The flagship enterprise
Deepa Bharath
Gil Lukosky has seen a few creative flags fluttering over boats in
his time.
The owner of Nikki’s Flag Shop in Newport Beach specializes in
making custom flags for local boat owners and yacht clubs.
“I’ve seen many fun flags,” Lukosky said.
There was the one with the picture of a cigar with a red circle
around it, but without the red bar across it. Just as well, because
the man who ordered that flag was running a cigar club on his boat.
Then there was this other flag with a rubber chicken in a bun --
head sticking out of one end and legs out the other.
People also like to put their pets on flags, like their mascots.
“I even did one with a picture of this pet poodle,” Lukosky said.
Lukosky has owned Nikki’s Flag Shop for the last 11 years. The
store itself has been in Newport for about 38 years.
Flags are not merely for decoration, Lukosky explained. They are
an integral part of the boating culture and tradition.
“Flags are almost like a means to communicate for boaters all over
the world,” he said.
Lukosky also makes what are known as signal flags, which are flags
with letters on them that stand for moves boaters are going to make
on the water.
Boats from the United States traveling on international waters
also display flags of the countries they visit as a courtesy. For
example, a boat going to Mexico would bear a United States flag and a
Mexican flag.
Fishermen also proudly bear flags of the type of fish they catch,
Lukosky said.
“They have marlin, tuna, albacore or dolphin flags depending on
what they’ve caught, just to let everyone know they’ve been
successful,” he said.
All of these flags are handmade. The designs are traced on to the
flags, cut and stitched. The cost of each flag runs from $35 to $200
or more depending on how much detail is involved.
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