20 Things You Didn’t Know About Party City
Party City is a name that is associated with fun and games. It’s a business that has a massive inventory of party supplies. It doesn’t really matter what kind of theme you envision or what kind of party it is, they usually have exactly what you’re looking for. They offer props both large and small that can make your party the talk of the town and this is why they’ve grown into a huge company that they are today. Party City has an interesting history and there is a lot about them that the average consumer doesn’t realize, so here are 20 things that you didn’t know about Party City.
1. They can help you plan a party
If you have a birthday coming up and you’re not quite sure how to go about planning it, all you need to do is visit their website and there you’ll find scores of ideas for putting your party together. All you need to have is an idea of what you want and you’ll be amazed at all of the complimentary small things they have that will get your creative juices flowing.
2. The founder’s name is Steve Mandell
When shoppers go into a retail store or shop online, they don’t usually think about who made their shopping trip possible, to begin with. In Party City’s case, the man who made his dream a reality is Steve Mandell. He founded Party City in 1986. He knew how difficult it could be to find the party items that you wanted in one convenient location, so he developed Party City as a business that would make it much easier for party planners to throw the perfect event.
3. Party City was started with a modest amount of investment
The multi-million dollar operation is so huge that it seems like it would have taken a big investment to get it all started. The truth of the matter is that the founder worked really hard and saved up $125,000 to get the business going. That’s not a lot, but he made it work.
4. It started in a 4,000 square feet space
The first store was opened in East Hanover, New Jersey and it started out with the name Party City. It had a humble and small beginning and there was only one store initially. The store became immensely popular and merchandise was flying off the shelves left and right. It did so with within its first year that the owner was able to start plans to open a second location.
5. People asked Mandell if they could open franchises
Once Party City caught on with the public, it was so successful that Mandell had entrepreneur’s who wished that they would have thought of the idea first, if they could open Party City franchises. This is the ultimate compliment and it was at this point that he knew that he was sitting on a gold mine in the retail industry. This is how Party City began its journey to becoming a national chain retailer.
6. The founder focused on Halloween after his first year
Halloween is a fun time of year and it’s one that people will go all out for, dressing in creepy costumes and decorating their homes and businesses. It’s the holiday that marks the end of summer and the beginning of the rest of the major holidays towards the end of the year. Mandell focused a large portion on his store with Halloween items and they sold out like gangbusters. This was a good move and to this day, Party City maintains an inventory of Halloween costumes year round. In fact, you can go into any Party City right now and find a great selection of costumes.
7. Party City is also in Hawaii and Puerto Rico
By 1993, Party City had grown so large as a retail chain store that they had a total of 58 locations open for business. With stores in all of the contiguous United States, the owner figured that it was time for the store to expand yet further. They opened a store in Hawaii and one in Puerto Rico as well. They met with the same success as the stores in the mainland had done.
8. Party City recently started selling toys
This was a brilliant move on the part of management. They developed a plan to open 50 new stores that would be called Toy City. These would be in the format of pop-up stores that would begin opening around the country in September of 2018. The decision to do so was made in June of the same year. The decision was made in response to the closing of Toys R Us. This is a new revenue source for the corporation and it will also help to fill the void that was left by the closing of the giant toy store.
9. Party City was sold by the founder
In 2005, Party City became the acquisition of Amscan Holdings, Inc. It is one of the largest manufacturer, designer, and distributor of party related products within the United States. American also purchased several other retailers including Factory Card & Party Outlet and Party America. What’s really cool about all of this is that Amscan Holdings made the decision to have all of the new companies that they acquired to operate under the brand name of Party City. It was a name that was well known, respected and beloved. Overall, it was a good strategy.
10. Party City rose to the status of largest Party good retailer in the US
It was Amscan Holdings’ acquisition of all of these large party goods retailers that made this possible. With the combination of three large and popular party supply stores, all rolled together in one amazing retail store, Party City has risen to the top level and it doesn’t show any sign that it is slowing down in its growth or in its massive popularity.
11. Party City has an e-commerce website
The owners of Party City were not about to fall behind in their sales because of failing to keep up with the times. In 2009, they launched an e-commerce website. With the growing demand of customers who prefer to do their browsing and shopping online, it was a decision that made perfect sense. One of the reasons for the recent failure of so many brick and mortar retailers is because they refused to keep up with the times and offer an online shopping resource that would keep all of their customers, especially the new and younger generation of consumers content.
12. They have a planning website
Another really helpful thing that Party City added is their Party Ideas Center. They added this to their e-commerce website in 2011, just two years after the internet version of the store had launched. This is an extremely helpful resource that both online and brick and mortar shoppers appreciate. When you know that you have to throw a party, but you don’t have any idea where to start or how to do it the right way, Party Ideas offers some really great solutions. They provide photo galleries, video tutorials, and even shopping checklists.
13. Party City is also available in Canada
In 2011, Party City made the decision to expand the business outside of the United States. They did so by acquiring a Canadian retailer called Party Packagers. When they made this move, it elevated the status of Party City beyond just the largest Party goods supplier in the United States to the largest party goods retailer in all of North America.
14. You could become a Party City Affiliate
Party City also offers a really cool affiliate program. If you’re interested in partnering with them and allowing advertisements on your website, you stand to make a healthy profit in affiliate commissions. The large retailer is always looking for ways to increase their business. This could also be beneficial for website owners who sell similar products or unique products that Party City doesn’t yet carry. They make it really easy to sign up for their affiliate program and it’s simple to add their advertisement button to your site. It’s absolutely free to become an affiliate and they supply you with some really cool banners to put on your website, but you do have to qualify by having a certain amount of daily traffic that checks out your website. If your site drives traffic to Party City and they make purchases, then you’ll be earning money from them just by sponsoring the banner.
15. They just made an announcement that signals more big growth
Just when you were convinced that Party City had grown as large as it possibly could, an announcement was made that proves that theory wrong. On September 12, 2018, Party City issued a press release that let the world know that they are making yet more acquisitions. They are in the process of acquiring 21 new franchise stores. They will be located throughout North Dakota, Texas, and Minnesota. Whatever they’re doing is working on a grand scale.
16. They bring Halloween fun to children in the hospital
Party City sponsors a variety of Halloween events for several Children’s Hospitals throughout the local communities that they serve. A good example of this is when they partnered with the famous model and television celebrity Heidi Klum to bring Halloween fun to the children and their families at the Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles. They throw these parties to help lift the spirits of families going through tough times. It’s really cool that they bring celebrities on board to assist them in their mission to help others and spread goodwill.
17. They sponsor fundraisers to help support emergency department care
Party City has a big heart when it comes to kids and the healthcare of the customers that they are here to serve. In October of this year, they partnered with a total of 14 Children’s hospitals all over the United States to raise funds that will go for emergency department care in these facilities. The fundraising efforts began in August and they run through December 27th. Customers of Party City who are interested in making a donation for the fundraiser can do so at any of the participating Party City locations.
18. Party City’s charity outreach goes beyond Children’s hospitals
Party City began fundraising for a variety of different nonprofit charitable organizations in 2011. Since that time, they have helped to raise more than $18 million that has been distributed to worthy causes that are there to support the people in American communities who are in need of assistance. Party City is big on partying with a purpose and they have been instrumental in making a big difference in thousands of lives so far.
19. They offer over 50,000 products
Party City has disclosed that they have more than fifty thousand products available for sale in their online e-commerce store. This is an overwhelming amount of retail goods. It would take a long long time to look at every item that they offer. This is why their handy search tool is so great. You just type in what you’re looking for and it will bring up a variety of choices in the category that you selected. They truly have a massive inventory and it’s almost mind-boggling. With so many different items to choose from, and more being added every day, it’s no wonder that Party City has been dubbed a one-stop shop for everything party related. With the addition of their new Toy stores, you can even pick up a birthday party gift while you’re at it.
20. Party City is a phenomenal creation
When you consider that fact that there are many famous and popular retailers that have recently gone bankrupt, reduced their outlets or have even gone out of business, it’s clear that Party City offers products and services that the public is not willing to do without. When other stores are closing shops, Party City is opening new ones…21 new locations at a time in some cases. This tells us that they are here to stay and that their loyal supporters will continue to keep them in business by purchasing the products that help them throw amazing parties.
