Go fly a kite. No, seriously, go fly a kite. That’s what Jim Henry, founder of Air Traffic Kites and Games, says you should do. After spending some time in one of his stores, it isn’t hard to see why he may just be on to something.
Sure, in 2014, kids are more likely to grab their iPads and look for a kite app than to go outside and actually toss one in the air, but Henry has found a way to make his shop thrive. He just opened a new Air Traffic Kites and Games location at the Shoppes at Arbor Lakes last July.
Before coming to Maple Grove, Henry set up shop in several malls around the Twin Cities. If you ever walked through a mall a where staff was demonstrating toys, there is a good chance it was Air Traffic.
Henry opened his first official shop in 1991, specializing in kites. He had become hooked on stunt kites in the late ‘80s and created a team that toured the country performing routines choreographed to music. In 1987, he opened a booth at the Minnesota State Fair selling the specialty kites, and then a store at Rosedale Center in Roseville.
A year later, Henry opened a store at Mall of America and kept expanding. “Malls love us because we are unique,” Henry says. “We are one of the few non-clothing stores in the malls, it seems like.”
Even as he continued to open shops, business wasn’t exactly booming. He kept his job as a piano tuner and hired others to run his shops. “I have many staff [members] who are extremely passionate about what we do and that’s why we grew,” he says.
As interest in different types of toys grew, Air Traffic began expanding its offerings. Yo-yos became hugely popular in the late 1990s. Beanie Babies popped up. Disc golf became huge. As fads came and went, Henry made sure to keep in front of what was popular. At the urging of one of the malls, Henry began selling board games, and they have since become one of the store’s staples.
Henry has learned to stock shelves with things people love. His only requirement is making sure that the toys are skill based and have a lot of “play value.” Henry’s goal has always been to give kids toys that are recreational and interactive.
As fads change, toys come and go, but Air Traffic Kites and Games will always stock toys for everyone. “We’re for families,” Henry says. “Boys or girls. If you want to learn, you can stay with us for quite awhile. Like until you’re 70,” he laughs.
Even as Henry watches kids gravitate toward technology and retailers expand online operations, he still thinks there is a place for smaller shops.
“My belief has always been that specialty retail stores build a product, and then the Internet takes from it,” Henry says. “Online retailers don’t build a craze, they just take advantage of what has already been built.”
It would be a sad day to walk through a mall with no toy stores. With Henry at the helm, Air Traffic Kites and Games seems destined to stay right where it is. //
Jim Henry's Best Christmas Gift
“After the Christmas gifts were opened and my son Max had resigned himself to not getting a cellphone, I slipped a phone into a used gift bag and called him. When he realized it was ringing in his bag and it was his phone, the look on his face and the hug he gave me were priceless.”
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Air Traffic Kites and Games
The Shoppes at Arbor Lakes
12449 Elm Creek Blvd.
763.205.6686
