Are you ready to race?

Karen Wassenberg has a solid foundation in the party market in Shawano.

From flower and balloon sculptures for bridal showers to large-scale inflatables for children’s birthday parties, she has it covered. Now, she’s adding even more.

Full Throttle R/C & Gaming recently opened in Fairview Plaza at 738 E. Green Bay St., Shawano.

There are several types of radio-controlled vehicles at various prices available at the store.

“You can start them at 5 or 6 probably. We have the starter classes,” Wassenberg said. “They’re smaller for the beginners, and then they go all the way up to the adults.”

The beginner level cars start around $80-$100 and go as high as $600 or more.

“They’re more of an investment, like it’s a hobby, so once you get into it, you put money into it,” she said.

The cars hit regular speeds of 40-50 miles per hour, but some go as fast as 70.

In addition to selling the cars, Full Throttle also offers space to race and perform jumps with the cars. Practice nights are Tuesday and Thursday.

Starting this month, there will be Friday night racing in different classes and leagues in the building next door to Full Throttle.

Wassenberg also owns Full Bloom Events in the same strip mall.

“I also do events planning, decorating with balloons and flowers,” she said. “When I get phone calls for bridal showers, baby showers, people are like, ‘Do you have anywhere that we can do this that’s not at a bar?’ So, I was like, “We need a venue for that kinds of stuff.”

That’s where Fairview Commons comes in.

When Full Throttle’s second storefront isn’t being used for racing or practices, Wassenberg can transform the space into an area for parties, corporate events or other gatherings.

The teardown and setup is relatively quick, she said, from as little as 45 minutes to four hours for a more complicated setup. Its location is convenient for her to transfer materials back and forth from Full Bloom Events.

Wassenberg also rents inflatables, an obstacle course, popcorn-making machines, slushie machines, cotton candy machines and more through her other business, DK Premier Party Rentals.

Back at Full Throttle, she expects to expand inventory to include drones, airplanes and boats.

“We’re also going to rent out the cars,” she said. “We have about 12 of them that we can rent out … for birthday parties, team-building exercises.”

As sturdy as the R/C vehicles are these days, some parts will break. Repairs are handled on site by Wassenberg’s boyfriend, D.J. White.

“I had an uncle that was lightly into the hobby, and he gave me my first hobby-grade R/C car, and it started from there,” he said.

White broke enough parts on his cars he still remembers his mother’s credit card number that he used to order new parts.

“They were not near as durable as they are now,” he said. “The funny part is that prices of these things have stayed the same.”

A car selling for $250 for 20 years ago is still sold for about the same price.

“It’s kind of like televisions,” White said. “They used to be stupid expensive, and now they’re not.”

Some repairs are done in as little as 15 minutes. Others need parts to be ordered and may take a week to get it and repair. The repair time is minimal.

The remote-control car and gaming business took off as a means to keep children entertained without looking at their phones or a computer screen.

“It’s something great for the kids to do,” Wassenberg said. “It keeps them off the electronics.”

kpasson@newmedia-wi.com