Chicago Kite

Update on my initial review: Someone from Kite Harbor wrote me to apologize and offered me a full refund and credit toward future kites. A very nice move…

«Lady take a chill-​pill!» This is what the mother-​of-​all rude owners (or his son) told my wife at the 2014 Montrose Kite festival after she went back to their booth after we spent $ 45 on two kites that broke within minutes of purchase. The $ 15 dollar super-​cheap quality cross bar was snapped out of the bag before it even went in the air once, and the $ 30 kite ripped while in air. What killed me about this place is that it wasn’t just one awful employee/​owner, they were ALL like this. When I went back within minutes of paying $ 45, the woman who had taken my credit card imprint moments before rudely said they didn’t have any more $ 15 kites to give me, and handed me their business card to go to their store to have it «repaired.» SURE, like I’m going to drive from Montrose and the lake 12 miles away almost to O’Hare to get another cheap stick for the kite! When my wife went back after getting frustrated with the kites and how we were treated, this is when the nasty owner repeatedly berated her. «LADY TAKE A CHILL PILL.» «PEOPLE LIKE YOU!» was another. When he finally gave her the same replacement kite that the woman said they didn’t have, he actually threw it at her! The woman who charged us LIED to me when she said they had no more kites to replace it. They never agreed to give us our money back. What started out as a fun day ended $ 45 lighter with two sad kids who had to see their parents treated like this. How nasty people who own this place were allowed to be a part of this great, kid-​friendly children’s festival, let alone THE ONLY place selling kites, is absolutely beyond me.

I am not a terribly serious kite flyer, but I have a couple of decent stunt delta stunt kites, one of which I got at this store a couple of years ago. Then, the person working there (owner?), was very helpful and friendly and recommended a kite that was more suitable for the unsteady winds that you tend to have in Chicago.
I smashed that kite earlier this year and came in for a replacement to a rod that shattered to bits. The same guy was there and was once again very helpful and didn’t charge me anything for replacing the rod or trimming down the replacement.
It’s a pretty small shop. Their prices aren’t much higher than ones you’ll typically find online, they have a decent selection of kites and all sorts of other flying things (remote control airplanes and helicopters, different model rockets, etc) and the kicker is that you can go into this store any time and get immediate and very friendly help with anything that’s wrong with your kite.

called about connectors… I need something very specific. I described this VERY SPECIFIC THING and asked if they had it…
«we need to know what kind of rods you’ve got first’
ummmm, no… I need to know if you have this specific type of connector, do you have it or what?»
«we need to know what kind of rods you’ve got»
This type of connector happens to be something hard to find… and I can’t get the rods till I get the connector and either way it shouldn’t be too hard to just tell me if you have it or not. Dude was totally rude and condescending and I’m guessing he just didn’t feel like getting up to look. Guess I’ll use the internet. Glad I called before making the trek all the way from the south side.

I stopped in to get some replacement line for my basic stunt kite, and was pretty underwhelmed by what appears to be the only store in Chicago selling kites and related supplies. Having been to the Gasworks Park Kite Shop in Seattle, that puts Chicago’s store to shame.
If you are serious about wanting to get ANYTHING that resembles advise or expertise and/​or you want something besides a windsock or a mylar/​streamer type single line kite for a young child, I suggest you call and find out when the owner plans to be at the store. I would expect any employee to have basic knowledge of kites, but it seems that is too much to ask. If I didn’t expect the experience dealing directly with the owner would be smoother, I would rate this place 1* without hesitation.
When I went, the cashier/​employee would not allow me to have a close look at the selection of lines behind the counter/​display case (along with associated lengths, break strength stats, materials and prices), which is ridiculous considering that I was the only customer in the store. At $ 35-​$ 55+ for a measly couple hundred feet, and without a knowledgeable store attendant, they should expect the customer to compare their options.
I don’t find the area/​block it’s in appealing in the least, but if you have to go and you’re behind the wheel, use it (as I did) as an excuse to grab some baller Italian food from one of the delis in the general vicinity. I was also pleasantly surprised to stumble upon Superdawg not too far away. :)
P. S. parking is in the back on the north side of the bldg.

Great selection of kites and other toys, the manager was very helpful and explained the different products they have, definitely not pushy at all
cool store, you’ll find something you like here

Just a quick review…
Awesome kite store! +1 For pretty colors
This store is small as it does a great deal of business online and at kite shows. However, they do have a lot of cool stuff.

Great selection, location is a bit far if you’re in Chicago, but kudos for being walkable from the blue line. They do a great job in providing a good range of products for every type of enthusiast.

I’ve never seen so many kites in one store! This is a great place for kids to wander around and get some great toys and even for us adults to reminisce about our old toys! They will help you pick the best kite for your flying conditions and they are pretty fairly priced…

This is a quaint gift shop. There are toys and books, games etc… You’ve gotta love this area. This block especially is cool because it’s filled with alot of great shops and restaurants. You are also not far from famous Oak Park landmarks. Yes, they sell kites, lots of cool ones of all shapes and sizes!