Ohio retailers say ‘no’ to sales of Confederate flags

Associated Press

Flag retailers across Ohio are pulling Confederate flags off their shelves after the shooting deaths of nine people last week at a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina.

Several flag stores in the Columbus, Toledo, Akron and Dayton areas stopped selling the flag this week, following the lead of national and online retailers including Wal-Mart, Amazon, Sears, eBay and Etsy.

The suspect in the South Carolina shooting, Dylann Storm Roof, appeared in photos holding the flag. Leaders in southern states have also called for the removal of the flag from statehouse grounds.

Until this week, The Flag Lady’s Flag Store in Clintonville had sold four confederate flags this year. Vice President Lori Leavitt Watson told The Columbus Dispatch the store has decided Wednesday to stop selling the flag after receiving 82 orders on Tuesday evening.

Watson said it became clear that the flag was being purchased for something other than historical purposes.

“We’re not about that,” Watson said. “We love our country, and what’s happening with the Confederate flag is not love of country. It’s wrong.”