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C.R. Oates passed away in 1965 and his wife, Tanja Oates took over the family business. In 1965 Oates purchased their first building located on 329 East Main Street in Louisville, KY. With the addition of a new space, Oates was able to expand thier offerings to include silk screening.
During the winter of 1990 Randy Oates Jr. made the decision to move the business into a much larger facility located in the Jeffersontown Business District of Louisville, KY. In addition to their screen printing and Flag services, Oates once again expanded their service line up to include embroidery and hand sewn banners and flags.
C.R. Oates served in the US Army during World War II where he received 2 purple hearts, a bronze star and the Army Cross. Upon his return from war, C.R. Oates wanted to help promote the U.S. Flag and the freedoms it represented. In 1945, just a few months after returning home, he founded Oates Flag and Novelty on 3rd and Main Streets in downtown Louisville, KY. In addition to providing and repairing US flags, Oates began their journey sewing and repairing uniforms for Doctors and Nurses.
C.R. Oates passed away in 1965 and his wife, Tanja Oates took over the family business. In 1965 Oates purchased their first building located on 329 East Main Street in Louisville, KY.
With the addition of a new space, Oates was able to expand their offerings to include silk screening.
The family business was handed down to the next generation of the Oates Family. In 1977 C.R. Oates’ son Randy Oates Jr. took over the leadership of the business.
During the winter of 1990 Randy Oates Jr. made the decision to move the business into a much larger facility located in the Jeffersontown Business District of Louisville, KY. In addition to their screen printing and Flag services, Oates once again expanded their service line up to include embroidery and hand sewn banners and flags.
With the passing of Randy Oates Jr., the family decided it was time to bring in new leadership to help grow and propel the business forward.In 2019 Greg Strafer took over leadership of operations as the new Oates General Manager. Greg led the company through an extensive remodel and the commissioning of advanced automated screen-printing equipment that allowed Oates to produce screen printed garments 10x faster than they were previously capable of while significantly increasing their product quality and printing accuracy.
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