Business Profile: Party Stop, Cortlandt
There are not many people who can say they have been an integral part of thousands of strangers’ celebrations and milestone moments without being on the invitation list.
Alan Ortner and his family are not party crashers. Instead, since 1984, he and his parents, Elaine and Joe, have helped make the festivities special with decorations and other party goods purchased from one of their once four Party Stop locations.
“Our motto is ‘your party starts here’ and it’s the truth,” said Ortner, a Cortlandt resident who manages the last remaining store on Route 6 near Kohl’s department store. “Most of our customers come in a great mood because they’re here to celebrate something. Because of that you enjoy coming to work every morning.”
Open seven days a week, October is one of Party Stop’s busiest months with Halloween. Mindful of the shaky economic times, Ortner said they have cut down on high priced costumes and have increased the selection of accessories. He noted adults are the biggest consumer group of Halloween merchandise.
“Some people are addicted to Halloween. It’s fascinating. It’s like they are kids in a candy store,” Ortner said. “The adults are more into it than their children. The adults want to outdo their neighbor. It’s the one day adults can act like children and not be ridiculed for it.”
Last year, the fluke October snowstorm saddled Ortner with extra merchandise he had purchased for the inevitable last minute rush of costume seekers that never materialized.
“Halloween can make you or break you,” he said. “We’ll do as much the last three days then we do the whole month.”
New Year’s Eve is also a profitable time for Party Stop, while weddings and showers also help pay the bills. Another part of the business that continues to expand is balloons, particularly design-oriented balloons, according to Ortner.
“There’s a particular theme that customers want,” he said, adding Party Stop delivers balloons and has also partnered with a company in Peekskill that provides tables, chairs and tents.
“The party industry is holding its own,” Ortner said. “Costs have been rising but we have maintained prices. Ninety percent of the party goods we purchase are made in the United States.”
With increasing competition from department stores and drug stores that offer a small selection of holiday and party supplies, Ortner said Party Stop not only has competitive prices, but also knowledgeable employees and everything a customer could desire for a celebration in one place.
For the Halloween season, Party Stop is open to 10 p.m. some days and employs 15 additional workers to handle the influx of customers looking for individual attention.
“The majority of our employees have been here a long time. They know the store better sometimes than I do,” Ortner said. “I never feel like I know it all and we always listen to the customer. We have everything in one spot and if we don’t have something, nine times out of 10 we can find it for the customer in a few days. Even though we’ve been here almost 30 years people come in almost every day and say they didn’t know we were here. Then when they leave they say they would have been lost without us.”
Ortner said he never had any intention of following in his parents’ footsteps and eventually taking over the business, but increased travel in his previous profession led him to try to make a living where he and his children were educated in Lakeland schools.
“I swore I would never do it,” Ortner said of working in the party industry. “I live local. This is where my heart is. We’re very community minded and we’re always helping out the schools. As long as it’s fun, I’ll keep doing it.”
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
