HIDDENGems

Let’s Party

LOCATION: 584 Bultman Drive

HOURS: Mondays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesdays and Fridays from10 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed on Sundays. Call (803) 774-7444 for more information.

Many people know about big party stores that only sell party supplies, but in Sumter there is a family-owned party store that can do it all.

“We are a one-stop shop. We do event planning, event design, we have thousands of balloons and party supplies here, we cater to the customer’s needs, we have done weddings, birthdays, you name it,” said owner Niki Lewis. “No event is too big or too small.”

Lewis opened her store in 2015 on 584 Bultman Drive because she felt the Sumter community needed a party store closer to home.

“Before I opened this store, I couldn’t really find a store that would have what I need for parties and events and I was like, ‘God, Sumter really needs a great party store,’” she said.

During a trip to Myrtle Beach, she walked into a family owned party store and felt that she could bring exactly that to the Sumter area.

Although Let’s Party has been open for nearly eight years, Lewis still feels like her shop is a hidden gem.

“My frustration as a business owner sometimes is how do you let someone know everything you do in your store; when I say we are a one-stop shop, we are literally a one-stop shop,” Lewis said.

With so many small businesses thriving throughout the city and county, there are bound to be some hidden gems that locals and visitors alike might not know about.

From party planning to getting a healthy smoothie, here are three stalwarts. Visit these and explore Sumter’s local businesses!

She said she still has some people come in and say they have never seen her store there before even though they drive by every day. But she still has people who have come and left Sumter who call from out of state to place orders.

“We have so many people that call from out of state that find us on Google or find us on other social media and ask us to deliver an order to their granddaughter or someone,” she said.

She has added services throughout the years. Massive balloon arches and signs became popular during COVID-19.

“We have everything you need right here; you don’t have to go all over town, and if we don’t have it, we can get it,” Lewis said.

What became one woman’s life-saver has now become a healthy option for the entire community – Johnny’s Garden Juice Bar.

Named after the previous owner’s grandfather, Johnny Gowdy, the juice bar opened six months after he passed away in 2013.

Right before Gowdy passed away, another owner, Kimberly Field, had recovered from being sick for 10 years by, you guessed it, juicing.

“She was sick for years and years and then when she started juicing it was like her life flipped and completely changed,” said Emily Schroeder, a manager at the juice bar. “She was a whole lot better.”

Johnny’s Garden Juice Bar switched ownership a few years ago after prior owner Carl Field handed it over to James Fyffe.

Schroeder said although juicing is not a cure all be all, it does have health benefits, especially with the juice bar having pure ginger shots.

“Oh, it’s only ginger. I think we use 10 to 25 pounds of ginger and every morning we take it and make fresh ginger shots. It’s really popular,” she said.

Schroeder said ginger is good for digestion, pain and helps boost the immune system.

“It also helps that we are located right where the Y (YMCA) is because people come in after