BESTIES & BALLOONS šŸ’– OUR FIRST BLOG POST āœØ

Not to make us sound old or anything but letā€™s go all the way back to 1999 šŸ„¹ Viv moved to Canada from Uruguay in fourth grade. We were backyard neighbours and soon became close friends. In sixth grade, along came Tiera, followed by Cinthia in eighth. Somehow, the universe conspired to make us besties, and itā€™s been that way ever since šŸ‘Æā€ā™€ļøšŸ‘Æā€ā™€ļøšŸ’–

We were always big on celebratingā€¦ birthdays, holidays, life in general. So when Cin mentioned she wanted a giant rainbow balloon garland for her baby shower, we were obviously going to make it happen. Ten hours later, fingers ACHING but spirits high, we had ourselves a prettyĀ decent balloon installation. Thatā€™s whenĀ it dawned on usā€¦ Why not turn our love for celebrations into a business?

elyssa, tiera, cinthia and viviana at cinthia's baby shower with a rainbow balloon garland

We threw around name ideas like Sparkle Inc, Project Balloons, and yes, even Self Made Balloons (LOL). But even early on we had this weird sense that there was more to explore than balloonsā€¦ and we didnā€™t want our name to limit us to the confines of our initial idea. Enter CONFETTIMYPARTYĀ āœØĀ Ā 

With $500 each and a whole lot of ambition, we slowly transformed the coziest corner of Cinthia's basement into our creative hub. Then, COVID blindsided us all. The world hit pause, and suddenly, our fun side project felt like it might be slipping away. Everything was so weird and no one knew WTF was going on. Whether it was to help us from going insane or to just pretend like things were normal, we decided to offer something for Motherā€™s Day 2020.

If you've been with us since the beginning, you'll remember the iconic Motherā€™s Day bubble. I meanā€¦ she was a moment. A clear bubble balloon filled with feathers (feathers meticulously HAND PLUCKED off boas we sourced fromĀ the dollar store šŸ˜­) personalized with your own special Mother's Day message.

mother's day feather stuffed bubble balloons that we offered in 2020

We made two bubbles, headed downtown for a photoshoot, and crossed our fingers. And you know what? We sold out that weekend šŸ˜± We surpassed our expectations and proved that even in ~uncertain times~ celebrations must go on. It was that moment that transformed our ā€œlittle businessā€ into something tangible šŸŒ±āœØā€¦ but that wasnā€™t the only thing that changed.

Tiera had a moment of clarity and decided the whole entrepreneur thing wasn't her vibe. Cue the tears and heartfelt confession about wanting to bail on the business but not wanting to risk our friendship. Can you believe she even thought that we would drop her after over a decade of being besties because of a career choiceĀ šŸ„² At this point, I donā€™t think anything could break our bond! Tiera might've stepped back from the business, but sheā€™s still our top cheerleader, rooting for us from the sidelinesĀ šŸ’–

After the Motherā€™s Day rush, we really shifted our focus to helium balloons. With COVID came a surge of balloon businesses in Toronto. We knew we had to differentiate ourselves. We sat down and created the CONFETTI POP PACKAGESĀ āœØ Unique balloon bouquets with cute names to match. Since then, itā€™s felt like a whirlwind ā€“ For three years our POP PACKAGESĀ āœØ kept us busy.

personalized balloon bundles we called pop packagesEveryday seemed like a blur of back-to-back orders. It was chaos, but in the best way possible. Our client base and Instagram following were steadily growing and the three of us were committed to CONFETTI full time. But like all good things, our basement HQ had its limits. We had outgrown Cinthiaā€™s basement and we were literally overtaking into every nook and cranny of her house. We needed to establish a space of our own and it was definitely time to give Cin her home back.Ā 

Renting a unit seemed like the logical next step, but for us, it was an opportunity to dream bigger. If we were going to be investing in rent, we may as well open a whole party store right? Go big or go home! Half a year of searching and we found the perfect spot. 65 Densley Avenue - Unit 1ā€¦ a blank canvas that we transformed into the CONFETTI HQ. A little slice of party heaven that reflects our true passion for celebration šŸ„³ We filled it with all things fun, bright, trendy & unique. Okay, we might be a tad biased, but we genuinely believe it's the happiest party shop ever!

confettimyparty storefront pre-construction

Over a year into opening our storefront, we've been schooled in more ways than we could have imagined. Seriously, every day is a different crash courseā€¦ sometimes in entrepreneurship and marketing but sometimes also in fire extinguishers and ant traps šŸ¤Ŗ Despite the hurdles, we wouldnā€™t have it any other way.Ā  Each day brings a fresh challenge or lesson, but it's also an opportunity to be creative, connect with incredible clients, and play a part in life's magical moments.

Cheers to our first blog post and a little glimpse into our world. We're thrilled to have you along for the ride!

xoxo,Ā Elyssa

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