Not exactly SOBB related, but couldn't find a better place to post this. I'm all over the northern oregon coast a couple times a week and have yet to find a shop out this way. Would love to be able to blow my money locally if possible(local B&M stores need this kind of support.) Am I just missing it or is AWOC online(which I have had only good experiences and would recommend btw) going to stay as my go to shop?

Local is better in many ways. AWOC as you have noticed is great to work with, but we do have a local NW distributor that is also great to work with, Jeff with bigkid kites.

There are a couple shops up your way, Seaside kites is one, above it all kites is another and as mentioned Jeff with Bigkids...but he is currently out touring the countryside so not sure if anyone will be home right now.

It is always best to support your local shop, but if you can't get what you are wanting or they don't have it in stock give me a call.

They don't have much in Seaside anymore. I was there in April and found a couple of trainers, no buggies, and no boards. There are some landboards in the Cleanline Surf Shop with some water gear as well. If you go up the gorge there are a couple of shops in Hood River but I doubt you will find much for land. They specialize in kiteboarding. Once Jeff gets home from his tour he is semi-local and you would be surprised at what he can get. Otherwise, I have never had any problems with any of the shops that frequent PKF.

Clean Line Surf shop in Seaside can hook you up with harnesses, and some Ozone gear.

Quote: Originally posted by csa_deadon

Clean Line Surf shop in Seaside can hook you up with harnesses, and some Ozone gear.

And Flexboardz.

Cleanline may not have a lot of gear but they are great folks and good prices.
It is almost sad that all the B and M shops sell only novelty stuff or stunt kites. I know above it all carried power kite stuff when Eli was there.

It is sad. There are several good kite shops, but don't go any further than sport kites. The Kite Co. down your way is the only place that I'm aware of that has any sort of power kite products very limited at that. With all due respect a beamer and a handful of skydogs leaves something to desired. Being an HQ dealer, had there been even one toxic there I may have been able to put my hands and eyes on I may have picked one up. Though I guess the market for this stuff is more to blame than any shop. If I were a small business owner I probably wouldn't stock something that doesn't sell either. I mean, if I dare put 2 seemingly normal words together, being kite and buggy, I get nothing but the craziest looks across the board.

I would like to put a plug in for Kent.

I visited him during XBAN (We did not flock this way) and was thoroughly impressed with his shop. I did not expect the huge selection that was on display.

I live 15 miles from Into The Wind in Boulder and expected, like their shop, that kites would be on the ceiling just getting in the way of toy sales.

Nope...no crap in Kent's store. Every item was kite related.

They looked so lonely hanging on the rack that I had to take lots home with me.

(thanks again for 7m kite lines too!)