Parents scramble to find cheap supplies for grad parties after Party City closures

Tracy Berkovitz had a chaotic Friday morning. She was in the final stretch of a marathon effort to plan her son's high school graduation party and still needed a tablecloth and other last-minute supplies.

"I have hit up two different Walmart's. I've looked at Michaels. I've been to Cub. I've looked at Target. I looked online at different places. I've ordered from Amazon," said Berkovitz last week, right before her son's graduation from Rosemount High School. "So I've gone to multiple different places looking for the stuff that I used to be able to get at Party City."

Party City, the one-stop shop for party decorations and supplies, went bankrupt in April and closed its metro-area stores earlier this year. Last year, Berkovitz threw a graduation party for her daughter, and she bought virtually all the supplies from the store. Now she and other parents are crisscrossing the Twin Cities, finding barren shelves and overbooked vendors as they try to give their graduates the celebration they've earned.

Jenna Culley, an event planner who runs two businesses helping plan and supply events, she said she has seen an uptick in inquiries for things like colorful tablecloths and other linens this year. Parents are specifically asking her for linens matching their kids' school colors.

For other supplies, she said that many people are turning toward online outlets like Amazon and Etsy. But balloons can't get filled with helium online. While places like Michaels have helium and some party supplies, specialty shops can be more useful, she said.

"I would recommend people looking for local balloon shops," Culley said. "As a fellow small business owner, I highly recommend doing just a little extra legwork and seeing who you can support locally."

With graduation season in full swing, last-minute shoppers might not have much luck. Berkovitz called around to several balloon shops, but many small balloon businesses have also closed in recent years. Balloon Connection, based in Eagan, delivers across the metro and started taking orders for graduation parties in January. It was booked all of last weekend.

Berkovitz got her balloons filled at Cub. But she said that if Party City were still open, it would have been both seamless and cheaper. She estimates she spent $8.99 on a balloon bouquet for the last party versus $15 this year.

"They delivered the balloons the morning of like it was so easy," Berkovitz said. "They had every balloon color under the sun. When you go to other places, they don't have that, and you can't get that."

For last-minute shoppers, there's still hope

For Amy Lebeau, Thursday was a day for celebration. Her son graduated from Lakeville South High School, and she was waiting outside the University of Minnesota's 3M Arena at Mariucci to give him his first congratulatory hug.

For his party, she rented a gazebo at a local park and will be decking it out with banners, his graduation cap and a fun DIY display of childhood photos.

"They were just pallet boards that we had twine wrapped around, and then we used little, tiny, teeny clothespins, wooden clothespins, to put the pictures up," Lebeau said.

With Party City gone, this year she was still able to get all the necessary supplies without breaking the bank. She went to Costco, Walmart, Dollar Tree and discovered Eden's Party Supply Store in Apple Valley.

As a now rare full-service party shop, Eden's, which opened in late April, has balloons, gift bags, plates, tablecloths and many other party necessities.

"It has been a huge uptick, we have been selling out and reordering more and more inventory," said Gigi Muluken, a worker at Eden's.

Berkovitz recognizes that having to drive to five different stores for party decorations may seem like a trivial problem. But in the end, her efforts mean that her son will be able to have a graduation party that looks and feels like a celebration.

Saturday's party was a success and her son really enjoyed it, she said Monday. For her, all the work was worth it — because it's nothing compared to the work her son put in to walk across the stage at 3M Arena and throw his cap into the air.

"Graduating from high school is hard. I think that everybody as an adult forgets how hard it is in high school," Berkovitz said. "It's a lot of work. My kids worked hard, and I want to throw them a party to celebrate them."