The Fly Buy is a “museum gift shop” in the sense it is located in the Air Zoo, an aerospace and science experience located in Southwest Michigan. However, it is much more than a museum gift shop to the members, staff and volunteers of the Air Zoo. For us, it is a way to support, recognize and celebrate an organization that is rooted in aviation history and celebrates advancements in aerospace technology as well as boasts a large array of STEAM education programs for the community and beyond. In 1979 the Air Zoo opened its doors to the public with an extensive collection of flight ready historic aircraft. The Fly Buy shared its space in the lobby of that building, now fondly referred to as the Flight Discovery Center, with the reception desk and several exhibits. Over the years the Air Zoo has expanded its campus, mission, programming, and its exhibits and the Fly Buy has grown along with it. Today the Air Zoo is an extensive aviation and space experience with strong educational programs that utilize our museum to bring STEAM based knowledge to our youth and support our families, schools and community. In 2004 a beautiful new 167,000 square foot building was added to our campus and the Fly Buy moved to a spacious new home. With room to grow and an increasing number of guests to greet the Fly Buy sales have more than doubled since that relocation. The store has expanded its assortment - constantly looking for new and unique items and refreshing the more traditional. Knowing that our guests are savvy shoppers, we price our items based on value and quality, creating fair price points throughout the store. We carry over 1,500 items including apparel, toys, educational gifts, vintage signs, exclusive Air Zoo merchandise, iconic souvenirs, and an assortment of decorative and fuzzy items. And we are constantly adding new items to both our onsite, and online store. We would love the opportunity to introduce you to our store, our Air Zoo family and our museum and artifacts. Following us on Facebook will guarantee you are among the first to see new items, and behind the scenes looks at what makes the Fly Buy so unique. For instance, do you know what it takes to fold 1,000 T-shirts or to rearrange a display for new products? Would you like to know why our tiger has wings (and is the only one of its kind)? Most importantly, the Air Zoo is a nonprofit organization and our gift shop plays an important role in supporting it and its mission. All purchases made in the Fly Buy, and online at airzoostore.org, contribute to our extensive STEAM educational programs, support our ongoing restoration efforts, and preserve history for generations to come. We invite you to visit us – online, or in person! Either way you shop with us, we would love to hear from you! Please share your purchases, experiences, and requests with us and our followers. We can’t wait to hear from you.
