Hello Flags Forever Customers, Friends and Followers! I hope you're all enjoying a nice relaxing long Presidents Day Weekend. I know I'm planning on relaxing for a bit after I finish up today's post. I wanted to tell you about an amazing store that exists in the town of Titusville FL. But before we begin, a few important facts about Titusville. Titusville is the county seat of Florida's Brevard County and sits along the Indian River. Titusville is also the home of Kennedy Space Center and the Famous Warbird Airshow that happens every March. To learn more about Titusville, please visit Wikipedia. There are a few truly incredible places to visit when you venture into the Titusville area.
1. is the American Police Hall Of Fame and Museum. I've been here many times, and it truly is a sacred place that pays homage to not only the history of policing, but to the Brave Men and Women of Law Enforcement who have paid the ultimate sacrifice to keep us all safe. I'll be doing an article about this incredible place in the very near future.
2. Is the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame Located at the Kennedy Space Center. This is a must see! The entire Kennedy Space Center is amazing and definitely worth the trip.
3. . Gear-Up Surplus, the subject of today's article! located at:
1525 Cheney Hwy, Titusville, FL 32780 Telephone (321) 567-0330
It wasn't long ago that the founders of our company decided to head over to the Sunny Florida Coast for the day to catch up on some R&R, for you non military folks, that rest and relaxation. While checking out some of the local sites, they came across this seemingly small Army Navy store with a really nice exterior sign, so they decided to pull in and have a look. Much to their surprise, Gear-Up was jam packed with awesome merchandise, everything from Tactical Gear to incredible Footwear, Military Patches and Lapel Pins as far as the eye can see.
As they were looking around, they were approached by a friendly young man who turned out to be the owner of Gear-Up. Outgoing, knowledgeable and helpful, Amer Hatoum was the quintessential ambassador of his domain! He had a deep knowledge of all of his products and wasn't shy about sharing the story of his family owned business that is housed in a building that has been owned by 3 generations of Amer's family.
We asked Amer to share a bit about the history of Gear-Up for the purposes of this post, and here is what we found out.
"The building that houses Gear Up Surplus was actually bought by my grandfather on my dad’s side in the 70’s. There he would put an ice cream shop (Dari Delite) that served as a staple in Titusville for many years. After he came down with shingles, he had to sell the building to his son (my dad) who would remodel it and put his telecom and real estate development business (around 2008 before the market crashed)." Said Amer Hatoum Owner of Gear up, He went on to tell us:
"We are a family owned and operated business that opened our doors in 2009. My grandfather and his father (mom’s side) served in the World Wars and my grandfather ended up in Killeen, TX right outside Fort Hood. There he opened up military surplus stores that his children and grandchildren grew up around. Back in 2009 after the economy crashed, my parents needed to come up with a business idea to keep them afloat. My mom (daughter of grandfather from Texas) decided on a military surplus store. As she knew the business and with the help of her father and brother (who owns surplus stores in Texas), could get the store up and running pretty quickly.
By 2018, the business had suffered major hits and was on the verge of closing their doors. After many family discussions and much thought, I decided I couldn’t let that happen. I left my job and agreed to purchase the business from my mom. Since purchasing, we have seen drastic improvements as we have rebranded and expanded our inventory (military surplus, survival/camping/hunting supplies and tactical gear). In addition to the stores transformation, we finally went online and have began experiencing online sales consistently. In 2020, we have launched a youtube channel and continue to work directly with many local organizations, handling their ordering."
An amazing history and now a great success story! So after learning about Amer, his family history and dedication to his business, it seemed logical to work with Amer and Gear-Up to become the latest retail location to carry our Handcrafted Wooden Flags and Patriotic Signs.
So now, side by side with Camo Tactical Pants, Neoprene Thermal Face Masks and Military Jungle Boots sit the finest handcrafted Thin Blue Line Flags, Don't Tread On Me Signs and many more of the most popular Flags Forever products!
So there you have it, a new partnership is born and we are extremely excited about the prospects of working with Amer and all of the great people of Gear-Up! Next time your in Titusville make sure you stop in and and say hi to Amer, and check out all of the great Gear at Gear-Up. If your not planning a trip to Brevard County anytime soon,you can stop by his website or facebook page and browse his extensive inventory of amazing products. Make sure to give him a Like and let him know that Cara sent you! I almost forgot....check out all of the latest Flags Forever creations on our website, you may just find something you love!
Your Friend,
Cara Dale
