MACCLENNY, Fla. – As the debate rages nationally about the Confederate flag, sales of the flag are skyrocketing in stores that are still selling it.
Major retailers, including Walmart and Kmart, are pulling merchandise that contains the flag off their shelves, but some stores are still carrying those items.
The owner of Dixie Outfitters in Macclenny said that while major retailers are pulling Confederate flag merchandise off the shelves, he's having to place larger orders than ever because the demand has gotten so high.
More customers than normal have come in wanting shirts, flags, hats and bumper stickers with the confederate flag on them.
Dewey Barber, the owner of the store, said he usually buys 10 to 15 flags at a time, but on Wednesday ordered 150 to make sure he had enough for customers.
"They are just upset. Every time something bad happens, they are wanting to blame it on the flag. It's not the flag that did it, it's the person," Barber said.
Barber said customers buy the flag to show pride, not as a symbol of hate. He said that although some people use it as a racist symbol, that happens with a lot of symbols. He said a few bad people or groups shouldn't be thought of as representative of all.
"There are plenty of good people and bad people in every race. To tag one item and say that's the reason is a travesty," Barber said. "Our customers are Southern people that, by and large, I would say about 98 percent of them don't have a racist bone in their body. They are trying to celebrate their heritage."
Barber said the controversy coming on the heels of the shootings in Charleston is an over-reaction to what he said was someone filled with hate, misrepresenting what the flag represents.
"It has nothing to do with the Confederate flag. This was a misguided individual. People are taking a misguided individual and the symbols he used as a valid point," Barber said.
Barber has no plans to pull the Confederate flags off his shelves. He said that as long as there is a demand from his customers, he will continue to stock them.