Employees from closed shop open new balloon business in north Spokane

With dozens of businesses closing during an economic disaster caused by the pandemic, two entrepreneurs decided it was time to open a business designed to bring smiles to customers’ faces.

Tony Stevenson and Bev Newcomb have opened Spokane Balloons at 6210 N. Division St., which is in the Tombari Center just east of Tomato Street North Division. 

Both Stevenson and Newcomb had worked for the corporate-owned Party City before it closed Feb. 1.

That’s not to be confused with the privately owned Party Palace, which was a longtime balloon shop recently closed by the Duncan family.

Both Stevenson and Newcomb worked for Party City and have had ongoing discussions with the Duncans, who have graciously sent their business north to the new Spokane Balloons, which opened July 20. The store hours are 8 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays, and 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

“We spent a lot of time weighing the risks,” Stevenson said. “It’s funny. We decided to go into business when there was the biggest risk of all. But, we decided to plow through it anyway.”

The business, which claims to offer balloons for everybody from ages 1 to 100, offers delivery at a flat rate of $9.99 anywhere in the Spokane area, and has been well received, he said.

“It gets better every day as people get word-of-mouth and people Google us,” he said. “We have been getting orders from all over the country; from New York City, Anchorage and San Diego. They call because they have relatives in Spokane that they want us to deliver to.”

Stevenson worked at Party City with Newcomb, who worked as that store’s assistant manager. The first hurdle the business partners had to overcome was where to get helium, which became scarce early in the pandemic.

Once that was solved, they still had their supplier connections and just needed to determine all the logistics, including a location. Everything took about 18 months to figure out. And then, of course, they decided to open during a pandemic.

“That was a little scary,” Newcomb said. “But so far, things have lined up just perfect and things have been going unbelievably well.”

She said the smiles never get old.

“My favorite part is delivering balloons to little boys who just turned 8 or anybody who has a surprise,” she said. “Everybody is thrilled that we are here.”

Stevenson, who moved to Spokane three years ago from the West Side, said the shop has three former Party City employees .

“When they closed it up, we didn’t want to work for corporations anymore. We wanted to run our own, local business,” he said. “A lot of customers tell us, ‘We like shopping local.’ It’s a lot easier for them to support a local business that keeps the dollars in town.”

In May, Dan and Michelle Duncan closed Party Palace, which they privately operated since 1987. 

“We went in and checked out what (the Duncans) had,” Newcomb said. “They’ve been wonderful. They have been great sending people our way and helping us out a great deal.”