Richard and Marie have dedicated part of their new store to patriotic-themed items.  Richard Godfrey noticed the passion for the American flag that was so prevalent after September 11, 2001, had "died down" recently, so he dedicated part of his new store to items with star-spangled accents.

"A lot of time has gone by and people have forgotten," Godfrey said.  "The world is in crisis and we need to pay attention. It is time to absolutely support our troops." Patriotism is not a passing fancy for Rich and Marie, who run American Pride, LLC.  Godfrey is a Vietnam Veteran.  He is the commander of The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 935.  He is also a member of the American Legion.  Marie Godfrey is the past president of the VFW's Ladies Auxiliary and is the currently the President of the Post 100 American Legion Auxiliary.  She has noticed more visitors to their store gravitating to the patriotic section of the shop.

Amongst the glass figurines is a solemn replica of a flag raising ceremony by Marines at Iwo Jima.  A similar flag raising tribute is depicted in another statue of New York City firefighters at the World Trade Center.  On the same shelf is a statue made of ceramic of a fireman with a glass angel hovering over him.

A host of other unusual gift items are also sold at the store and displayed on open glass shelves that line one side of the building and on tabletops and in cupboards that are dispersed throughout.  "Our Lamp Shades sales has grown tremendously and has become a large part of our business", states Richard.  The Godfrey's spend a lot of time sizing shades and showing different fabrics to their customers.  They have no problem special ordering shades as long as the customer has the patients because it takes time to order and have the shades made.

The Godfreys live in Bethel.  "It's great to be in business in this town we love." said Marie.

The high school sweethearts married 44 years ago and raised a family.  "We had talked about opening a business all the years we've been married," Marie Godfrey said.  She had worked in retail at a shop in Cape Cod and at a jewelry store at Danbury Fair Mall and always envisioned "owning my own place."

A business plan was starting to take root when Richard Godfrey found himself out of work.  A 29-year employee of Dent Electric, he was laid off after the company was sold in early 2001.  "It gave us the push to go ahead with it," Richard Godfrey said.  He relishes the customer service aspect of being in business where friends from the VFW or American legion can stop by anytime.  "We love being here in Bethel." 

Godfrey, who has been making and repairing lamps for family and friends for 30 years, decided to offer the service at his shop, where several examples of his handiwork are for sale.  A fine example is a porcelain statue of a samurai warrior that he converted to a lamp.  "People can come in with a cherished item and Rich can turn it into something really special," Marie Godfrey said.  Both she and her husband said working in the new shop "doesn't seem like work at all."

It's different when you have your own business," Richard Godfrey said.  "We've tried to create a homey atmosphere here and we love being here," Marie Godfrey said and added "It's like a dream come true."