Opening-day crowd enjoys Radio Flyer store at Woodfield 106 years after brand's founding

Eagerly anticipated since the summer, the grand opening of the 106-year-old Radio Flyer brand's first retail store was well attended Friday at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg.

The reveal of the kid-favorite company's first brick-and-mortar location coincided with the first full day of Woodfield's official observation of the 2023 holiday season.

Located on the lower level of the mall's Nordstrom wing, the store features a racetrack, product service center, and personalized items.

Radio Flyer's playful product lines include wagons, tricycles, scooters, bikes, bounce houses, trampolines, strollers, and accessories.

According to its website, Radio Flyer was founded by Italian immigrant Antonio Pasin, who was inspired by other examples of American innovation upon his arrival in Chicago in 1914.

He called his popular wooden wagons the Liberty Coaster, which later evolved into the iconic Radio Flyer - the "Original Little Red Wagon."

Though its product line has changed and evolved over the years, Radio Flyer remains a Chicago-based family company. The founder's grandson and the company's current "Chief Wagon Officer" Robert Pasin was at Woodfield Friday to cut the ribbon on an achievement a century in the making.

When the store was announced in August, Robert Pasin explained the history and philosophy behind the idea.

"When my grandpa built the first Radio Flyer wagon 106 years ago in his Chicago garage, he always dreamed of creating a space for families to experience the joy of the Radio Flyer brand," he said. "I am overjoyed to open our first store and let our customers experience all that we have to offer, whether it's a kid looking for their first tricycle or a kid at heart looking for their first electric bike."