Jack Matranga is owner of the Pennant Shop on Metairie Road. For more than eight decades, the popular shop has supplied colorful flags that are integral to our many celebrations, including Mardi Gras, St. Patrick’s Day, the feast of St. Joseph, and other traditional holidays. Ever since Hurricane Katrina, locals have proudly flown the municipal flag of New Orleans with its three gold fleurs-de-lis, a distinctive symbol of our city.
According to Matranga, “The business started in 1932 making curtains and doing embroidery.” During WWII, the shop specialized in military “code flags”. In fact, Matranga has pennant making in his blood: on the day he was born, his mother was frantically making flags to deliver to war ships that were about to embark. Today, the Pennant Shop creates one-of-a-kind banners and flags for local schools, second-line organizations, Mardi Gras krewes, and St. Louis Cathedral, to name just a few of the shop’s many customers. In this podcast, Matranga remembers how he learned that Hurricane Katrina was as devastating as it was and recalls when he reopened his doors for business.
Listen to the podcast here.
