CHESAPEAKE, Va. — The hacky sack craze is back — and a Chesapeake sporting goods store can barely keep up.
Bob Harrell, owner of Play It Again Sports Chesapeake, says demand for hacky sacks hasn't been this high in decades. The surge started about four weeks ago.
"Out of nowhere the craze just blew up and everybody's coming in, calling asking, do we have them? Are we able to get more? When are [we] gonna get more?" Harrell said. "Boom, [it’s] like the eighties all over again."
Harrell said it started picking up steam online.
"On social media there were [videos of] kids on the ball field just out kicking a hacky sack and then out of nowhere it just took off from there," Harrell said.
The demand has outpaced supply. Harrell said manufacturers are backed up, leaving the store about 40 days out on most reorders. He’s had to limit purchases to two hacky sacks per customer.
The store carries two styles, and the purchase limit applies to each.
"There's two different styles. So, you can buy up to four. There are the knit crochet hacky sacks, and the sand-filled suede bags," Harrell said.
The suede leather bags are priced at $14.99 and the knit bags at $11.99, while supplies last. While the products may be priced differently at big box stores, Harrell hopes customers will shop locally.
"Support local. We're a small business. Put your dollars back in the community that you live in and fortify," Harrell said.
According to the American Independent Business Alliance, 68 cents of every dollar spent at a local business stays in the community and gets recirculated.
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