Party Stores

something that differentiates you from everybody else.”

At Elliot’s Partyland, that means oversized clear balloons filled with confetti and mini balloons that families pop at midnight — or earlier, for small children — creating a ball-drop-in-the-living-room effect. Color schemes have evolved beyond the traditional black and white, cocktail accessories have gone upscale, and those little disposable hats and horns have given way to more sophisticated styles. “People want more glitz and glamor nowadays,” Victorey said.

Christmas is primarily a family affair for many, and the holiday takes a back seat to New Year’s Eve at many party retailers, such as Party Fair in Berwyn, Pennsylvania. For Christmas, Store Manager Wayne Van Curen sells mostly tableware and tabletop décor, like the balloon towers and arches that are his specialty.

“New Year’s Eve is a completely different story,” Van Curen said. “People go all out. We do a month’s worth of business in one day, literally.”

During the pandemic, Party Fair customers have tended to throw smaller parties — 10 guests, perhaps, instead of 50 — “but they made it as extravagant as they could,” said Van Curen. This past holiday season, with restrictions easing, “it was crazy; they went wild.”

- Simon Kuonen, Party Bazaar, Dallas, Texas, commenting on the designer party ware sold at the store

That was certainly the case at OMG! Party Store in Reading, Pa. Balloons and balloon decorations were last year’s holiday hit, according to Manager Jasmine Grullon . “People were decking their halls with the Grinch, Santa Claus, candy canes,” she noted. “They’ll spend on whatever floats their boat.” At OMG!, New Year’s Eve sees soaring sales of champagne bottles, champagne and wine glasses, and décor in black, white, gold and silver.

The 2,100-squarefoot store has seen its sales expand thanks to savvy social media outreach. “Clients will come in with some ideas of their own, and we’ll replicate it or try to recreate it in our own way,” Grullon explained.

Designer party wares — like napkins from the Caspari brand or wrapping paper and gift bags from Jillson & Roberts — are holiday best-sellers at Party Bazaar in Dallas. “Our shoppers are looking for something more sophisticated, a little more unique, that they can’t necessarily find at their Target or Walmart,” explained Store Owner Simon Kuonen

At his 4,000-square-foot shop, seasonal sales are strong from November — when Kuonen sets up Christmas displays — through the end of December. At this point, he anticipates the ebb and flow of shopping patterns. “New Year’s Eve is our single busiest day of the year, but it’s a very compressed holiday — nobody really purchases anything until the week after Christmas,” Kuonen explained. “In terms of total volume, Christmas is still number one.”

After spending a month-plus decking the halls with reefs and garlands, hunting for the perfect gifts, and setting the perfect holiday tables, Party Bazaar shoppers “come in on December 27th and grab a handful of hats, horns, noisemakers, sparklers and invites,” Kuonen said. “Then they’ll invite over a couple of friends and call it a day.” ❖