By Cortney Casey
C & G Staff Writer

STERLING HEIGHTS — As a father of three, Rick Maicki wanted to create more play opportunities for families, especially dads.

And after a decade working behind the scenes in retail, the West Bloomfield native observed widespread consumer demand for mass personalization and an in-store “experience” in lieu of simply purchasing a ready-made product off the shelf.

Rick began imagining a store centered on racing. Witnessing his son’s Cub Scout Pinewood Derby, where “the kids go crazy over a three-second race,” added more fuel to the fire, he said.

Those concepts fused to become American Hot Rod Racer, a store where customers can assemble and decorate their own vehicles, then put them to the test on high-tech tracks.

Rick recently launched his second store — the first in Michigan — in Sterling Heights’ Lakeside Mall. The original location in Cleveland, where Rick now lives, opened in June 2007.

“The whole idea of the store is to create a really exciting racing environment,” said Rick. “The goal is to really make the kids feel like they are the star of the show … but at the same time, really connect the family in, too.”

The result is the pulse-pounding action of a video game blended with heightened face-to-face interaction between parents and children. In that sense, American Hot Rod Racer represents a refreshing change, said Rick’s brother, Henry, director of new store development and manager of the Lakeside store.

“We live in a society where family time means looking at each others’ MySpace pages,” said Henry, a West Bloomfield resident. “We’re not a toy store; we’re an experience store. We’re an in-mall amusement park.”

The store is a veritable racing wonderland, starting with its main attraction, a reconfigurable track for remote-controlled vehicles situated below a bank of flat-paneled TVs displaying racers’ names, photos, car details and statistics.

The track is rearranged every few weeks to offer repeat customers a new experience, said Rick.

A sloped metal pinewood derby-style track and an off-roading area for monster trucks are located in the rear of the store, alongside shelves of race-related merchandise.

Both the pinewood and remote-controlled tracks boast timing devices that register the winner and project his or her image on the TVs.

The center of the store is studded with metal workstations for vehicle assembly. Another portion is sectioned off for birthday parties, which range from $225 to $600, depending on event type and size. Corporate events also are available.

A colorful array of vehicle options lines the walls. Pinewood cars, which kids paint prior to racing, are $12 apiece.

“When they leave, they’re regular works of art,” said Henry.

Varying in speed and handling capabilities and customization options, remote-controlled vehicles range from $34.99 for the basic model to $129.99 for the sophisticated Team Carisma series, which Henry dubbed “the dad’s car.”

“For a 4-year-old kid, this is probably way too much. For a 44-year-old kid, this is like salivating,” he laughed.

All racers receive a “driver’s license” bearing their photo, facts about their vehicle and the name of their car.

“You can always tell what’s hot in pop culture by the names they come up with,” noted Henry.

Vehicles come with 15 minutes of free track time; additional time is available for $5 per 15-minute block. Racers also can bring their cars back for more.

The Lakeside store, like its Cleveland counterpart, soon will launch weekly leagues and drop-in races. Rick said Cleveland’s race nights are evenly split between male and female drivers.

“Contrary to stereotypes, a lot of girls like to race,” he said. “It’s not as male-centric as people think it is.”

Sue Luft of Bloomfield came out to the store June 6 with son Ryan, 7, and daughter Emily, 5. Luft said the kids got a taste of American Hot Rod Racer during a presentation by the Maickis at Detroit Country Day.

“I picked that one because I like monster trucks,” said Ryan as he prepared to maneuver his silver vehicle around the off-roading area. “I thought it was going to be really perfect.”

Rick said his “greatest joy” is watching children’s faces as their creations take to the track.

“It’s all about making the kids feel special,” he said. “It’s meant to be a wholesome family activity meant for everybody to come play.”

American Hot Rod Racer is on the second level of Lakeside Mall, near Lord & Taylor. Store hours are 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. A June 20-22 grand opening event will include a car design contest, NASCAR raffle, sales and giveaways, a ribbon-cutting ceremony and more.

For more information, call (586) 247-3520 or visit www. American HotRodRacer.com.

You can reach Staff Writer Cortney Casey at ccasey@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1046.