Items Fly Off the Shelves at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport

Craig Collins of Point Pleasant, W.Va., was pleased but surprised to find a Harley store at the airport during a layover Tuesday. He couldn't resist buying a shirt.

He's a Harley owner and has been flying around the country the past two weeks, visiting friends and Harley dealers, riding their bikes and buying T-shirts from dealers to mark his biker journey.

"I've probably got two dozen shirts," he said, "from San Diego, Los Angeles, Nevada, Arizona."

Airport shopping is a little expensive but fun, he said. "It gives you something to do."

Robin Pringle of Providence, R.I., scoped out Tumi luggage before she headed for her flight home. "It's getting more interesting," she said of the shopping options she's seeing in airports around the country.

As long as you bring in the right product, you can be successful in an airport, said Barney Freedman, co-founder of Florida-based InMotion Entertainment. It's now in 50 airports, renting DVDs and selling DVD players, camcorders, iPods and other portable electronic equipment.

"You want higher-end products to sell to higher-end demographics," said Freedman. "Whatever you sell, you want it to be on the high-end of the spectrum. … I'm selling high-end electronics to a high-end demographic that other retailers can't capture. Our customers don't have the time on weekends to shop Best Buy or Circuit City. We go to them."

Martin J. Moylan can be reached at mmoylan@pioneerpress.com or (651) 228-5479.

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