About Us
Citizen Pride: Behind-the-Scenes Mini-Doc from Citizen Pride on Vimeo.
Our Story
We’re Joe and Eva Barsin and if you told us after graduating from the Kent State University's graphic design program that our journey would lead us to selling garden flags and car stickers, we wouldn't have believed you.
For our first two decades in the professional workforce, we followed our well laid plan of working in design and advertising firms in the mid-Atlantic region. In 1997, we reached our goal of owning a successful graphic design company (JEBdesign.com) based in Maryland.
Community and Giving Back
As our portfolio of award-winning work for a range of clients grew, we gravitated toward projects with non-profit organizations, environmental and education associations. Creating Maryland’s Bay Plate design for The Chesapeake Bay Trust was a highlight in our career.
With success brought the desire to give back so we welcomed opportunities to provide pro-bono design and illustration services for our local arts community and non-profit organizations including; The Annapolis Opera, First Sunday Arts Festival, Fish For a Cure and The Annapolis Film Festival. We were satisfied but something was missing.
**it Happens
Cue the record scratch. When the recession occurred it changed everything, challenging us to reevaluate the direction of our professional future. We made the big shift into the wild world of retail and began building a new business that spoke more to our true passions.
We started Citizen Pride in 2013 and what a ride it’s been! These many years and 100,000+ flags later, we’ve certainly faced some challenges with COVID-19, inventory and the ongoing battle to find quality manufacturing in the USA. Many lessons were learned but what remained constant was the knowledge that the pride of where we live is deep within all of us.
What is Citizen Pride?
Proven by our growing online sales and representation in over 155 stores in DE, FL, MD, NC, VA and Washington DC, your excitement for our products encourages us everyday. The desire to offer you an original way to express your hometown pride remains strong today and we are consistently working (some may say obsessing) to create unparalleled designs that stir your senses.
Tastefully display your citizen pride on a car with a sticker or magnet. Show it with a house and garden flag or proudly welcome neighbors with a door mat featuring a symbol that best represents you. How about a friendly game using cornhole boards that feature your favorite teams? Classically hang as a commemorative print or wooden sign. Specially commission as a custom illustration for your home or business. We offer you over 500 unique and originally illustrated products to express your hometown pride. Our collections range from Maryland focused icons, to sports teams, to coastal inspired and themes of national pride.
What design or product do YOU want to see? Let us know!
Next Chapter
We LOVE what we do and have learned never to say never. Our home state of Maryland has been kind to us and we look forward to expanding designs to other states, spreading the pride! We are grateful to have found wonderful partners and are open to licensing opportunities with additional companies or individuals who share a similar philosophy as ours. We now believe anything is possible and are eager to see how our story unfolds from here.
Thank you for supporting our small but passionate company.