May 17, 2017

Meet Simon Kuonen of Party Bazaar in University Park

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Simon Kuonen.

Simon, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Party Bazaar is truly an old fashion neighborhood store. We aren’t sure of the exact year that we opened; however, the first phone book advertisement we are able to find was from 1952. We have been in the same location on Lovers Lane for over 60 years. I personally have been in the store almost 18 years, and am seeing people that were children have kids of their own. We strive to offer a boutique experience but with discount prices. We have a wide array of high end party items as well as reasonably priced party essentials. From Crane© wedding invitations to latex birthday balloons we are able to make any party happen.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
We are very fortunate. As I stated in response to a prior question we truly are an old fashion neighborhood ‘mom & pop’ store. The community supports us, and in turn we serve the community. However, it has become increasingly difficult to compete with internet based commerce when it is possible for someone to have party supplies delivered to their door with the click of a mouse. We strive to find unique items that are of a higher quality than you might find online. Because of this, our customers know they can trust our products. We also have to combat the stereotype that we are more expensive because of our location in the Park cities and the fact we aren’t a national chain. While we don’t portray ourselves as a ‘discount party store’ many of our party essentials & favors are less expensive than those found in chain stores.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
We specialize in the unique, dealing with over 500 different suppliers, striving to find quality products to make your party a success. We are very customer oriented and try help each and every customer on an individual basis. Offering a wide array of high end paper goods like Crane, William Arthur, Caspari, Design Design, IHR makes finding the perfect look easy. From Kentucky Derby to Texas OU weekend we have decorations and supplies, and celebrate every holiday. We also carry a wide array of collegiate party supplies, and generally have team specific items when different teams play locally. For instance, when Michigan and Florida play in the Cowboy’s Classic on September 2, 2017 in Arlington we will have balloons, napkins, pennants, and other tailgating décor.

Contact Info: