You know how toddlers get really into things like trains and dinosaurs? My two-year-old Wade B. used to be an airplane guy, but for the last several months, his primary interest has been in fans. His definition is a bit broader than mine, and tends to encompass anything that spins around and round. For him, The Kite Connection was like the candy house in Hansel and Gretel, an irresistible paradise of fans. We went to Huntington Beach a few weeks back and visited the pier on a windy afternoon. The existence and location of The Kite Connection lead me to believe it's always windy at the pier. The shop was in the middle of the pier, marked by an enormous display of garden spinners. They were extremely eye-catching, colorful dogs and butterflies and fire trucks and flowers, all with components that spun around and around in the constant wind. We were not looking to take home a garden spinner, even though it was our five-year-old's birthday and we found one shaped like a basset hound. We also neglected to tell the children that this was just the outside of the store, which promised snacks and drinks and KITES TOYS FUN! It was hard enough moving them away from their garden spinners of choice, a kingfisher and some kind of insect with rainbow wings and nice cartoon eyelashes. Thankfully, the boys got enough time with the "fans" to walk away without a tantrum. They enjoyed watching them spin in their displays and, I admit, in their grubby little hands. I decided The Kite Connection people knew what they were doing when they set out this toddler trap, and we would have paid for anything the boys broke. We got a lot of free entertainment out of the Kite Connection, so I'm leaving this review in lieu of adding a garden spinner to the mountain of kid junk in our home. There's evil genius in putting a fan emporium on a windy pier. The children loved it, and I'm just grateful we avoided the witch inside, waiting to throw them in an oven. read more

Cheap cheap cheap stuff! I bought two toys for my daughters and they were both not working when I got home... I even had the clerk test them out, but he didn't notice one of the legs was broken... ugh. Don't trust this place! read more

This place is such a gem! We bought an awesome kite there years ago and recently went back because a piece had broken and we needed replacement parts. The owner could not have been nicer! He actually gave us a whole replacement piece for free so we could easily fix it. He really went above and beyond to make sure we were happy and satisfied, and made us feel genuinely appreciated as customers. If you are looking for a great kite or anything related, this is absolutely the place to go. read more

The Kite Connection - happy person holding a kite - Hobby Shops Near Me - Huntington Beach, California

Quick to contact with questions to help refine the buying experience. Good selection of kites and accessories. Great pricing and very fast shipping. The next time I go looking for kites or accessories, this will be my first stop! read more

Kite connection has a huge selection of kites. You walk into the store and it's like you walked back into time meaning there's so much to look at a variety of toys kites candy drinks everything you need for the beach and more. The value you get is what you would expect from a small business. I just can't believe the selection. After finding kite connection and spending a little time shopping at the store and meeting the store manager, Dave, he does a lot for our community and our schools. He goes out to the schools and teach them how to fly heights and a little bit more. It's great to see this BUSINESS spend so much time in the community with our children Family and friends. If you're traveling, it's a great place to pick up a souvenir and they do have the best souvenirs on Main Street and the pier. I love looking at all a little knickknacks it brings back my childhood which I like to bring my kids and my grandkids . I stopped in during the airshow at Huntington Beach this year, which was an amazing show, and of course the owner Dave was working and servicing all the customers. The best customer service. You know when a business owner cares about his business when he's working on the busiest weekend of the year. Thank you David for all you have done to make my visit to Huntington Beach special. The kite connection has been here for years and I hope it continues to stay here for many more. Thank you again. read more

The Kite Connection - Love this place! Great little place for souvenirs. - Hobby Shops Near Me - Huntington Beach, California

I came and bought a kite here a few years back. The owner of this place or worker treated me like an illegal Asian immigrant .. I was born here. Dude gave me a crazy look. I should have walked out but ended up buying a kite. I can tell dude hates Asians by the way he treated me. Ima go back and see if he does the same. I'll be recording him this time and will make sure this goes viral. People have to pay for their racist behavior. I'll stop by I bet u he go treat me like trash the same way but this time ima record him read more

Just wanted to leave a nice review for Dav and the kite connection and everyone over there working really great people Dav, the owner took really good care of me even dedicated about 45 minutes just to sit and talk with me about his passion for the sport thanks Dav. I will definitely be purchasing more kites from you. read more

Whenever we are on the Huntington beach pier, we have to stop in this fun store. They have a big selection of kites, games and toys. We purchased a big squishy ice cube, called a Nice cube. Great prices! The value was so great I got two, a teal and purple. My favorite part of the shop was the owner and his team. Thanks so much Dave and Hailey! We'll be back! You guys and your store are too much fun! read more

This is a cute shop on the HB Pier. They have been there for as long as i remember (like 40 years) They have a wonderful selection of kites and spinners. The customer service is amazing, they help you find what you need and show you how to order items online if they don't have the size you are looking for. I bought a Santa Spinner about 10 years ago and it still looks great. I highly recommend it this store and you can also take a walk to the end of the pier while you're there. read more

I live out of state and have done a few online orders. They are quick at getting items out and are great people to deal with. I will always check on their website or send them an email if it's not there first before going anywhere else. I will definitely stop by their store the next time I'm in town. They deserve more than 5 stars for sure read more

The Kite Connection - Prism Quantum Cotton Candy - Hobby Shops Near Me - Huntington Beach, California

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Great and friendly staff. Purchased an eagle kite. Easy to install and the neighbors love it! read more

Only quality kites and kite supplies here. I've purchased ball-bearing kite string winders from 3 different places, and the only winder that has held up well is the one from Kite Connection. The owner is also the organizer of a much-enjoyed annual kite event - the Huntington Beach Kite Party - which attracts kite fliers from all over the world. read more

Hands down the most professional, the best purchasing expirience I have had for any store period!!!!! Dave's customer service is first class, and I will purchase all of my kite needs here from now on......Thank you Dave and The Kite Connection for all your help!!!! Kind Regards, Ryan VA BEACH read more

Nothing short of 5 stars in anyway. Dave went above and beyond to help my wife and I upgrade our stunt kites. She is a beginner and I am an old-time flyer that took a 35 year break. Wow, has stuff changed from the old Rainbow stunt kites! Dave didn't miss a beat. Our current gear only flies well in 15+ winds (does well at the beach) but we live 3 hours from the beach. Dave set me up w/ a Prism Hypnotist and my wife with a Quantum as we needed rigs to fly in say 5-15 winds near home. Had Dave not spent this time with us, I would have ended up buying the wrong gear and been disappointed. Thanks again Dave! read more

The Kite Connection located on the beautiful Huntington Beach Pier. What can you say bad about a kite store? Kites bring out the child in me, and this store had some really cute ones. Some people complain about the materials looking cheap, but I only remember having plastic kites that we would get at Thrifty's....now Rite-Aids. They also carry a variety of flags, and most popular seller was the Surf City one. I'm not a kayaking person, but there was a cute one that I considered buying. read more

The Kite Connection - Kite - Hobby Shops Near Me - Huntington Beach, California

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When shopping here- there are somethings to consider-- One, As a kite flyer, I can assure you that you want a high quality kite and kite string. You are going up against mother nature, which can be very powerful. It is much better to pay more for a kite that will last, verses, buying several less expensive ones that will end up unusable. Two- The business is a small non corporate business. With this, you may find some signs that some find humorous, others may find offensive, about store policies, ect. After speaking with the business owner though, I can assure you he has the best of heart and interest in mind for you. At the same time though, this means the store can sell whatever items they want and this means they selected them and will know the products they sell. I was impressed to read on the website that he would rather sell you a $100 kite that serves your needs then a $140 kite that does not meet your needs. It is very hard to find a business owner who will communicate the guests, both positive and negative, and for this I can say I would recommend them If you have an issue, I have confidence this business will take the time to interact with you to attempt to come to a resolution. read more

Loved this shop!!! It really made me feel like a kid again. Super friendly staff. The widest selection of kites that I know of. No better location than Surf City pier. I look forward to bringing my son back for his next kite! read more

This is one of my favorite shops in Huntington!!!! They have so many awesome games and the staff is more than willing to show you how to play. Every time I'm in town I stop in and play something new and usually buy it to add to my game collection. I always feel like a kid with a new shiny toy when I leave! read more

What a great store for kids. All kids of toys you don't see in general stores like target. We left with a kite, a barking little dog and a princess sticker set. All that my granddaughter loved. read more

I would give it 6 stars if I could. I recently needed a kite fast for a trip to Southern California and Kite Connection had it in stock and in the color I wanted. (it was out of stock almost everywhere else). They have an excellent selection of kites online, and lots of other cool stuff. The retail store is very cute and right ON the Huntington Beach Pier. Dave the owner was extremely helpful before the sale and after. From now on I'm calling Kite Connection first for any kites needs. read more

My shoe broke as we started walking on the pier with several friends. I found a rubber band and it helped a little. While walking by the Kite Store I thought I would look to see if there was something I could buy to keep my shoe on. The man said give me your shoe and he wrapped kite string around it and even secured it for me! I asked how much and he looked at me and said no charge, I wanted to help you and your shoe! Then he came outside to show us how to play a game they sell that you have to hook the ring on the hook. We had about 20 people watching. Every nice place. Go buy that game! read more

This business came to mind today, I have purchased things from here in the pass..who hasn't?? If you are a local like me we know HB pretty well. I do endorse this business and I also have to find my way here soon I need me a flag. For now, (Andrew) Go Cats!!!!!! read more

I was shopping for a HB Flag at the kite connection today. Saw the flag behind the counter (11:30am). I wanted to buy. Lady behind the counter and a tall guy walking the store said there was a flag in the upstairs storage but only the guy coming in at 12:30 would be able to look. I came back in at 12:30. The third guy said he thought they might be in a warehouse. No one took the time to check upstairs. Asked me to come back. I have been in customer care most of my life. I would have taken my order and shipped at NC. BAD CUSTOMER CARE. I spoke with owner and we discussed the situation. He was gracious enough to deliver the flag directly to me at my home in HB. Thanks Dave. read more

I have purchased two kites and to be honest it is the only store that I would go to purchase a "foil kite." First off I came in with my two smaller, 13 and 10 year old, cousins to get a foil kite. I am 39. I wanted to buy a huge foil kite and go have some crazy fun. Well I spoke with the owner Dave. (A super friendly, knowledgeable and honest man) He told me that since I had absolutely no prior experience flying a foil kite, and that since I had two smaller cousins who would also be flying the kite he recommended to learn on a smaller kite so that all of us could enjoy it, be safe, and if I so desired I could always bump up and get a much bigger kite later. (Look on YouTube of videos pulling grown adults around, some of these kites would launch smaller kids and be dangerous and I never knew that) Dave explained that prior and instead of making the bigger $$$ sale Dave helped me with a smaller sale. Which was the safer and smarter buy at the time. I have to say it was the best advice. The wind at Sunset and Seal beach are strong and a larger kite would have been unsafe for the cousins and not fun for a beginner. Although I will still buy larger kite later,4 or 5m, I valued his opinion. Now on to the store. People it is a store on the pier itself, so it's smaller. But that's what is so cool about it. It is charming, the staff is very helpful, and sometimes it is crowded yes, but it is a shop on the pier do you expect it to be dead? You might have to wait 5 minutes or so but there are a ton of things to look at, so it goes by quick. I have been inside a total of 5 times and I have not once seen the staff be rude to anyone. Just for the knowledge factor alone I would go in and purchase my next kite from kite connection. I'm not an expert, and I value people's opinions who are. Would you expect to go to a doctors office and not take the Drs opinion? Trust that Dave knows what he is talking about. I was skeptical at first but I listened and I have had a great set of experiences since. Now for his opinion on a big foil kite. I'll be going in soon to get that opinion. It will only be me flying it not the cousins. Lol read more

I remember this shop very well, it was always around on the pier. It's very expensive and sometimes the workers lose track of time, but it's a cool little store. It's great to visit this place, perfect location, and several fun things to buy. You really have to like the products, if you're not a fan then you can't be too harsh on the store. You have to take it for what it's worth. This place sells kites and decorations, some toys, I even remember they were heavily into all the yo-yo products as well. They have all sorts of neat stuff worth checking out. I can't blame them for parking, that's tough all around the beach. The beach is great and they even promote the website if you have trouble traveling there. Now this is the tricky part, the prices really are too much at times, which is due to the location and the fact they're not sold all around. There are far more expensive stores than this location, so don't assume these prices are outrageous. The only other site that I remember other than The Kite Connection has been Into The Wind, and you can compare prices. This location does have a few technical problems, they're not likely to sell kites during bad weather. Sometimes the workers really are busy if they're helping out a customer, and I have no objections of letting a guy buy some kite worth whatever hundred dollars when I'm only browsing around. They try to be as polite as possible even when it's busy, so I thought it was cool. The workers know exactly what they're talking about, and they probably have to repeat themselves several times to each customer. These are the type of people who I think share the hobby, they sound like they have purchased and operated most of the stuff they're selling. Due to that fact I've seen them argue with a few customers, nothing that was bad but you can tell they take their jobs very seriously and you have to speak up at times. With the products they're selling, like how kites tend to get beat up sometimes just by the wind alone, so I have seen a few people fixing kites. I think that's a great service, there's a reason why this place has survived all these years. Far as how I feel about the store, the workers are great but it is something of a novelty store along with selling other products. Some of the items can be found cheaper at other places, but it's worth it for some customers and they really do treat the customers right. They're a solid 4 starts to me, but I fully understand how satisfied customers will give it the highest rating. read more

Came and bought a kite. They were very knowledgeable and helpful! They have a huuuge selection of recreational kites and fancy kites, they also have a bunch of those wind fan things. I would definitely come back for more kites. I will also come back for awesome yard decorations (whenever i own a home haha) Lots of other very cool knick knacks, great spot for souvenirs too read more

Friendly service . And the only place that we went to on our vacation that had my daughter's name!. Great location!

Why would you want to do your kite business anywhere else??? I reviewed this establishment a ways back with 5 stars. So yesterday, my kite winder broke and I sent Dave an email with photos. He responded within 20 minutes, and said bring it in for another one. After looking at the winder, he exchanged it INCLUDING transferring 400+ feet of line for one that was BETTER!! NO CHARGE!! NOBODY receives service like this online or frankly from any other kite shop that I know of. Thanks Dave for standing by your products, and attention to detail. YOU ROCK!!! read more

The Kite Connection is the best! Beyond the great customer service and kite selection, Dave the owner is a quality guy. Many years ago, and again recently, he showed he has a caring heart. Dave noticed my daughter's distress at walking over the water for the first time. At 2 yrs old she would go no farther. He came out of his store and gave her a stuffed animal, which took the fear right out of her and with a smile on her face we walked out onto the pier. Just last week I was put in the position of needing kite equipment for a class I was to teach at a middle school. When my order from another company the school district ordered didn't arrive I called Kite Connection. They came to my rescue and enabled my class to go on. This kind of service is rare today. Thanks again Dave! read more

I couldn't say enough great things about Dave and The Kite Connection. He steered me in the right direction and got me all set up with my new Rev Custom kite. He gave me a great price and all the info I needed to get going right away. He definitely wasn't about just making the sale since I was in to buy two kites, parafoil and a Rev. Being new to kiting, he explain the piloting differences and suggested just stick with the Rev so that's what I did. Can't argue with a pro! Great attention and explanation on a busy Sunday. Had a great first day with my Revolution kite. Awesome kite....I'm hooked Dave! Can't wait to get a lesson from him and tap his wealth of knowledge, there's so much to learn! Great energy and honesty. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Note that there's lots of cool things in his store! Bought "spot it" and waiting for the "airzooka" to be in stock. Can't wait! read more

We were wanting to find a trainer kite for kiteboarding. After some searching on the web, we phoned up a few stores and talked to some people who either did not know what we were talking about or didn't care. Finally, we phoned this store and got Kristen. She actually knew what we were talking about and said the owner would be there for a while if we came up, so we did, from Laguna Beach. We spent over an hour with the owner discussing our needs. He was amazingly enthusiastic but did not try to up-sell us from the starter kite he thought we would find best. He also recommended a competitor for lessons as we progress. We asked if his price was competitive and he checked competitors' prices online as we stood there. It was, +/- a few dollars. It's a kiosk on the pier, and not a huge shop, or a kiteboarding shop, but I have to give it top marks for the service, expertise and enthusiasm. Shopping there was fun. read more

Love this place. We've purchased several kites from this here and recently upgraded to a pretty big power kite. Dave was super helpful in explaining the difference between our current kites and our newest edition. He even took the time to go over some basic safety and set up. They have a huge selection of kites, flags, and even some some beach souvenirs. read more

I love stopping byThe Kite Connection when I walk the pier. Craig was super helpful choosing glasses and Dave was just a joy...great vibes! Keep up the great job y'all! read more

This is a pretty small shop, but it has a nice selection of kites ranging from relatively inexpensive beginner kites up to advanced stunt kites. The Kite Connection is half novelty shop (go figure with its location on the pier) and half specialty shop and the kites here are a far cry from what you would expect to find at Target or Wal-mart. The kites are priced accordingly and out of curiosity, I decided to compare my purchases today to what it would have cost me on Amazon and it was pretty much a wash when you consider shipping. I went in to ask about a repair and get some information about different types of kites I was interested in purchasing. Dave (the owner) give me a simple diy solution for my repair. We then had a discussion about entry level stunt kites and he was able to point out a couple of kites that fit my needs very well. Dave gave me quite a bit of information and helped me make decisions on kites I just wouldn't have been comfortable purchasing online. The service was great and the prices are reasonable. I'll be back. read more

Walked in and the lady asked if we were looking for anything in particular and we said no that we were just looking around and the lady behind the counter said "well good luck with that" and then I asked if they had any revolution kites and she said yes but they're in the back and she couldn't get to them! Then she said " sorry in a really $@&($) sarcastic way! Apparently they have so much business that they didn't need our business! What a crappy way to run a business! read more

I could have not dealt with a better individual than Dave, the owner of The Kite Connection. He went above and beyond what I expected of him when I hadn't bought my kites from him. I hadn't used the kites yet. I came across his site by accident on the internet trying to find spare parts for the kites I bought for myself and my 11-year-old grandson. After talking to him, I returned the kites from the company I bought them from as they were never opened. I ended up buying a Prism Quantum 2.0 Special Edition Throwback. Why, first of all, I can buy spare parts for anything for this kite. Two, I have a new friend, Dave who I can depend on if I have any questions. Know that is customer service that you can count on. And that is hard to find in this day in time. Believe me, he has more than kites for sale. He has time to help you decide what is best for you to start with. I would drop by and see him, but is kind of hard because I live here in Warner Robins, GA. RICKEY PHILLIPS read more

Had a great experience after speaking with the owner. He has been very helpful and I am looking forward to fixing my ancient kite with his recommendations! read more

This place is awesome. I went in here with a kite problem, talked to kristen and she was able to help me. 20 mins later I was back on the beach flying my kite. Awesome atmosphere and people in this shop. This is by far the best kite shop in the area. We will always come back to this kite shop. read more

Sadly I do not actually live near this store because I'd like to meet these people. I've only dealt with them on the phone for orders through the mail. They are polite and professional as can be and you can tell customer satisfaction is their forte. Highly recomended. read more

Dave knows his stuff. He was very communicative, inquisitive, and asked me appropriate questions to guide me into the right first Revolution Kite for me. Shipping was fast and the product was received as advertised. I highly recommend The Kite Connection for anyone looking for a kite. read more