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What is it like to open a small business in Tacoma during a pandemic?
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\nNatalie Bowman from Oh Happy Day Party Shop and her husband moved to Tacoma a few years back. Just before the pandemic hit they went into the party shop business.\xa0
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\nHow Oh Happy Day Party Shop Came to Tacoma
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\nOh Happy Day Party Shop was originally located in San Francisco, and after buying the business, Natalie packed it up and moved it to a 4,000-square-foot warehouse in Tacoma\u2019s McKinley neighborhood. Oh Happy Day does not have a storefront in Tacoma, but you can find their products in a few local shops in Tacoma (including Paper Luxe and The Curious Bear). Natalie's party shop sells products throughout the U.S., and last year they sold in 22 countries outside of the U.S. and they offer wholesale in 9 different countries. (Yeah, Oh Happy Day is a pretty big deal to have right here in Tacoma!)\xa0
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\nOf course, during the COVID-19 pandemic, people have had to think differently about how they can celebrate the special moments in their lives. This has of course had a big impact on the party supply business.
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\nIn this episode, Natalie Bowman shares her insight on several things, including:\xa0
\nWhat she\u2019s learned about setting up a small business in Tacoma\xa0
\nWhy it's important for local media and people with large followings to amplify small businesses in Tacoma\xa0
\nHow people are celebrating differently now (people are still having parties with small groups, and people seem to be celebrating smaller moments more often)\xa0
\nTips for making small gatherings special (balloons, balloons, and more balloons! You don\u2019t even need helium!)\xa0
\nWhy Tacomans should keep speaking up about businesses in your community that you love and find ways to continue to support them\u2014so many businesses are just trying to stay afloat