ABOUT THE FOUNDER
John Kavulich, Sr., Leader In Hobby Industry For 59 Years, Dies
CHEEKTOWAGA, NEW YORK, 7 AUGUST 2003: Mr. John Kavulich, Sr., founder of Niagara Model and Train Distributors and of Niagara Hobby & Craft Mart, philanthropist, and global traveler, died on 1 August 2003, after a brief illness upon returning from an extended overseas visit. He was seventy-three years old.
Mr. John Kavulich Sr. was born in Binghamton, New York, in 1929. His parents had emigrated from Czechoslovakia. At an early age, Mr. Kavulich became interested in scale model wooden airplanes; and would eventually win numerous local, state, and regional competitions and awards. In 1944, at fifteen years of age, and while attending high school, he established the Binghamton Model Airplane Company, a retail hobby store, at 70 Wall Street; and in 1948 became the youngest individual ever to become a member of the Binghamton Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Carleton A. Cleveland, then-president of the Binghamton Chamber of Commerce, said upon Mr. Kavulich's induction, "We hope that your Wall Street address is the omen of financial success."
As the retail hobby store became more successful, Mr. Kavulich expanded into the wholesale distribution of models, trains, and crafts. In 1954, he moved to Buffalo, New York, and established Niagara Hobby Distributors, which would eventually sell products to most of the largest retail chain stores throughout the United States.
In 1986, Mr. Kavulich returned to the retail business and established Niagara Hobby & Craft Mart in the Town of Cheektowaga, New York, a suburb of the City of Buffalo, New York. Niagara Hobby & Craft Mart is recognized as the "Biggest in the U. S. A.!" with thousands of square feet dedicated to "fathers and sons and mothers and daughters." In the store's parking lot is a local landmark, a rare 1949 fully-restored 40-ton caboose, from which donations benefit the Cheektowaga Historical Society.
Mr. Kavulich was the recipient of the 1996 Sam Walton Business Leader Award sponsored by the Wal-Mart Foundation. In 1996, Niagara Hobby & Craft Mart received the Al Brunner Private Sector Award from the Niagara Frontier Recreation and Parks Society. In 1995, Niagara Hobby & Craft Mart received the Small Business Award from M& T Bank and Mr. Kavulich was the co-recipient of the Caritas Award from St. Joseph Hospital Foundation In 1994, Niagara Hobby & Craft Mart was named Cheektowaga Small Business of the Year. In 1992, Niagara Hobby & Craft Mart received the Outstanding Service To Youth Award from the Cheektowaga Youth Board. For many years, he was a sponsor of the "Do The Right Thing" Program of the Cheektowaga Police Department. He also participated in funding efforts for St. Joseph Hospital Foundation and supported St. Mary Orthodox Church, St. Nicholas Orphanage, Villa Maria College, Freedoms Foundation, 100 Club of Buffalo, Cheektowaga Chamber of Commerce, Burgard Vocational High School, Cheektowaga Senior Citizens Center, and Cheektowaga Historical Society among other organizations.
A June 1992 editorial by the Cheektowaga Bee newspaper, said that "… while some people talk about doing things to help today's youth, Kavulich quietly does things, and deserves a thank you."
Niagara Hobby & Craft Mart has been featured on local television stations and on national television networks, including CBS and CNN, along with then-U. S. S. R. Central Television. The store has been featured in local newspapers, national newspapers, and national magazines. Mr. Kavulich and Niagara Hobby & Craft Mart have been recognized by many organizations for their contributions to local, state, national, and international issues. He traveled to sixty-one countries.
In 2002, Mr. Kavulich was a provider of funds to support the visit to the Republic of Cuba by The Honorable Jesse Ventura, Governor of the State of Minnesota, to attend the first-ever U. S. Food & Agribusiness Exhibition. In 1998, he was a principal provider of funds to charter aircraft for use by representatives (Cardinals and Bishops, including His Excellency Henry J. Mansell of Buffalo, of the Holy See) to travel throughout the Republic of Cuba during the visit of His Holiness Pope John Paul II. In 1993, Mr. Kavulich hosted members of the Republic of Cuba delegation to the World University Games held in Western New York.
Mr. Kavulich is survived by a son, John Steven Kavulich; a brother, Steven Kavulich; and a sister, Ann Holmberg.
Mr. Kavulich's son, John Steven Kavulich, is now president of Niagara Model & Train Distributors and Niagara Hobby & Craft Mart.