Flying Smiles Kites

Flying Smiles Kites Come in and visit the kite pro-shop on the Outer Banks. We specialize in kites, games, and puzzles!

Happy Saturday, friends! Real talk, it feels odd to be winterizing the shop when it's almost 60 degrees outside, but the...
12/28/2024

Happy Saturday, friends!

Real talk, it feels odd to be winterizing the shop when it's almost 60 degrees outside, but the calendar doesn't lie. It's time! We've unplugged displays, cleared out the front window, and updated shop hours on the web.

In a few minutes, we'll be closed until March. But have no fear! The website will still be on with orders shipping within a few business days. If you're coming to town and want to see us, we'd be happy to meet you at the shop! Send us a message on Facebook or Instagram, or an email, and we'd be happy to meet you. Please give us at least a few days' notice so that we can find a time that works for everyone!

We hope that everyone has had a memorable 2024 and that the New Year brings you peace and prosperity. We're looking forward to 2025 being filled with your smiles and a sky filled with beautiful colors! Thank you for being a part of our happy place!

Happy Hanukkah and Kwanzaa to anyone celebrating today! We're back in the shop for a few more days before we close for a...
12/26/2024

Happy Hanukkah and Kwanzaa to anyone celebrating today! We're back in the shop for a few more days before we close for a few months, so come see us if you're in town.

Now, to the much anticipated drawing for kite #500!

A million congrats to Cameron for winning this beauty! You can watch the replay of the live drawing on our page.

12/26/2024

This was a live drawing, but now you're watching the replay! Congrats to Cameron for winning!

Drawing for kite #500!

Merry Christmas to all of our friends and family all over the world! For your holiday amusement, we present our cat Lero...
12/25/2024

Merry Christmas to all of our friends and family all over the world! For your holiday amusement, we present our cat Leroy, who thinks he's good at hiding in our Christmas tree! 😂

Also! Last call for tickets! After we've put the youngest of the Shooks to bed, we'll turn off ticket sales!

Link in the comments. They'll be turned off by 8pm(ish) eastern.

It's Christmas Eve!! We want to take this moment to thank each of you for supporting our small business through the year...
12/24/2024

It's Christmas Eve!! We want to take this moment to thank each of you for supporting our small business through the years. We are overjoyed that we just finished our 17th year (wow! 17 years?!?). From our family to yours, we want to wish you a happy holiday season and a joyous new year!

A few notes for y'all today.

We made the decision to be closed today so that we can spend time with the rest of the Shook family that's on their way to us from Raleigh this morning. (We can't wait to see you, Ty, Sheena, Emma and Owen!) We'll be closed tomorrow for Christmas and reopen on Thursday.

Tomorrow at about 5pm eastern, we're gonna turn off sales for tickets for the drawing for kite #500, so be sure to grab any last-minute tickets by then! On Thursday, when we get to the shop, we'll add tickets to the bucket, and then we'll go live on Facebook to pick the winner. To everyone who's participating, GOOD LUCK! We'll drop the link in the comments to pick up your tickets.

12/23/2024

Happy Monday, friends! We're open this week every day through Saturday except Weds! Come on a shop walk to see what's here

Happy Saturday, friends! We had a great question about what's in the consignment corner right now! We've got a bunch of ...
12/21/2024

Happy Saturday, friends! We had a great question about what's in the consignment corner right now!

We've got a bunch of great kites looking for a new home. We'll drop a link in the comments to the dual line page of our website since that's where you'll find them!

Kites included are (left to right, top to bottom):
Nexus Stack
Salsa
Trick and Track (SOLD)
Quantum Stack
2 TC Ultras (can also be flown as quad)
2 Cross Kites Air
Diode

Check out the link in the comments to take you to the website! Descriptions of each kite and all available specs are on each kites individual listing.

Update - the Trick and Track has a new home!

12/19/2024

How about a December walk through the shop!

Happy Thursday, friends! Just a few notes for y'all today! If any more web orders come in before Christmas, we'll get th...
12/19/2024

Happy Thursday, friends! Just a few notes for y'all today!

If any more web orders come in before Christmas, we'll get them shipped out right away, but please be warned that they may not arrive in time for Christmas! Any orders that came in through today have been shipped, so now it's in the hands of USPS and UPS. We've spot checked some orders in transit and it looks like everything is moving, so we're hoping that remains the case! 🤞🏽🤞🏽 Huge thanks to everyone who chose us to shop for holiday gifts!

Next up - shop schedule for the rest of the year! We'll be closed tomorrow but open on Saturday and closed again on Sunday. Next week, we'll be open every day (Mon-Sat) with the exception of Weds (Christmas Day!) If you're in town, come say hi! When we close on 12/28, we'll be closed through March.

Last, don't forget that one week from TODAY, we'll draw the winner of kite #500! You've got til 12/25/24 to purchase your tickets. We appreciate everyone supporting us for all of these years. It's been great to see some of our favorite names come through! We'll drop a link in the comments so you can pick up your ticket(s). And to everyone participating, GOOD LUCK!!

Your picture of the day is the work table in the shop, where Cassie is about to sit down to work on day bags!

Happy Wednesday, friends! We're putting tickets in the bucket today, and are struck by how sweet it is that people are b...
12/11/2024

Happy Wednesday, friends! We're putting tickets in the bucket today, and are struck by how sweet it is that people are buying tickets to put OTHER people's names on. Way to give us good feels, friends! If you want to gift ticket(s), just put the recipients name in your comments when you're checking out, or send us a message and let us know!

Also, a reminder to get your web orders in sometime in the next 7 days so that we can get them in the mail to ideally arrive on time for Christmas. This means we want your order by 12/17 so we can ship it on the 18th.

If you're purchasing a gift that's shipping to the recipient, please make a note in the comments of your order. We'll cover up price tags and may even be able to find some gift wrap!

There's a bunch of tickets in the bucket! Cassie came by the shop today to pack up some web orders and got caught up on ...
12/09/2024

There's a bunch of tickets in the bucket! Cassie came by the shop today to pack up some web orders and got caught up on the tickets. With over 2 weeks left to buy tickets, we can't wait to see who wins kite #500!

In the meantime, we recommend placing orders for shipping within the next week if you're hoping to get them in time for Christmas. As always, with the shipping carriers in control of packages once they leave our hands, a "guaranteed" delivery timeline isn't a great plan, but we DO recommend ordering by the 17th for what we expect to be a safe delivery timeline for the 25th. If you need help picking out an item, we'd be happy to offer some "personal shopper" assistance.

The wait is over! You can now buy your tickets on our website for kite #500! (As always, we'll drop a link in the comme...
12/07/2024

The wait is over! You can now buy your tickets on our website for kite #500! (As always, we'll drop a link in the comments.)

Tickets are $10 each. When you purchase a ticket, you're not going to have anything shipped to you. For each ticket purchased, your name will be added to a physical ticket and put into the drawing bucket here at the shop. The winner will be drawn on 12/26/24 at approximately noon (eastern). Shipping is included for anyone within the US, but if you live outside of the United States, you will be responsible for international shipping.

International customers - our website has limitations, so please message us if you want to buy tickets.

The winner will receive kite #500 only. Kite #1 remains ours!

Hey friends! One more update today! Not to steal the thunder of kite #500 (because let's be real, that's impossible), b...
12/06/2024

Hey friends! One more update today!

Not to steal the thunder of kite #500 (because let's be real, that's impossible), but Cassie made more tie dye shirts! We removed the sold shirts from the site to clean it up, and then there's: 1 - medium, 6 - XL, 4 - 2XL, and 1 - 3XL added. Yes, XL and 2XL folks, this was mostly for you!

Link in the comments to pick yours up!

Eliot's finishing up kite #500 so that we'll be able to post the raffle tomorrow, so let's fill in some more fun facts ...
12/06/2024

Eliot's finishing up kite #500 so that we'll be able to post the raffle tomorrow, so let's fill in some more fun facts on the updates that the CR Mesh Quads have seen over the years!

In 2014, there were a bunch of upgrades, including tabs to reinforce the fold spots in leading edges, the vertical reinforcement strip was added (often called the wear strip), a "no fray" finish to the ends of the leading edges was implemented, and the second template was made with the 4 kites that were currently in production.

In 2017, Eliot spoke to Andy from Ocean Shores Kites and adopted the a-holes that you see on the leading edge of the kites now, replacing the screen that was industry standard for so long. In 2018, Eliot made the first mesh stack. Also in 2018, the knots on the ends of the leading edges were hidden so they wouldn't snag lines. And finally, the last update we've seen was in 2020, when a new template was created to include the 175 and 240.

A few kites of note - #222 was the 75% F**k Cancer kite that was made in honor of one of our biggest supporters, Rich Comras. #333 was the CRII F**k Cancer kite that was made for our friend Phil Broder in honor of his sister, who also lost her battle. #482 is special to us, as it was made with fabric that Cath got from Michel Gressier. This kite represents the personal growth that we've all made in the last 18 years, taking us from an idea that Cath had to international kite festivals celebrating kite builders in which Cath, Eliot and Cassie are all recognized by some of our heroes in kite building.

Well friends, now you're caught up on the story of the CR Mesh Quads! Envisioned by Cath, built by Eliot, and loved by so many! Here's the breakdown of how many kites have been made in each style:

57 40%
166 75%
111 100%
82 135%
10 175%
46 240%
28 CR-II

Tomorrow, the raffle will open up. Tickets will be $10 each and will remain open through 12/25. We'll draw the winner on 12/26. It's a 100, and we will include a frame and standard bridle with the kite, as well as free shipping within the United States. If you live outside the United States, YES, you may participate, but please know that you will be responsible for shipping. Questions? Comments? Let us know!

Only a couple more days before we release kite #500 to the world! So let's keep going with the kites' origin story! Tod...
12/05/2024

Only a couple more days before we release kite #500 to the world! So let's keep going with the kites' origin story! Today, let's talk about when the different styles came out!

After kite #1 was built, we got some notes and started building more kites. This is when Eliot learned to use a sewing machine, even attending the MKS kitebuilding workshop in early 2008 to learn from some master kite builders such as Jon Burkhardt, Harold Ames, Paul Lamasters, Andy Burchfield and Phil Broder.

As the first dozen or so kites were built, we started to notice some of the features that the kite provided that many would come to love over the years. Our initial reaction to the mesh was how much smoother it was than a traditional vented quad. The traditional quad has a "pop" as the wind goes through its body, while the mesh spreads out the pressure.

For the first few years, Eliot built 100s and 40s as a builder for the Rev Masterpiece designer series. The 100 had roughly the same venting as a full vent, and the 40 was roughly equivalent to a mid vent. But! Fun fact! Eliots' eventual favorite, the 75, was actually developed at the same time as the 40! The first 75 and 40 were made in 2008 as #15 and 16, respectively. But he only built 100s and 40s through the summer of 2011. In June of 2011, kite #63 was the second 75 built, matching #15 so that Paul Dugard could fly them together (one in each hand).

The others came along over time. The first 135 was built in 12/2013 ( #129). The first 175 and 240 were built in 7/2020 ( #322 and 323).

Come back tomorrow for more of the story and details about the raffle! To answer the most frequently asked question, tickets will go on sale this weekend and will be available for purchase through 12/25/24. We'll draw the winner on 12/26!

Did you know that Cath built kite #1? She had an idea in 2005 after flying one of Willi Koch's large single line deltas...
12/04/2024

Did you know that Cath built kite #1?

She had an idea in 2005 after flying one of Willi Koch's large single line deltas (the first photo isn't the kite she flew, but the homage to Willi that lives in the shop). The kite was huge and the winds were gusting to 45mph, but the pull was minimal. All the other big kites were lifting people off the ground, but she was able to manage this huge delta!

She suggested to Eliot that they should try that on a quad. (Fun fact! Eliot didn't think it would fly with all of those holes! 500 kites later and we can confirm he was wrong!) In January of 2006, Cath sat down behind the sewing machine and got to stitching. While we still had a lot to learn about how to build quads, IT FLEW! With that, the CR-100 was born (shown in the second photo).

And that's where it all began.

Come back tomorrow for more of the story behind the CR Mesh Quads, and drop any questions you've got in the comments!

Also, just a few other details for anyone who's read this far.
1 - we're going to raffle off kite #500. More details to follow!
2 - we've reloaded the website with everything that was excluded from the Black Friday sale. So if you were eyeing anything that disappeared over the weekend, it's back!
3 - Cassie made a couple more small batches of tie dye. Later this week, we'll get more XL, 2XL and 3XL tie dye shirts posted.

It took almost 20 years to get here, and what an adventure it's been! We've been hinting at what's going on in the kite ...
12/03/2024

It took almost 20 years to get here, and what an adventure it's been! We've been hinting at what's going on in the kite studio, so here it is!! Kite #500 is in progress!

Eliot's putting together the center panel, and in the next few days we'll share some stories about kites #1-499.

While you're shopping the Black Friday Cyber Monday sale, Eliot is working on the next kite in queue. This one is pretty...
12/02/2024

While you're shopping the Black Friday Cyber Monday sale, Eliot is working on the next kite in queue. This one is pretty exciting, he's been planning it for months!

Address

1159 Austin Street
Corolla, NC
27927

Opening Hours

Wednesday 11am - 4pm
Thursday 11am - 4pm
Friday 11am - 4pm
Saturday 11am - 4pm

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Videos

This was a live drawing, but now you're watching the replay! Congrats to Cameron for winning! Drawing for kite #500!

Happy Monday, friends! We're open this week every day through Saturday except Weds! Come on a shop walk to see what's here

How about a December walk through the shop!

Come see a Friday afternoon kite shop visit!

Let's do a Saturday walk through!

Happy Tuesday! Let's do a shop walk!

Here's the video we filmed for the new quad line winders! They fit perfectly on your handles and make wrapping and unwrapping on the fly SUPER fast! We'll drop a link to the product page on our website in the comments! #flyingsmiles #flyingsmileskites #kiteshop #nostalgia #originalmeshquad #familytime #outerbanks #vacationtime #corollanc #worldwidewindtribe #shoplocal #shopsmallbusiness #familybusiness #shopfamilyowned #goodvibes #custommade #goflyakite #kiteshopswag #peaceloveandkites

Saturday walk through! Updates on shop hours, plans for the website, and a visit to the single lines!

I'm gonna need to practice the unboxing video concept, but here's Frank! I'm gonna update the website now. Watch for a post in about half an hour that Frank is available for purchase! 💜🪁💜

Let's do a walk through!

How about a Sunday afternoon kite shop walk through?

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