Branson store owner, who said rebel flag doesn’t represent racism, has ties to KKK

Note: This story was published in 2015.

The Confederate flag represents Southern culture, Anna Robb said.

In an interview with the News-Leader on Monday, she said the flag represents faith, family and freedom — not slavery, racism or white supremacy.

On Thursday, the News-Leader was alerted by readers that Robb’s husband Nathan, co-owner of the store, once tried to adopt a highway in Arkansas on behalf of the Ku Klux Klan, and that Nathan Robb’s father is Thomas Robb, the national director of the KKK.

Taney County Assessor’s records show Anna and Nathan Robb own Dixie Outfitters in Branson, a franchise store that sells Confederate flag merchandise located at 1819 W. State Highway 76.

On Monday, Anna Robb spoke to the News-Leader about what she felt was the wrong impression many people have about the Confederate flag.

More: 'Branson is moving the needle': Black Lives Matter takes to Dixie Outfitters

“It has nothing to do with slavery, which the media always want to bring in,” she had said, staunchly defending the Confederate symbol.

Anna Robb was asked her thoughts by the News-Leader as national debate grew over the meaning of the Confederate flag. The controversy emerged earlier this month after the world learned about the strident racism of 21-year-old Dylann Roof, who was charged with gunning down nine people attending a bible study at a church in Charleston, South Carolina. A photo on his website showed him casually resting a small Confederate flag onto his shoulder.

Anna Robb said she and her husband have not spoken to Thomas Robb in years. She denied that she or her husband were ever a part of the KKK, but did say she had attended KKK events in the past.

More: Viral video from BLM protest in Branson shows woman honoring KKK

“I have years ago,” she said. “That was years ago, and that is not even something that comes up anymore.”

“It has nothing to do with me, the store or this issue at hand,” Anna Robb added.

According to several news articles from 1991, when Nathan Robb was 20, he requested to adopt one mile of U.S. 65 at the Arkansas-Missouri state line in Boone County. According to an Associated Press story from 1992, Nathan Robb was then the “den commander” of the Klan group in Harrison, Arkansas. His request to participate in the anti-litter program was turned down.

From 2017: Dixie Outfitters in Branson claims its Facebook page was hacked

When asked about Nathan Robb’s application on behalf of the KKK to take part in Arkansas’ Adopt-A-Highway program in the 1990s, Anna Robb said: “That was when he was very young.”

Anna Robb said business at Dixie Outfitters, which specializes in Confederate flag clothing and memorabilia, is “absolutely up” this week.

“We are working around the clock,” she said. “People from across the country are excited about our store. They are flooding our website. I had to bring in extra staff just to fill orders.”

Anna Robb said in one hour Thursday, more than 300 orders came in. This time last week, she estimates they were getting about a dozen orders in a day.

The story continues below.

Walmart, along with Sears, Amazon and eBay, announced bans on Confederate flag products amid the growing nationwide debate over the symbol. And Valley Forge Flag, one of the biggest flag makers in the U.S., announced it will stop manufacturing and selling Confederate flags.

Nathan Robb was not available for comment, Anna Robb said, because he was trying to keep up with orders and merchandise in their warehouse.

Reached by the News-Leader on Thursday, Thomas Robb declined to speak about his relationship with Anna and Nathan Robb, saying it was a “family matter.”