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Local crafters fill a growing need for Americana Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Linda Reha of Medford shows off one of the American "flags" she makes out of cedar shingles to sell at the Crafters Market. Demand for such Americana arts and crafts has exploded since the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. By MARK FREEMAN For the first time in her 28 years on this earth, Julie Smith pined for an American flag. "I get all 'U-S-A' during the Olympics, but I'm not a real gung-ho kind of person," says Smith, of White City. "Then this thing happened, and it's like we all need to rally around the flag. "Here's my flag." An old cedar shingle painted a little like Old Glory is Smith's contribution to the great new cottage industry among local craft artisans - knickknacks emblazoned with red, white and blue. The resurrection of American patriotism following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks has spawned a major explosion in the demand for so-called "Americana" arts and crafts - signs, pictures and other doodads sporting the Stars-and-Stripes motif. Local crafters are cranking out Americana ribbons, signs and painted flags to meet the mammoth demand in the post-attack era - especially after local retail stores sold out of all their cloth flags. "As soon as the tragedy struck, people were coming out of the woodwork looking for Americana stuff," says Judy Livingood, owner of Crafters Market in Medford. "And the crafters have risen to the occasion," Livingood says. One of those is Linda Reha, a Medford woman who makes stuffed dolls and all sorts of craft items that she sells in a booth at the Crafters Market on Court Street near the Rogue Valley Mall. When the first images of terror appeared on CNN, Reha began painting American flags on old cedar shingles, and they've been selling faster than it takes the paint to dry. "I'm getting burned out on it," Reha says. "I know I've sold at least 100 of those flags, and I doubt I normally would have sold more than one or two in that time." Reha typically sells her Americana shingle flags for $12, but she's kept the price at $8 to help more people buy them and soothe Reha's own feelings that she shouldn't see rising profits because of people's fallen family members and friends. "I feel a little guilty, like I'm taking advantage of a terrible situation," Reha says. "But people want to show their patriotism, but there are no other flags on the market." It's the only way she can help in this time of crisis, she says. "I lost my butt in the stock market, so I really can't afford to donate anything." Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.