The Story of Captain Buzz ©,
our friendly Kamikaze
Captain Buzz is always on a mission. His mission is to scout
out high prices and annihilate them. High prices are his target. Captain Buzz is
trained well in the art of aerial combat and strives to perform his duties to
the best of his abilities.
However, Captain Buzz is not stupid. If he was a true Kamikaze, his first mission would be his last. Then, there would continue to be high prices he could no longer fight. (Captain Buzz has learned something from his American cohorts!)
So in true Kamikaze tradition, he flies fearlessly toward his target and takes aim.
When the high price is in sight and centered in his crosshairs, he fires. Just at the point of impact, he bails out. Thus, he’s not a true Kamikaze, but nevertheless a brave warrior in the fight against high prices.
Captain Buzz invites you to check out all the reconnaissance he’s done lately in search of good prices for you.
And remember: Captain Buzz is always out there fighting high prices!
Your friends at Kamikaze Karate
And a little about us....
We are a store run by martial artists for martial artists, weightlifters, and fitness enthusiasts of all kinds. Opened in 1996, we put our money where our mouth is, and as such were corporate sponsors for Chuck Norris' Kick Drugs Out of America program in 1997. This program uses martial arts in the quest to combat drug use in the at-risk youth population.
In 1999 we initiated a martial arts program for at-risk youth at Ryves Youth Center. The program was absolutely FREE to the participants and instructed by qualified martial arts instructors who donated their time until 2005.
We have been sponsors for ISU's Bodybuilding & Fitness Extravaganza, the ISU Tandem Bicycle Race, and various student activities throughout the campus. Of course, we are avid supporters of any student martial arts activity on campus! We are currently promoting the idea of a Martial Arts/Combat Sports club on ISU's campus.
In 2000 we initiated the Vigo County School Corporation After School Martial Arts Program. At the request of Principal Rose Ann Brady, we enlisted the help of school owners Jim and Tana Fox and the program began at one middle school with seven students. The program has expanded to 7 schools with over 200 participants. We believe strongly in the power of good martial arts programs to help our youth, particularly young girls.
In 2006, we once again threw our support behind Ryves Youth Center and their boxing program. With the help of trainers at The Sweat Box Gym, the Ryves Team is getting excellent training.
Theresa's customer service and niche marketing expertise were featured in "Retail Focus", the National Sporting Goods Association's member magazine. The National Main Street "Shop Main Street" initiative elected her website as a "unique and interesting shop that makes Main Streets great" and was featured on the holiday shopping website in 2006.
In September 2007, Kamikaze Karate was featured in Entrepreneur Magazine for Theresa's innovative use of cultural holidays such as Confucius' Birthday and Chinese New Year in her retail store. Read her interview here.
In 2009, our owner, Theresa Ortega, was inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame as "Female Taekwondo Stylist of the Year" and "Business Leader of the Year", her nomination initiated by the co-founder of the Hall of Fame, Dr. Jim Thomas. The business leader award was based largely on her years of continued support and promotion of martial arts schools, tournaments, trainings & workshops, and assistance to school owners and instructors. Theresa never tires of promoting martial arts in her city, state, region and around the world. She enjoys the cultural connections with the martial arts and was featured in Entrepreneur Magazine for her unique business events. Her monthly e-newsletter is read by martial arts enthusiasts and instructors all over the world, with articles penned by masters in many styles. She is often quoted for her martial arts knowledge. She is always willing to share business and marketing ideas with small businesses to aid them in their growth. She is always ready to dispel any myths and quell any anxiety exhibited by parents who walk into the store and ask questions such as, "Will martial arts make my child more aggressive?" She believes very strongly in the study of martial arts for children for its ability to impart self-discipline, improved self-esteem, focus, and control of aggression.
We are very involved in our local community, the revitalization effort of our downtown, and the support of our local high schools and universities. See what Indiana State University students think of Theresa's community involvement. We help promote local martial arts schools and fitness events, and maintain a bulletin board with a comprehensive listing of the area's martial arts schools. We have made every effort to meet most of the area's instructors and school owners. And we know full well that, if you look in the phone book, you won't find the vast majority of the martial arts schools in your community. There are 2 (yes, TWO!) listed in our area phone book, yet actually 8-10 schools exist! You would only find that out by coming into our store and checking out our bulletin board. We seek out the small local schools, try to meet their owners and instructors, and help to promote them.
You will never catch us stating that our website is the biggest, the baddest, has the most items for sale, and so on. We give it to you straight: we will never put an item in our online store that is not something we carry. We will not take your money and HOPE to find it some place, as we've heard numerous horror stories from our customers. We deal with more than 8 vendors for martial arts, boxing, weightlifting, yoga, sportswear and fitness, so if you don't see something you want, CALL US!!! (Toll-free 1-888-232-6577). We'll be glad to track it down for you. Special orders are a BIG part of our business. If you want to see our full inventory, visit our main store at 618 Wabash in Terre Haute, IN.
How are we different from the
competition?
The big difference is this: we KNOW martial arts, we've
been students ourselves, so whether you need to know how to tie your first
white belt, what equipment you need for your first sparring session, or just
want to discuss the latest topics in Black Belt Magazine, stop in!
We'll be glad to let you leaf through all of our vendor catalogs........and you won't find the prices blacked out or white stickers covering them..........we find no need to mark things up 300% or 400% as many will do.
Besides.........when's the last time your
"local martial arts store" delivered an item to
your home? To your next tournament? Bugged a vendor for more than 6 months
(calling them EVERY WEEK!) to check on an item you just HAD to have? That would
be us!
Check us out - - It's a great
experience!
And now, even when our store isn't open,
our
SquareMarket can help you 24 hours a day!
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NOW!!
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