per month," she said.
Ms. Thompson noted that during the Iranian hostage crisis in former President Jimmy Carter's term, she saw a slight rise in flag sales, as well as requests for Iranian flags to burn. Whether the recent Trans World Airlines hijacking in Lebanon or the Fourth of July holiday increased sales was difficult to ascertain, Ms. Thompson said, but there were plenty of flag orders at that time. "Usually on July 4th, flag sales are up anyway," she said.
Margie Stone, a 25-year veteran with LeFever Display Service at 1014 Main St. in Little Rock, was also unsure if the TWA hostage crisis or the holiday influenced flag sales in her company. Renewed patriotic fervor may be the reason behind increased sales in banner buntings, pins, hats, and garlands, as well as flags, Ms. Stone said but she wasn't sure. She just knows those types of items steadily show improved sales.
When limousine service is requested of Vintage Autos LTD, sometimes the client asks that an American flag be displayed from the vehicle, said administrative assistant Becky Robinson. Arkansans have a great reverence for the red, white and blue, says Bill Harden, pastor for the First Pentecostal Church on Interstate 30. His church has long displayed a huge, 20 foot by 30 foot flag from a seven-story flagpole. The flag flies 24 hours a day. "An irate veteran once called us and said it wasn't supposed to be flown all day," Harden said. "What he didn't know is that new regulations say if it's an all-weather flag, and is lighted at night, it can stay up around the clock. The flag on the nation's Capitol stays raised 24 hours a day."
To fly an American flag such as the church's flag or the one that waves over McDonald's in North Little Rock, can cost as much as $100 a month if the flag is flown around the clock. Add flagpole installation costs and maintenance charges on replacing worn and tattered flags, and the expense of flag-flying can rise further. The smaller, 4 foot by 6 foot or 9 foot by 8 foot Old Glories and 30 foot flagpoles cost less, according to Ms. Thompson. These are the sizes Arkansans seem to favor.
Posted on July 21, 1985
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