Guest Appearance: Max & Marilyn Hartman

I suffered a work injury that kept me home, stuck on leave for months. Being home without anything to do was driving me flippin’ crazy! Little did I know it was the best-worst thing that could’ve possibly happened to me….. In an effort to stay sane, I discovered a new hobby: woodworking. I had no clue what I was doing – I mean, I wasn’t exactly a professional carpenter. After playing around with a few pieces in the garage, I convinced my husband to show me a few tricks (he was a bit nervous about showing me how to use power tools, lol). We realized we had a mutual love of working with wood and this became our nightly hobby. We made all sorts of pieces like tables, doors & signs but nothing was as meaningful as when we carved our first flag…. We made a wooden flag for a local military veteran who suffered from PTSD. I’m married to an Army veteran and always wanted to give back to those who’ve served but couldn’t figure out how. Within a week, we designed and hand-carved flags that represented fallen soldiers and first responders. I, my husband, and two young sons began assembling and painting beautiful flags and the response we received was incredible! People began purchasing them to give to loved ones who’ve served in the military and we were receiving heartfelt messages from the people who received them. I didn’t realize the effect our flags would have on people. We are humbled every time our customers share their military stories with us. When they tell us how much they cried because our flags brought back tender memories, my heart just drops.