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Business Q&A;



When you walk inside Always a Party it looks a bit like a bunch of celebrations exploded and merged.

From the beribboned wedding archways that line the entrance to the giant boxing gloves, to the raffle wheels and the chocolate fountains, the jam-packed 4000-square-foot store on Military Road appears to have everything anyone might need to throw a great party, no matter what the event.

Owner Richard Boyle started the business about 15 years ago from a storefront on Niagara Falls Boulevard. He has since moved two times and expanded to include fresh flowers when he purchased Abby’s Loft five years ago and added it to his business.

Boyle, a Lew-Port High School graduate who trained at the Culinary Institute of America, has cooked and/or managed locations including the Niagara Club, the Yankee Girl in Youngstown and the Delaware Park Casino. He sat down recently to share some thoughts on his evolution as the life of the party:

QUESTION: People must tell you often that this seems like it would be a really fun business?

ANSWER: It’s nice. Ninety percent of what we do is make people happy. Normally we’re doing weddings and children’s parties and everyone’s happy ... however, there are weekends we’re blowing up 5,000 or 6,000 balloons. Then it doesn’t seem as fun as you would think.

Q: Tell me about some of your strangest gigs?

A: A lot of our set up requires us to be backstage. We did an event at Kleinhan’s when the Barenaked Ladies were in town. We were setting up and all of a sudden we heard on-stage what sounded like a bunch of guys goofing around and having a good time ...Turned out it was Barenaked Ladies.

Q: Wow. That’s cool. Plus, you told me you did a job for the World Wrestling Federation?

A: They called us at noon. They wanted 1,000 balloons to drop by five o’clock that evening. It was a little bit of a challenge to get that done. “Just in case,” (makes quotes with his fingers) their wrestler won they wanted the balloons to drop. But it was neat.

Q: Did their wrestler win?

A: Of course, it’s wrestling.

Q: So, how did this all start? You said you were working at the Niagara Club?

A: We started off catering. I had members asking me ‘where do we get the limos,’ or ‘where do we get the invitations.’ It just kind of spun off from there. We started with limos, using other limos companies. Then I traded in the car I was driving and used a credit card and got my first limo.

Q: Are you still doing limos?

A: I don’t do limos anymore. Right now I have 13-year-old and 14-year-old daughters. When they were young limos were a 24-hour business. A lot of time you’re getting called at 3 or 4 in the morning to pick someone up. With my little kids, it just didn’t make sense to continue that route.

Q: This store really seems to offer something for everybody. Let’s try to name some of the things you do. You do tuxedo rentals, fresh flowers, what else?

A: We also do children’s entertainment, wedding arches, party decorating, balloons, disc jockeys, music videos, a lot of interactive stuff. We do a lot of weddings and corporate events, as well as lighting, cash boxes, characters, clowns, musicians, jugglers, caricature artists ...

Q: Wow ... that’s a lot.

A: And we’re strictly a family business. I always say anything I do I want to be able to do it in front of my grandmother and not feel bad about it.

Q. That is a beautiful attitude!

A: I tell my DJs that anything you say on the mike, just picture your grandma out there. Would it be OK to say it? If the answer is no, don’t say it. It’s not how we want to run things. It’s now how we want to do things.

Q: So what’s goal for your business?

A: I guess the reason I do anything is for my children ... I want to make a better life for my kids. That’s everybody’s goal, I assume. That’s why the children’s entertainment part is so special, seeing the smiles on the kids. To me it’s all about the kids.

Q: Your degrees are in cooking. Do you still cook?

A: We still cater. We do all the food at the St. John’s carnival. I’m a little pickier I guess on my catering. I’m actually a certified chef from the American Culinary Institute. Because of that I like to do more of the higher-end catering.

Q: I can only imagine that when you’re having a party people must come expecting a big hullabaloo.

A: Yeah (smiles). Wintertime we’re a little slower so that’s when I do my big party. In 2005, I won 97 Rock’s Best Super Bowl Party.

Q: Oh, really? How’d you do that?

A: I do it outside in tents. There’s about 200 to 300 people there. I have seven projection screen TVs, Playstations for the kids, dart boards, Jacuzzis. I have 12 household furnaces that actually run the party and I put down wall-to-wall green indoor outdoor carpeting.

Q: Sounds amazing. But you set the bar so high I bet people must be reluctant to invite you to their parties?

A: (Laughs) No, we go to a lot of people’s parties. But, when I won 97 Rock’s Super Bowl Party it was funny because I was getting phone calls. (Puts his hand to his ear like he’s on the phone) Yeah, we live like four blocks away, we’re practically neighbors, do you mind if we come over to your party?

Q: You know you’re going to get more calls from people who want to go to your party, don’t you?

A: (Laughs) Yeah. Probably.

Contact reporter Michele DeLucaat 282-2311, ext. 2263.