<b>Owner: </b>
Jon M. Larson
<b>Short bio: </b>
Jon was born and raised in Sacramento, California and has fond memories of helping his family business, a retail store called "Sky's The Limit" which was one of the first stores that specialized in aviation-related merchandise. His parents, Dennis and Nicki Larson launched this business in 1987, in honor of Jon's grandfather who was a WWII pilot. Jon, who is a carpenter by trade, moved to the Northern Virginia area from Southern California with his wife, Mina, in 1999 to be closer to her family. Since that time, Jon and Mina have planted their roots here and are raising their six-year old son, Bijan, in the Mt. Vernon area. Jon has finally found the perfect location for his store on King Street and is excited to carry the legacy of his parents' store in California.
<b>Why did you choose this particular business? </b>
This store has always been a life-long dream of mine since I can remember. I was there when my parents opened their doors in 1987 and was bitten by the entrepreneur bug; therefore, to open the East-Coast version of my parents' store, "Sky's the Limit" here in Old Town is a dream come true. I realized the close-knit community of Old Town Alexandria is perfect for my store to thrive, since I offer products that are unique and memorable and I pride myself in giving the best in customer service. After seven years of living in this area, I noticed that a store like mine did not exist in the Alexandria area. I am excited to be able to offer aviation-related merchandise to our community. Our customers have notice that we have a wide selection of merchandise ranging from aviation-related toys and children's apparel to die-cast airplane models and WWII commemorative gifts. Also, with the large military population in this area, we are proud to offer all types of products to honor our men and women who have served our country and who are currently in service.
<b>Why did you choose to work for yourself rather than as an employee for someone else-?</b>
There is nothing as invigorating and stressful as working for yourself! But, it is a "good stress" as all of the sweat that you put into your business comes back to you as a reward. With working for an employer, you get no such reward with the exception of a weekly pay check, which can get pretty unfulfilling after a while. Even so, it was quite a risk for my family and I to decide for me to give up my career as a seasoned carpenter and to start up a small business. I had prepped my wife for quite a while, so she was ready for me to fulfil my dream as a business owner. That is why when the location on 1325 King Street (corner of King and West) became available, we jumped at the chance to create my vision of the Hangar.
<b>What have you learned from being in business? </b>
I have learned that you have to be extremely organized and you must also want the business with passion so that when you hit obstacles, you don't get discouraged. There is a lot that you learn as you go as no amount of books or courses can teach you how to interact with customers when they call or walk in your store nor do they teach you about how to deal with the daily situations that arise. Having a business mentor (an experienced business owner in the same line of business) that can assist you with the million questions that pop up in your head while you are setting up or operating your business, is extremely valuable. That person has been my mom as she has shared her recipe for success with me and I will always been indebted to her for that.
<b>Share an anecdote of a challenging or humorous experience or biggest surprise learned from working your business: </b>
For being in business for little over two weeks, I don't have a lot of interesting stories to share just yet, but I can tell you that everyone who walks in my door either shares my love for aviation or at least they are there because a loved one is interested in aviation products. That tells me that I have a common bond with all of my customers from the start and I enjoy interacting with them and helping them even all the more! I guess my most pleasant surprise is that I truly and absolutely love what I do , something that I have not felt in decades since I helped run my parents' store in California. I really feel that I found my niche and hope that "The Hangar" becomes a hub for all aviation enthusiasts in the area.
Who know -- maybe event the President will walk in one day!
<b>What have been the advantages and/or disadvantages of operating a business in Alexandria? </b>
My wife (who also works in Old Town) and I knew from the beginning that Old Town Alexandria would be the perfect choice for my store. The mix of tourists and wonderful locals that frequent Old Town is very advantageous for the type of specialty products that I feature in my store. I get a chance to meet new people everyday while having the pleasure of befriending the locals that come to my store. Our store, which is now open for business, will be having a Grand Opening on Saturday, August 26 and a famous local aviator, Lt. Col. Bernard T. Nolan, USAF-Ret. will be featured as the store's Guest of Honor. Everyone will also have a chance to purchase a signed copy of his book, "Isaiah's Eagles Rising".
I have yet to experience a disadvantage to being located in Alexandria, which my family and I also call home.
<b>Key staff: </b>
Jon and Mina Larson
<b>Description of services and/or products: </b>
The Hangar Aviation Specialties offers products for the whole family to include memorabilia and gifts for the aviation enthusiast to aviation-related apparel and jewelry. Our Kids Flying Zone Club is an exciting section for kids and adults that are young at heart to participate in some aviation fun. In this section, we feature toys, aviator outfits, flight suits, children's t-shirts and other apparel, kids bomber and flight jackets and children's videos. We can also special order products if we do not carry it in stock.
<b>Professional affiliations/associations: </b>
We are members of the Skunk Works Organization (the membership organization for SR-71 Blackbird and U2 Dragonfly pilots).
We are also proud to be a member of the Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association (www.funside.com) and the King Street Metro Enterprise Team (KSMET).