smoothwind

@smoothwind... nice web site, but I didn't notice any parts, line or accessories, I assume they're coming ? @Must86, thanks for the kind words. Those products are coming very soon and in the meantime we'll get anything needed after a kite purchase ASAP. Appreciate the feedback!

Fascinating stuff so far, guys. Tmadz, your point about not viewing it as a progressive activity is very interesting. So, you're saying that once a family flies a basic single line kite, they think that's it and every other kite would be the same experience? Love the comparison to golf and have definitely met tons of people that believe hitting that little white ball should happen naturally from day one. Does anyone think that it is at a reasonably sufficient popularity level?

Hello All, I wanted to start a discussion on the popularity of kite flying. In the spirit of full disclosure, my family and I recently started an online kite retailer, with my only shameless self-promotion link right here. The topic of kite flying popularity has perplexed me since we moved towards starting our business. Nearly every single person that we told of our plans to sell kites has had the same first question – “why kites?” The question has continued to fester in the back of my mind as the inquiries piled up. I knew why I chose kites and tried to convey the message as best I could to those around me. But this led me to other questions like why did kites come as such a surprise to the people that I know and why had those people either a) not noticed kites or not seen them around, period. Regarding this point, a friend of my wife’s made a statement that “no one” flies kites. Although since that day, she has since sent me a text message every time she has seen someone flying a kite – which has been pretty frequent. I do believe that outside of certain communities such as this and perhaps some hot-spot beach areas, kite flying lacks popularity where it should not. Even the most basic single-line kite brings about a type of serenity, calmness and excitement all at once and stunt and power kiting have an unending and clear array of merits. The possible explanations that have come to my mind are as follows: - Kite flying requires space – the backyard will not do and even your local park may not have adequate room - Purchasing and assembling a kite can be intimidating to any new flier or parent thinking of acquiring a kite for their child - Perhaps there is a wider perception that kite flying is simply grabbing a $5 plastic kite from the bin at Ace Hardware I would love to hear everyone’s thoughts on this topic. I am excited to be a part of this forum and look forward to interacting with all of you. Thanks, Scott