Annin Flagmakers is an American corporation based in Roseland, New Jersey. The flagmaker was founded by Alexander Annin in 1847 and incorporated on January 10, 1910. Annin Flagmakers produces American flags, state flags and national flags of all United Nations members. Annin is a wholesaler that sells through a network of independent dealers and through mass market retailing chains. Annin is a private company owned by the Beard and Dennis families. While sales are not reported, industry estimates are between 75 million and 100 million dollars annually for Annin & Co.
Founded in 1847 by Alexander Annin, the business was previously a ship chandler on Fulton Street, New York City in the 1820s. By 1847, Annin Flagmakers turned to manufacturing all flags and was soon taken over and run by Alexander's two sons, Benjamin and Edward. Located at 99-101 Fulton Street (at the corner of William Street) in Lower Manhattan from 1847 until 1925, the location became known as “Old Glory Corner”. Needing more space, Annin opened a location on Fifth Avenue at the corner of 16th Street. The showroom, corporate offices and custom sewing department moved to this space in 1910 and remained until 1960 when the offices moved to New Jersey.
With rising demand for American flags during World War I, Annin built a modern five-story, 34,000 sq ft (3,200 m2) manufacturing building in Verona, New Jersey that opened in 1918 at a cost of $155,655. When a 28,000-square-foot (2,600 m2) addition was completed in 1925, the Fulton Street location was closed. Two months before the closure, a large fire struck Fulton Street, but luckily Annin’s location was spared.
One of Annin’s early commissions was flags for the inauguration of Zachary Taylor as President of the United States in 1849. In 1850 Annin provided flags for concerts by Swedish singer Jenny Lind displayed on a national tour produced by showman P. T. Barnum. In 1851 Annin made flags for Queen Victoria of Great Britain for the Queen’s "Great Exhibit of the Works of Industry of All Nations" in London, considered by historians to be the first World's Fair.