EventPro Magazine - Spring 2015 EventPro Magazine Spring 2016 | Page 18

Know Your Vendor
Northland Party: The Party Starts Here
By: Holly Kelsey-Henry

For more than 20 years, the McKechnie family has
owned and operated the largest party and balloon supply
store in Duluth. Their long standing experience,
professionalism and commitment to customer service
have made the business the go-to, one-stop shop for all
things celebratory.
First known as Paper Warehouse and then Party
America, the family-owned business continues to
evolve and change under daughter Mariah McKechnie’s
direction, with a new name - Northland Party, and
a new location at 5009 Matterhorn Drive.
Despite the growth and evolution of the business, one
thing remains the same – the team’s desire to provide
customers with a full-service party planning experience
that enables them to make lasting memories with their
friends and family through celebration.
“The entire Northland Party staff looks forward to
celebrating every day with our customers,” Mariah
says.“Northland Party offers the largest selection of
retail party supplies and balloons in the Northland,
and we add to that our vast experience and personal
approach to helping our customers. When people come
in here they are just blown away with the great selection
and our ability to identify with the customer’s needs.”
The business caters to holiday parties, employee
recognition, graduations, weddings, birthdays, grand
openings, branding and product launches, annual
meetings, team-building activities, conventions,
anniversaries, baby and bridal showers, and a wide
variety of other events.
Northland Party also specializes in theme parties, from
luaus to fiestas, to the Super Bowl and Kentucky Derby.
Customers can celebrate the Emmys or the Oscars with
their own Hollywood Party decked out with glamorous
decorations – complete with red carpet, wall hangings,
centerpieces, and star accessories. Or they can host a

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casino party right at home, with red and black themed
tableware sets, heart, spade, club, and diamond printed
plates, cups, napkins, and customized invitations, favors,
and banners.
“Everything about Northland Party says fun,” Mariah
says. “People get so much joy out of planning their
parties and coming in here for everything from party favors to
Halloween costumes and decorations. When people come
into the store, you can just see them getting excited about
their event.”
While the store carries everything from invitations to
wrapping paper to bulk tableware for weddings, a large
portion of its business is balloons. “From arches, balloon
drops, or whatever someone wants, we canfigure out how
to build it out of balloons,” Mariah says. “We have the
experience.”
She notes that balloons are an easy, and affordable, party
decoration that add color and bling to any event. The store
offers a huge selection of balloons, from latex and Mylar
to licensed character designs.Northland Party also carries
glow sticks and confetti that can be placed inside the
balloons to give them a celebratory look.
Not a fan of balloons or want a more sophisticated
look?Paper lanterns are a great alternative. They come in a
variety of colors and patterns, andare also reusable.
“That is the unique thing about Northland Party,”
Mariah notes. “We’ve been doing this so long, we are full
of ideas. We’ve been here for 20 years because we are
creative and have a solid track record. We couldn’t do
what we do without an amazing team, made up of all ages
and all backgrounds who have a passion for seeing people
celebrate. We have so much fun and that spills over to
those who come into the store.”
For more information, visit northlandparty.com or call
[phone].