SLO County shop sold kites for 40 years — but now it’s closing due to low sales, high rent

Some joy will vanish soon from the Morro Bay waterfront, with the looming closure of the longtime Beachfront Kites, Surreys & More store.

A kite shop has been at 1108 Front St. for 40 years, business owner Shaun Farmer said early Wednesday. Farmer worked at the Morro Bay store as a high school student and has owned it since 1998.

But from now on, he won’t be teaching little customers the intricacies of kite flying anymore or seeing the exultant joy on the face of a small child who has finally succeeded in getting that kite off the ground and into the air.

He and wife Lori Leetham plan to close Beachfront Kites at the end of this month, leaving the cornerstone location at the bottom of the hill where Beach and Front streets converge with the Embarcadero.

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“It was bittersweet working the past couple of days here,” an emotional Farmer said. “Made me remember why I like this place so much, all the happiness, all the joy, the memories, all the friendships we’ve gained from customer and families we’ve met.”

They’ve sold kites to generations in the same families, he said.

“People come in and buy kites with their parents and now they’re bringing their kids in,” Farmer said.

But that’s not happening as often as it used to, and customers who do come in are buying less.

“The kids are sharing a kite and a beach bucket now, instead of each having one of their own,” he said.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, a combination of escalating costs and fewer sales finally doomed the legacy business, he said.

“Our rent has tripled, and business is down because people don’t have a lot of money left over for nonessentials, especially the visitors after they buy the gas to drive over here, rent a motel room and buy food,” he said. “They don’t need to fly a kite, it’s not something people have to have.”

Despite making every effort to keep the shop up and running, Farmer said he and his wife are just no longer in a position where they can keep up with the financial strain.

“My wife and I drained our bank account in the past couple of years to keep this going,” he said. “Now, our personal money is gone and it’s not supporting itself anymore. We’ll have to go find real jobs.”

What those might be, he doesn’t yet know.

There is at least one silver lining to the closure: Farmer said he was looking forward to having more time to fly kites with his seven grandchildren.

He also might consider a smaller online business with any leftover product after the closure, he said.

“Kites will always be a part of our lives,” he said.

‘Bummer!’ Long-time customer reacts to kite shop closure

Farmer is not the only one experiencing nostalgia and sadness about the closure.

When Mark Clement, longtime Beachfront Kites customer, was told that the shop was closing, his immediate reaction was, “Oh, no! Bummer!”

“I love that place,” he said. “It means I’ll have to buy everything online now.”

He did think he’d continue in the sport.

“I love flying,” Clement said. “I’m fascinated with flight. I’ve probably owned 20 or more kites, and still have six or more.”

Though he recently moved from Paso Robles to Oregon, Clement said he’d miss buying kites and more in Morro Bay whenever he visits San Luis Obispo County in the future.

Other SLO County kite shops also struggling

A vendor told Farmer that the Morro Bay store’s closure will be the eighth California kite shop to shut down this year, he said.

In fact, the quarter-century-old The Sky’s the Limit kite shop in Pismo Beach had to move from downtown earlier this year due to rising costs and diminishing sales, according to owner Jason Natanson.

“The new lease presented to us had a nearly 50% increase, which made it hard to pencil out,” he said. “Foot traffic is down even downtown, expenses are certainly up.”

Because of that, he “made the tough decision to move” into a spot at 541 Five Cities Drive near California Fresh, he said.

“I’m hearing it from all over the country from manufacturers and reps,” Natanson said. “I think it’s because economy is a whole lot worse than we’re being told it is. There’s not as much disposable income.”

With the new location, he said he was looking forward to having more local customers, and “a nice mix of them and the visitors.”