Rising to the occasion

SUN CITY – Lesley Cowles believes in creditability, reliability, and good customer service. With this formula, her home-based business, The Balloon Cottage, has gone “sky high” in sales. It’s a business that she considers an unexpected gift.

One of the many designs The Balloon Cottage offers.

It all started eleven years ago, when a friend in Barrington purchased a store that carried balloons. Her friend didn’t want to sell them, so Lesley bought them from her, along with the rest of the equipment, hoping her church would have some use for them. However, the church wasn’t interested. Left with the balloons, Lesley realized that some of the patrons from the store wanted balloons for certain occasions but didn’t want to go to a grocery store. They liked the custom balloons that Lesley offered, even though the grocery store was a closer drive from home. When people would order the balloons from Lesley, sometimes they didn’t come to pick them up, so Lesley began delivering the orders, and that’s when her business began to really take off.

“While the customer was expecting to see this little ol’ lady delivering the product, I would dress up and present a professional image,” Cowles said.

Her business grew steadily. Sometimes she would find herself providing thousands of balloons for politicians, especially during an election year, when she would deck out the parades. Other venues included banquet halls, churches, schools, fundraisers, and private parties.

Impressed with her creativity, some of Cowles’ customers would ask, “What else can you do?” So Lesley began making chocolates with photos on them for party favors.

“I would oversee the [customer’s] event to make sure it went well: centerpieces, Bar Mitzvahs, etc. My customer service was to create an atmosphere without spending a lot of money.” Cowles expertise includes showing her customer that the children present could help make it the event more “meaningful and affordable.”

Lesley and her husband, Dave, moved to Sun City about seven years ago, and she began working fulltime as a Special Event Coordinator, offering her skills in decorating Drendel Hall for small gatherings.

“Sun City was a client of mine while I still lived in Barrington. I still maintain my previous clients from Barrington and the North Shore. A lot of my business was by word of mouth,” Cowles said. “And then we decided to advertise and bought this huge van with our logo, besides advertising in the yellow pages. At that time, it [Cowles’ balloon business] became a fulltime job.”

But after five years, Cowles decided to switch to a part-time schedule as the Special Event Coordinator, making more time for her family and her business.

“It’s our fun thing, a happy job,” she says.

Being a balloon decorator means you also go to school to learn different techniques. Then, as a decorator, one learns what works and what doesn’t work so well. When decorating tables for a banquet, for example, Cowles says it’s important that in a bouquet of balloons, each layer is the same height from the table. “This can be a challenge, but also is rewarding.”

Being a in the balloon business has it’s economic challenges as well. One helium tank can blow up 400 balloons, but Cowles notes that “The price of helium has soared, as there is a shortage of helium.”

“It’s not as easy as it looks,” Cowles said of the balloon business, but it certainly can be delightful.

Lesley shared a wonderful experience with a grandmother in Sun City, who hosted a graduation party for her granddaughter. Together, she and Lesley took a three-inch balloon, stuffed it with 11” x 5” balloons–some filled with $100 bills on the inside of the balloons.

The Balloon Cottage caters to about five events a week, some large, some small, and works also with in tandem with Huntley Floral. Cowles just participated in a flower delivery and recently provided a big arch for the McHenry County Senior Woodstock Christian Life Service. She also has created arches for running races and Cancer walks.

“It’s not only important to thank your florist,” says Cowles, “but to thank the vendor as well. We stay pretty competitive.”

What’s been most fun for Lesley is “the unusual needs and trying to create what the customer wants.” And Lesley rises to each occasion.

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