Aviation Collectables Retailer Forges Unique Niche

Donnie Gardner is expanding the world of aviation retail one market niche at a time. He credits his dad for providing the creative spark behind DGPilot Aviation Collectibles & More, located in downtown St. Paul. "My dad is a huge aviation enthusiast, and I didn't realize

this until a few years back," Gardner explained. "I was visiting with him in Kansas City where I grew up and he pulled out his personal collection of diecast aircraft. He must have shown me 100 to 200 aircraft."

Gardner hadn't collected a model airplane in years, except for the aircraft he had personally flown. He's been a commercial pilot for approximately 14 years.

After his dad told him about the popularity of the aircraft, Gardner did a little bit of research about the market. "I've been in aviation since I was 15," Gardner said. "I started taking lessons at the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport.

I obtained my private pilot's license my senior year of high school, and then went on to pursue my aviation degree at Embry-Riddle in Daytona Beach."

Prior to launching DGPilot, Gardner didn't have any retail background. Retail is a constant learning experience as trends are always changing, he said. "This is one side of the business I have really enjoyed. I'm constantly reading and researching new products that could potentially sell well

in addition to industry trends. I'd say retail is a lot of trial and error."

DGPilot Aviation Collectibles & More is located at 406A St. Peter Street. "We've actually been in downtown St. Paul for three years," Gardner said. "Our first location opened in 2018, and was a 300-square foot warehouse located in Lowertown."

Early last year, Gardner realized his business was quickly outgrowing that space, and simply didn't have enough room to process incoming inventory and ship outgoing orders.

"Our previous location was on the fourth floor of the building and it became quite a trek for our customers to find us, especially when the building's elevator would break down," he added.

Parking was also more challenging in Lowertown. Gardner said he was fortunate enough to find the current location in the Historic Hamm Building last summer. "We opened our new location in August 2021. I wanted to move to a

location that offered walk-in retail from the ground floor, while providing plenty of parking. There is also a certain

nostalgia and charm about St. Peter Street. It's literally the only retail shopping area in the heart of downtown St. Paul."

DGPilot Aviation Collectibles & More currently has three part-time employees. Ben Garner has worked for the company since July 2020. He supervises and trains the other three employees. "This is something that I've been interested in all of my life," Garner said. "I'm a model collector. My favorite model is a Northwest Airlines 747-400 in 1:200 scale. There are a few different markets we try to reach with what's stocked in the store. With the models, airlines such as Delta, and going back, Northwest and Braniff, those sell pretty well."

Gardner said Saturday is typically the busiest in-store day for his collectables business. "We also have an on-line platform which allows our customers to shop 24/7 at DGPilot.com. We built up the on-line business to be robust before transitioning into the retail footprint."

DGPilot Aviation Collectibles & More's target market varies as it includes everyone from young aviation enthusiasts, to retired airline pilots.

"The unique thing about our products is they come from all over the world," Gardner said. "Our biggest seller in terms of product is our Gemini Jets model aircraft line. They are headquartered in Las Vegas and manufactures a variety of commercial and military scale model aircraft."

Gardner exhibited at Wings of the North AirExpo last summer in Eden Prairie. He was highly impressed by the size of the general aviation community in Minnesota and enjoyed meeting other aviation enthusiasts.

"The love and passion for general aviation in the state of Minnesota is amazing," he said. "We focused on promoting our apparel lineup as it focuses on vintage aircraft spectators are likely to see while at an airshow."