Large Bamboo Wind Chimes

Color the sky with Old City Kites

For Anwar Khan, owner of Old City Kites in Old Sacramento, his love of kites began when he was a child. He grew up in India and participated in many rooftop kite fights before moving to the United States in the ‘80s.

Khan described what kite fighting was like as a child – Fifteen children spread out on wide flat rooftops, their arms extended, eyes fixed on the sky as kites fluttered about overhead, pulling stunt tricks like twisting, turning and spinning in the air. Cheers and laughter could be heard from neighboring rooftops, as the children’s kite lines cut others, defeating the other’s kite and winning the duel.

He opened Old City Kites in 1993. The family-owned business in Old Sacramento features a selection of over 500 kites and specializes in kite repair. Garden spinners, team flags, wind chimes, board games, yo-yos and puzzles are also available at the store.

Khan worked for an engineering firm called Morton and Pitalo while also running the Old Sacramento restaurant Mustard Seed Cafe with his wife, Ann.

In 1993 the building owners went bankrupt and Khan was forced to close down his cafe, which was located where Laughs Unlimited is currently.

Around the same time a family-owned kite shop located two stores down from Mustard Seed Cafe also went out of business.

Khan made the decision to leave the engineering firm and open a kite shop in Old Sacramento. This way Khan and his wife could focus on raising their two daughters while establishing Old City Kites.

Ann Khan said the name of the shop “is about where we are and what we sell. (It) identifies us pretty simply.”

There are a variety of kites that serve different purposes. Khan explained below how kites are made, the materials used and the differences between fighter kites, parafoil kites and the different kite tricks.

Fighter Kites The object of kite fighting is to take down the other kite by slashing the flying line. Coating the kite’s flying line with a sticky-glue-like mixture to make it sharp will achieve that goal.

“When I was a kid, I always made homemade fighter kites,” he said. He used bamboo sticks and tissue paper– he launched the kite outside his kitchen but soon lost control and balance and almost got the line caught in a tree.

His mother, who saw him struggling, came and took the flying line. She re-stabilized the kite which surprised Khan because “girls don’t fly kites,” he said. She told him that his uncle, a fighter kite champion in India in the ‘60s, had taught her.

Why hang bamboo wind chimes at the front door?

You probably already know that wind chimes are just a special treat to listen to wherever they are hung but do you know why they should be positioned at your front door? This concept is very important in Feng Shui however, you don’t have to practice living harmoniously with your surrounding environment to appreciate this home decorating tip.

Why the Door?

Feng Shui practitioners believe that positive energy in your home is crucial for health and happiness. A door provides such a a large opening that energy can easily escape so wind chimes, especially bamboo, will chase negative energy away while keeping positive energy inside. It is also said that strategically hung wind chimes can help the mind transition from the busy outside world to the inside tranquil environment with ease.

If these reasons aren’t enough for you, some also suggest that bamboo wind chimes hung at your door will attract money and good luck!

Size and Positioning

Bamboo wind chimes should be appropriately scaled to the door size. A small, single doorway should have small chimes but someone with double doors or a large opening will need larger chimes for them to properly do their job. Be sure to position your bamboo wind chimes so the wind won’t blow them against the door and no one will hit their head on them. Never hang them with a plastic hook, only metal as this material is also an important element in the practice of Feng Shui.

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