Special Occasions Party Supply meeting needs
Local business taking ‘opportunity to get creative’ amid virus.
Business Name: Special Occasions Party Supply
Location: Kettering and Troy
Owner’s name: Chris and Joe Kingseed
Years in operation :16
Number of Employees :12
Describe what your business does: We are a retail party supply store that offers everything for a party and every holiday. We also offer the best selection of balloons as well as any custom balloon art for any event. Lastly we are a year round costume store.
What inspired you to start this business? I happen to be shopping in a very small locally-owned party store in Piqua, Ohio, and had previously been working in Social Services but had just received my BA in Business and decided why not run a party store. So I looked into purchasing the local place I had shopped at but by praying on this and letting God lead me I decided to open my own in Piqua.
After five years, I then opened our Kettering location and moved the Piqua store in 2018 to its new location in Troy.
How has your business embraced innovation? Innovation has not been an option for us in this industry ever since social media. Social media began to drive people to want new and different parties. We have been through several helium shortages, which is also reason to embrace innovation on how to create amazing balloons with less helium and more air filled pieces.
What’s your biggest challenge right now? Currently our biggest challenge has been the complete change in how parties happen during a pandemic. For example anything to decorate the yard, or the car for a “birthday parade” since people could not have the typical party. The other part to that is the unknown from day to day if we will be open in two weeks or two months and being prepared at any moment for that to happen again.
What’s your biggest opportunity right now? Right now the biggest trend during the pandemic is balloons. We have taken this opportunity to get creative and sell things we would have never thought to sell before allowing us to make life long customers by delivering something they will be amazed by.