We've always seen this colorful kite shop that you can't miss on Grant Ave. It is happy, fun, and full of kites, toys, and more. We've stopped by for souvenir pennies outside in front of the store. But, our last visit I saw beautiful Chinese new year lanterns in the window. I really liked it and hadn't seen this specific decoration anywhere in the 5+ stores I had already been to in Chinatown earlier that day. It is a beautiful red lantern decoration with velvet and sequins on it. I bought one to take home. Once I got home, I soon realized I wanted to get 4 more and hang them on my stairway. SF is at least an 1hr+ drive each way for me, so I called their store to see if they could ship it to me. They took my info and charged me for the lanterns and shipping. Albert, the owner, shipped it the next day. They shipped it on Monday and we received it on Tuesday! Probably because we live relatively close, but I really appreciated the fast and accurate shipping! They also packaged the lanterns well and carefully. Thank you Albert and Chinatown Kite Shop for our new Chinese New Year decorations! I am so happy. This is definitely a trustworthy shop and quality products and service! read more

Chinatown Kite Shop - Chinese New Year Lantern Decorations from the Kite Shop - Gift Shops Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Compact store filled with kites for all budgets and ages, plus other small toys, keychains, and souvenirs. We didn't want to carry something too big on transit, and we were able to get a very portable pocket kite for only $5. There is also a shop cat that greets customers. read more

Lots of variety of kites with super reasonable prices! I've been wanting to fly a kite, and I haven't done so since I was a kid. I remember passing by this store when I would go grocery shopping with my mom when I was younger. We parked at St. Mary and walked over. I settled on a Badtz Mary kite for about $18 and it was easy to assemble and sturdy during strong winds. read more

Chinatown Kite Shop - Flying my Badtz Mary kite at Ft. Funston. - Gift Shops Near Me - San Francisco, California

Although I've never been to this store, I wanted to thank them for providing 1,500 free kites at Crissy Field for their 20th Anniversary. It was a fun event & the kites were made with good quality materials & string. I would definitely pay them a visit in the near future to personally thank the owner, Albert Chang. read more

Chinatown Kite Shop - Chinatown Kites soaring high in the air - Gift Shops Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Amazing variety of kites and friendly service! I wandered around and stumbled upon a Batz Maru kite then saw a Keroppi kite after. As a Sanrio fan, I went and opted for Keroppi. I purchased the kite for about $20 including tax. A must stop in Chinatown! read more

Petting the working store cat. The cat usually goes out looking for customers. Sometimes the customers follow the cat in. Sometimes the customers bought kites or something else. I also miss buying the flavored bottle water price at about $2.50. Too bad after an injury from a fall and discovering a chronic health issue that makes me a fall risk I can't go to the kite shop to pet the cat and buy the bottled water. read more

This place has amongst the coolest kites you will ever find in a retail location. The prices are cheaper than ebah or amazon, which is impressive considering this is the most expensive city in america. Workers are very helpful in pickkng out stuff. Got a massive 70" macaw and 70" dragon for $85. And I only came to window shop :-) read more

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Oh, oh, oh! Let's go fly a kite! Up to the highest height! Let's go fly a kite and send it soaring! Up through the atmosphere, Up where the air is clear, Oh, let's go fly a kite! ...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGaTfGHELV4&feature=related What? You don't remember the end of "Mary Poppins" when the Banks family joins the rest of London in Regents Park to fly kites? That was a great scene even though Mary leaves them forever. Alas, you won't see Mary in this cluttered shop, but it is appropriate that it is in Chinatown since the Chinese invented kites...and pretty much everything else. And here you'll find lots of kites of all shapes, sizes and of course, prices. I had my eye on the Spongebob Squarepants kite since we have so much in common ...being yellow and porous with no neck. But then my eye got drawn to a parachute kite with a skydiver outstretched at the bottom. That kite was less than $30, and most of them seem to run in the $25-$50 range. Yes, I think I'm gonna buy one and take another grasp at my forgotten youth. I'll be the one a-huffing-and-a-puffing at Crissy Field with the parachute kite dragging on the ground, while the svelte joggers pass me by in their designer togs. Oh good grief! read more

Chinatown Kite Shop - Gift Shops Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I saw a news special on this place and the owner and workers seemed very friendly, so I decided to come by and check it out. They were indeed very kind and helpful. Amazing place to wander. I asked them to help me pick out a good kite for a newbie and they did. Went to the Marina Green and had a great time. Love this place and will bring people by if I'm giving a tour of Chinatown read more

If you ever need a kite, whether you want one for a child, fun or a super nice one, this is the place!!! It was really windy last Thursday and I've been wanting to fly a kite for a really long time. I was thinking of getting some plain plastic kite but boy oh boy!!! We wanted those hand painted one. They have a large selection of kites. Animals, cartoons, mermaids... The hand painted ones are $24-50. My bf bought the turtle I bought the Phoenix. We definitely went all out with these kites. The lady was really nice too. She didn't give us the story about the kites till we left. They are hand painted and shipped from China. They are packaged very well so that it doesn't break. She's been in business since the late 1960s and she says no one really buys kites anymore. I'm trying to spread the word!!!! Get your kite here!!!! read more

In preparation for the annual Berkeley Kite Festival, the bf and i were not going to be shown up by every other attendee. Oh no, we wanted a kite that would be worthy to not only be flown but to be shown. A quick search on google led us to this shop. I've seen it many times during my walks through chinatown, but never thought to stop in. What a find! Kites on the floor, on the wall, on the ceiling--and so much variety too! Traditional shapes and not-so-traditional ones aplenty. The ladies working there were super helpful. They told me which kites would be harder for me to fly (based on the amount of strength it would take to pull the kite, the kite size, etc). I ended up with a butterfly kite and the bf bought a fighter plane one. They were pricey for I thought kites would cost (about $30 each), but there were definitely cheaper ones to choose from for those that are on a budget. Unable to wait until the festival to fly our kites, we immediately headed to the marina. After flying the kites (which took awhile for me to get the hang of), both of us felt extremely satisfied with our purchases. We had such a blast and the kites looked fantastic up in the sky. SF, with its windy ways, is the perfect place to fly kites. This may just be my new perfect hobby. read more

Chinatown Kite Shop - Gift Shops Near Me - San Francisco, California

With the Berkeley Kite Festival approaching, I needed to find a cool kite to fly. I didn't need the biggest or the best one for tricks, just something that would make me happy to see flying in the breeze. I decided on one shaped as my favorite Ugly Doll character, Ox. After trying and failing to buy it on clearance at Toys R Us (twice, mind you) I found it online on amazon for $19 and on the Chinatown Kite Shop website for $12.99, minus 20% off for their spring kite sale. Not wanting to pay shipping, I ended up driving into Chinatown (the worst area of SF for driving, in my opinion) just for this kite. Lucky me, I snagged a spot right in front of the store, and quickly found the kite as soon as I walked in. The lady who was working told me she'd honor the 20% discount I saw online, bringing the kite down to $11 after tax! My ideal kite for a discount? Who could complain about that! After picking up my kite, I browsed the shop and was in awe of the many styles of kites they offer. If you're looking for a kite, large or small, just for fun, or for serious kite tricks, this is your place! In addition to kites, they sell little toys and other random Chinese imports. It's definitely worth a stop, if only just to peek at the kites. read more

Great store with great service. If you're walking around the area it's a must to at least stop by and take a view pics posted outside - while there you might as well walk inside and take a tour. Don't come in with an attitude and be a complete douch. Everyone speaks English but the older people have stronger accents. Kindly ask them to repeat and or speak slower. (I witness some douchy people.) Besides the beautiful kites there are also beautiful Asian costumes. It makes you feel like a kid again just to see the place. (Carmen Santiago kite is going places.) Support local family owned business. And show kids they can play without a tv screen. read more

Chinatown is full of a lot of tourist traps. But the kite shop is one place you don't want to miss. They have regular American style kites and traditional Asian style bamboo kites and wind socks. I was amazed at how much they had crammed into this tiny store. Prices are fair. Check out the dragon kites!!! read more

Nice little shop with a lot of variety of kites. Getting to the shop might be a little of walk given the fact that it is in the heart of china town. But I think it is worth it. They offer both traditional designs and cater to the mangaa and disney fans. The designs are sturdy, but if you are looking for something for a use and throw weekend, they have some inexpensive ones for that purpose too. The length of flying string for the kite is about 100 ft, but you can always attach longer additional strings. They accept major credit cards. read more

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What a colorful little shop! filled with kites here and there. some hangin above you , a wonderful display. prices are average kite prices. go pick one up! read more

Chinatown Kite Shop was my first and will probably be the only kite shop I will ever step foot in for the rest of my life! Reasons for my dramatic statement? 1. It's a shop dedicated to kites. You mean I can get kites on kites on kites and then some MORE kite action? Umm, say what?!? I don't know of ANY shops just dedicated to this hobby. 2. The selection offered can not be beat! There were styles and designs there that I didn't even knew existed. If you are unable to check out their storefront, then you can at least go to their website to see what they have in stock. 3. Their prices are very reasonable! My handmade kite was priced at $14.99, which was such a bargain! I even found mini kites on clearance for only $2.99. I was able to grab a cute little Dora Kite for my bf's niece. Also, the shop accepts credit cards, which was nice because other stores in the area only took cash. The kite shop was a great random find during my trip. Funny story, I was sitting on a bench across the street from this place actually waiting for another store to open. While I was waiting, I just happened to look around to see what other stores were open so that I could browse. Luckily for me the employee opened up shop earlier than their listed store front hours. Thank goodness because I had so much fun looking and admiring all the wonderful kites they had. Anyway, I'm so glad I was able to stop by and take home another kite to add to my collection! read more

Quick. You need a cool kite before tomorrow's first annual, drunk kite flying contest. You don't want to spend a lot of money BUT you also don't want to be the only dweeb out there with the Spongebob Square Pants kite from the local drug store. Where do you go? WHERE DO YOU GO? You head downtown to Chinatown my friend. And in the heart of all the tourist trap looking store fronts you'll see the Chinatown Kite Shop. With every possible kind of kite from commercial characters like (yes) Spongebob and Shrek, delicate looking Chinese paper dragons and bird kites, to much more agressive looking kites - they'll most likely have what you need. What's that you ask? Oh yes... I walked out with a sturdy number with a cartoonish looking T-Rex across the center of the kite and the words "rock-on!" boldly printed across the right wing. And for my opponent who couldn't make it to the store, I picked up a not-so-aerodynamic shark kite - (it looked menacing but couldn't stand up to my T-Rex. ) Go fly a kite... or something. ;) read more

They all were very helpful in assisting me to make my purchase decision. They provided inventory photos by text, & took measure to advise of essential accessories that I would need. I recommend the China Town Kite Shop to any local or remote shoppers. read more

I was in need of a mega awesome kite to fly. Of course I goto yelp and search for kites and get the following results: 1. Chinatown kite shop 2. Chrissy field Basically, yelp made my day. The search engine not only knew where to buy the kite but it also knew exactly where to fly the kite. FULL DISCLOSURE: I work on the search engine at yelp. The store was charming, the selection was great, box, stunt, and nice nice kites for the kids. They had a sponge bob kite that I was eying. What a great kite store and super close to BART. read more

Terrific kite shop! The kites we bought here were great and easy to use and fly when we took them out at the park!

I came here on Saturday as soon as the shop opened. The lady at the kite shop was so helpful. I have never flown a kite before but a group of my friends decided that this will be what we will do when we head to Ocean Beach on Monday and I was in charge of getting the kites since it was my idea. She was very informative and helped me pick out kites that are easier to fly. The selections are great. They have kites ranging from $12.99 to super expensive stunt ones - which I didn't bother to touch since I am a noob. LOL We ended up getting three kites - a butterfly for $21.00, a dragon for $26 and another dragon with larger wing span for $35. Kite flying was a success! We flew the kites for hours and didn't want to leave but we had a whole agenda of things we wanted to do that day. Thanks Chinatown Kite Shop! read more

Specialty shop with a good selection. The shopkeeper was willing to help ship off a kite as well as a few other items I had picked up as a gift. Shipping was very fast too! Should be good for ordering from online as well. Very pleased with the flexibility of the shopkeeper and the help offered. Very relaxed cat in the shop. It seems to like being pet if you are lucky enough to see it. read more

For some reason I think we forget to take pleasure in the simple things when we get older. Maybe we become caught up in the daily hustle, or think it is immature or uncool. We have to do more, be more, succeed and get attention. Forget that. Let go and enjoy your life, and find happiness in simple pleasures, like flying a kite. When was the last time you flew a kite? It may seem boring, but don't you remember how much fun you had? Maybe the idea of the wind pulling at an rhombiodal fabric with Garfield on it doesn't appease you. Kites are more than that, adn the Chinatown Kite Shop proves that. At least a hundred choices of different variety kites hang on display. From the standard four corner kites to dragons and eagles, batman, line kites and even a flying pirate ship. Prices are reasonable as well, from $5 for your standard kite to $50 for the more elaborate styles. Anything kite will be here. So seriously, go fly a kite. read more

Take the day off, wander up Grant Street, Pop into the Empress of China for some Mai Tais. Take in some pictures of golden-era San Francisco with Chuck Norris and Kareem Abdul Jabar. Once you're feeling punchy, swagger into the shop and find yourself a good Charlie Brown kite. Or a biplane. Or a dragon. Or a box kite. They have them all. Pick up a windsock while you're at it, because you can never have too many. Then bring a bottle of wine to Crissy Field. Hold the kite string in one hand and a glass in another. Close your eyes. You are now in paradise. read more

It's like a jungle of kites inside and there's a kitty lurking somewhere in there. It's grey and friendly and seduces you into buying kites. Without the cat though, the shop is pretty cool. My boyfriend bought a giant pirate ship which is SUPER AWESOME. It was 40 bucks in store, and 50 online for the same kite, I can't vouch for other kites but this one was a good value. We went in one day and poked around, they seriously have hundreds of different types of kites. They however, were sold out of the pirate ship kite that we wanted. There was a woman working there, she didn't speak english very well, and we were kind of let down leaving. The next day though (or the day after, either way) we went back and there was a man there that was working. He was older and really nice. If you ever run into our same problem, make sure you poke your head in when he's around if you can. His english wasn't the greatest either but he was willing to sell us the model, which the other woman wasn't. He also admitted that he didn't know how to tie up all the string and whatnot, but the lady would be there the next day and she could help us if we needed it. He was just so helpful (he searched for that kite and then for the packaging for the model for like 10 minutes, all of which I had to pee really badly) that I would totally do business with that shop again. We didn't get a discount off of the model on the floor, but either way it was a great deal and there's been no problems with the kite. read more

Deep down in Chinatown resides a breeding ground of amazing kites. If you're looking for that croc kite that has a crazy spiral tail or that blue macaw with crazy yellow ribbons bursting from it's large powerful wings, well my dear friends, Chinatown Kite Shop has these goodies and even more that'll leave you in awe for hours. The BF and I did purchase that croc and macaw kite and tested our new found goodies over at Crissy Fields. The croc dazzled bystanders and caught enough paparazzi attention that you'd think a star was strolling along the beach that day. Sorry folks, no stars here, it's was just me and my beautiful kite. Our croc looked so peaceful as it swiftly floated around the air. Even I couldn't take my eyes off of such an amazing sight. All that beauty for just $10. It definitely was a worthy purchase. However, the macaw kite was more of a fail. Despite it's magnificent beauty and being $10 more than our croc, our beautiful macaw refused to fly. We tried just about everything to get it up in their air, but there was absolutely no hope. Both feeling frustrated, we returned that kite back to the shop. Without a fuss, the lady who had previously helped us with our purchases, nicely let us exchange the macaw for a simpler kite. The BF chose a traditional diamond shaped kite with a funky red tree frog design, assuming diamond shaped kites are guaranteed to fly (or at least we're hoping. We haven't gotten the chance to fly it just yet) Despite having half success with our kites, I really appreciated how that worker allowed us to exchange our kite. This kite shop has such awesome customer service, why would I want to purchase a kite from any other place? read more

Going to the Chinatown Kite Shop is the reward I get for playing tour guide to my friends and family visiting from out-of-town. And it is totally worth it. I probably would not otherwise brave the crowds and trollies in Chinatown if I didn't get to visit the Kite Shop. This place sells literally every kite imaginable. From cheap to expensive, beginner to advanced, traditional diamond-shaped and box kites to those depicting Spongebob Squarepants - the Kite Shop has it all. It is truly a joy to visit the Kite Shop. Do not let your fear of tourists keep you away! read more

I felt claustrophobic when I walked inside this store, especially towards the back. Everything space seemed to be crammed in with something. The have all sorts of kites here: Ships, Spongebob, Nemo, etc.! It's a nice place to just look at all of them! read more

Lovely women helped me find the right stunt kite and cracked a few jokes along the way. Very helpful and the prices are very reasonable. I'll be back! read more

I love the beautiful birds and butterfly kites here. Just so detailed and gorgeous that you almost don't want to fly it in case you damage it. I even liked the kites shaped like crabs. Who even thinks about designing kites shaped like crabs? It's really jam packed in here but they'll be sure to have whatever you're looking for in kites! read more

First and foremost, the hours posted on here are wrong. They actually close at 7p during the week (not sure about what time on the weekends as I forgot to ask). Aside from that, this is a pretty fantastic little shop! They have a huge selection of kites at almost every price point and the service is fantastic. I rolled in 10 minutes before closing looking for a specific style of kite and the woman working was extremely helpful and I was in and out within 5 minutes. I definitely recommend stopping by if you're looking for a kite as I haven't found very many places in the city that have the same variety (or even stock of kites at all). read more

What a great shop! So many kinda of kites to choose from. The owners are super friendly and made some great recommendations for me. Prices are also reasonable. Definitely a Chinatown gem! read more

Fun place for kites, if you want to fly a kite this place has everything you need. In the heart of Chinatown.

Kites galore in this shop sweet Yelpers. I've never bought a kite before....so what inspired me, do you ask? Well the simple fact that my little tot is amazed by the ones she sees people flying at local parks, so I really felt I should buy her one....(although it's really mine, mine, mine!!) I settled on a round multi-colored kite. I have yet to try it out. Hopefully it'll fly sweet!! read more

This is a locally owned shop what specializes in, just like it says in the name, kites. The selection ranges from the beginner level comes in a plastic bag pre made kite for less then five dollars that you can get just about anywhere (and is practically useless) mass produced kites to massive one of a kind 20 ft long kites that take two people to launch. Also carries pretty much every other type of kite and kite related items, including materials to make your own kites from scratch. this means you can get repair kits for those cheap bagged kites that pretty much come already broken in the bag, or you could poke around and find something much better for a little bit more. Need a kite shaped like a hawk, a butterfly, frog, lucha wrestler, a throat lozenge, darth vader, hummingbird, dragon or any other conceivable shape? yeah they got 'em. Need a kite big enough for a human being to ride on? They got those too.* My point is they have just about every kind of kite you could possibly dream of. In addition to all the kite fun they have dragon dance costumes in the back, both the display only items to show what a urbane and cool apartment dweller you are, and the ones that you can actually use, which in point of fact are way cooler them the demo only models. They also have the best pricing on those items. Bonus points for the ice cold coke cans for a dollar (cash) up front, really handy on a hot day when wandering around Chinatown. But the focus here is really on kites. *not intended for actual human or animal flying use. read more

Tiight place, but full of kites. Check out their website for a taste of what they have and online ordering. I got the perfect butterfly kite for a friend and hopefully it flies, but a good rating for being an honest shop with a lot of character. -Matt read more

It's definitely claustrophobic and cluttered in here! On the up side, there is sooo much diverse selection and I can't help but marvel at the delicate Asian paper kites, the Spongebob parafoils, and ginormous dragon kite w/ infinite tail strung on the ceiling. They carry big kites, small kites, stunt kites, beginner kites, windsocks, and also some Asianified tchotkes. The prices are a smidgelette lower than in the kite shop I found in Half Moon Bay, but the staff here won't volunteer the same smile, cordial greeting, or kite-flying tips. Plus, to find what you're looking for you'll have to duck-and-dodge a whole lotta streamers. Being in this store has a bit of a kid-in-candy-store effect, so make sure you have plenty of time to browse :) (3.5 stars) read more

Chock full o'kites! It's not so easy for tall people to walk in here since so many display kites hang from the ceiling, but that's a good thing I guess! I'm no kite expert so I don't feel that I know enough to give 5 stars (so one star off just for me!) They do have all kinds of shapes and sizes, designs and colors appropriate for little tikes as well as full grown kids like us. Some of the kites here might even double as colorful (perhaps cheesy) hanging art in certain home or office decorating situations. Come check k-it-e out! read more

We live in the bay area and it's windy here a lot, perfect weather for kite flying. Great way to get some exercise. This shop has a wonderful selection of kites. Box kites, dragon kites, all sorts of birds and other animals, to name a few. They make good Christmas gifts. The prices here are reasonable generally cheaper than most places you can buy a kite, even online, and the service is fast and friendly. This is Chinatown, parking is hard to find, I usually walk thru Chinatown and check out all the shops. Berkeley Kite festival will blow your mind on all the different kinds of kites and how big they can get. Next time someone tells you to go fly a kite, take them up on it and go here and get yourself some flying fun. read more