If a crow were to fly from Chicago to Crystal Lake, it would take that bird roughly 65 minutes, presuming the animal took no detours during its 40-mile direct flight. If a crow, indeed, were to make that trip, it would find itself in the company of plenty of feathered friends in this charming McHenry County community where there is abundance of land and wildlife. It is here where Erich Stefan, as a lover of nature and birds, decided to open Flying Friends Wild Bird Shop. His store specializes in helping customers attract wild birds to their backyards, creating a bridge between people and nature by selling curated, bird-friendly products and providing personalized service that promotes birdwatching.

“I do love birds,” said Erich with a smile. “I think they’re extraordinary animals. I think that humans are meant to be close to nature. These days that can be difficult. They’re a great window to the wild. You might see an occasional squirrel or raccoon in your yard, but with birds, you can see 50, 60, 70, 80 species over the course of a year, outside in your backyard.

“For me, it’s definitely a hobby, passion, and business all rolled into one,” said Erich with palpable enthusiasm in his voice. “It makes it seem like I’m not coming to work. I do installs for customers. I go out in the field and set up bird feeders. I get paid to do it and sometimes I can’t believe it.”

Erich’s love for birds dates back to his days of earning the rank of Eagle Scout, which is the highest award given to Boy Scouts of America members. He said he believes that connecting with nature through birdwatching is rewarding and accessible for just about anyone.

“It’s like having a pet in many ways,” said Erich. “But, you don’t have vet bills and it’s a lot less expensive. But you still get to take care of animals. I think there’s no better way to wake up in the morning than with a cup of coffee, sit down, eat breakfast, and watch the birds. Then come to work and talk to customers and share that love with them. It’s just the best of both worlds.”

A vision takes flight

Erich’s journey to retail owner at Flying Friends Wild Bird Shop is a story about passion, risk, and following your heart. During college and for a few summers after graduating, Erich worked at a bird specialty retail chain, where he said he got the bug for connecting people with birds.

“I fell in love with it,” Erich recalled. “I fell in love with the customers and helping people connect with nature and the joy that that brings people. It made me feel good. I wanted to start a business where I could do that myself.”

At the time, Erich was just a credit or two away from completing his degree in economics and finance. But as he neared graduation, he said he began to question his path.

“I was about one or two credits away from an economics and finance degree,” explained Erich. “And I was thinking to myself, okay, if I finish this, I’m probably going to work for a bank or a mortgage company or something like that. ‘Is that really what I want to do or would this bring me more happiness, even though it would be a big risk?’ I decided it was the best time to do it, roll the dice and take a chance.”

Looking back, Erich conceded that the idea of opening the speciality shop of his dreams might be perceived as being far-fetched, or in the case of this story, for the birds.

“If you had asked 22-year-old me, ‘Hey, could you open a bird store that just specialized in helping customers attract outdoor birds? Could that be a viable business?’ I probably would have laughed because it just seems so niche and specific,” recalled Erich about how he started the shop. “How could it survive? But the answer is that people have a love for this, and they want to connect.”

With the financial support of his parents, Erich took a leap and opened Flying Friends Wild Bird Shop.

“I put together a business synopsis, and I was able to get them (my parents) to loan me the money,” added Erich. “If it wasn’t for my parents, Flying Friends would not exist. So, shout out to Mom and Dad. They’re obviously super happy that it was successful. I was able to pay them back, of course, but just happy to see me succeed. They knew how passionate I was about this and how much I poured into it.”

A business flying high

Erich and his team have cultivated a welcoming space for bird enthusiasts of all levels. Whether you’re a seasoned birder or just starting out, the shop is designed to help you create a backyard haven for feathered friends.

“Our typical customer is probably someone who has one to three feeders in the backyard,” Erich explained. “They’re going to know all the basic birds such as cardinals, blue jays, and also some of the ones that most people watch but perhaps never heard of. There are also quite a few of the rare ones that we can help you attract as well.”

In this stretch of Chicagoland, Erich says there are certain birds that are frequent fliers, you might say, it most backyards including cardinals, goldfinches, chickadees and hummingbirds.

“I say every house can get those birds. Hummingbirds are a huge customer favorite,” said Erich.

Erich’s fascination with birds goes beyond their beauty, he says he is captivated by their extraordinary ability of flight.

“Take a hummingbird, for example,” explained Erich. “It weighs three pennies if you were to put it in your hand. That bird can navigate from Canada to South America with no maps, just following its instinct and they do that twice a year, every year. So, I think they’re incredible creatures that really defy all logic with what they’re able to do and how they’re able to survive.”

Since opening its doors, the shop has been warmly welcomed by residents of Crystal Lake, according to Erich, as well as bird lovers from all over the region.

“We’ve really been embraced out here,” Erich said. “Almost from the moment we opened, we’ve had a good response from people. We were busy almost right away. Now, we’ve got lots of established customers that have been with us the entire seven years. They love coming in, talking about birds, connecting with the hobby, and just finding out what’s new in the bird world.

“It’s really a community that we’ve built over time here, with people that love nature and love birds.”

Flying Friends offers a wide range of products to meet the need of every bird lover.

“We sell everything from birdseed, which we get in fresh every week,” noted Erich about the products available in his store. “We make all our own custom blends, specialized for the birds in our area. We also carry bird feeders, especially squirrel-proof stuff, which a lot of people need. Pole systems to put those things on, binoculars, gift items, and birdhouses. We even do installs and custom setups for customers to maximize their backyards to be as bird-friendly as possible.”

Erich says what distinguishes Flying Friends is the expertise possessed by the staff about birds, how best attract to them and how to best feed them.

“Our team is extraordinarily knowledgeable,” Erich emphasized. “That’s the main thing that we train on. We’re going to give you the same advice that we would if our parents walked in the door. You’re going to get the right thing the first time.

“Because we’re lovers of the hobby, we’re able to pass on all the info we’ve gleaned over the years from doing this to our customers so that they have the best experience possible,” Erich said with pride.

The shop also stands by its products, offering exceptional quality and service.

“Almost everything in the store has a lifetime warranty, or at the minimum, we can get the parts,” Erich added. “So, if something little happens, or you’re missing one little piece, we can get you back in business. It’s a lot of the stuff you actually can’t find online.

“When you’re at these big box stores, you just don’t get that type of knowledge from the people that probably don’t even feed birds,” explained Erich.

Making it fly is worth it!

For anyone considering starting their own business, Erich offers heartfelt advice that comes from his own experience.

“If I were to give advice for someone starting out, it would be, understand that it’s going to be more work than probably you ever imagined,” Erich explained. “Make sure you believe in it and that you love it. Because there’s going to be, especially in those first few years, times where you’re not sure if you’re going to make it, if it was going to be worth it. It’s a lot easier to make it through that if you love what you do.”

Erich’s passion to share his joy of birds with others and to get people excited about discovering and learning is obvious in every conversation.

“I love retail, because I just like interacting with people. I think a lot of people are longing for that. Just that human connection, being able to share your passion with somebody. There’s just there’s nothing like talking someone face to face, one on one, even a phone call. So much gets lost, when you’re not, in the same physical space with people.”