Freshly made Purple Hearts are shown at The Supply Room, a military-supply manufacturer in Oxford, Ala. Walking through the lobby of The Supply Room is a little like walking through history. The walls of the Oxford-based manufacturing company are lined with images depicting scenes from every war involving American troops.OXFORD, Ala. -- Walking through the lobby of The Supply Room is a little like walking through history.
The walls of the Oxford-based manufacturing company are lined with screen printings of paintings depicting scenes from every war involving American troops. Images of World War II and the Civil War hang side by side with less iconic and remembered battles from the Spanish-American War and the War of 1812.
"We have a painting of every major battle the U.S. has ever been in," said Tim Barton, The Supply Room's general manager. "We figure we make battle streamers for all of them, (so) we can display the paintings, honor the veterans."
It's appropriate considering the business The Supply Room is in. It's a company that makes a lot more than battle streamers.
"We make everything that goes on a military uniform," Barton said Thursday while walking through the 270,000 square feet of storage and factory space that houses between $6 million and $12 million worth of merchandise.
And he means everything. A browse through The Supply Room's catalog reveals every major unit patch, every medal, every flag that goes into every military camp around the globe for every branch of the U.S. armed forces. Walking along the countless shelves in the factory, Barton pointed out flags of every state in the U.S. and every country in the world, uniforms for every branch of military in all sizes, plus ribbons, cords, pins and plaques of honor.
If you've seen a serviceman or servicewoman wear it, you can find it in Oxford.
It's very nearly a unique operation. Only two other companies in the country manufacture military insignia, Barton said, his company being one of the biggest suppliers for the U.S. armed forces. And though it has about 100 employees, its impact in Calhoun County isn't widely known.
"When I tell people where I work they always say, 'Huh?' Barton said. "It's such a specific market, we don't really sell locally. Who needs to buy a military uniform except for the military?"
Its presence might not be big in the community, but the company's product reaches all over the world. On a typical day, Barton said, The Supply Room will ship out more than 400 packages containing specialized tags, plaques, flags and patches.
"There's always need for everything that goes on the uniform," Barton said, characterizing his as "a stable company" because of rules about where military emblems and the like can originate.
"Everything that goes on a military uniform has to be made in the United States," Barton said. "So any offshore company, they can't do it. So it's nice for the U.S. market, but not a whole lot of people do it."
The specialized nature of its work made it possible for the company to expand, moving from the Anniston location where it was founded in 1985 to a bigger building six years ago, and gaining over 100,000 square feet of storage area in the process. While The Supply Room's biggest market still is the military, it's branching out, creating patches and designs for police and fire departments and printing work for local high schools.
"All the time we're looking for different stuff for different markets," Barton said.
For now, 80 percent of the Supply Room's output is related to the military, and the pictures that greet guests when they enter the building are a reminder.
"You could say we're something of a museum," Barton said.