Southport Magazine

Tis the season to be jolly, and though our celebrations might stray from the norm this year, one tradition still firmly in place is holiday shopping. Party Time in Southport has all your holiday greeting and decorating needs, and now CARD$MART is now part of the mix. We spoke to the Party Time family about the celebrations business in 2020, and how the store can help us deck the halls and ring in the New Year. 

1. We know Party Time has been a part of the community for many years – how long have you been in business? 

Party Time has been a family-owned and operated business in the Southport area since 1996. We started as a mother/daughter team and have grown to add more family members. We all aim to give each customer individualized attention and ensure that every customer leaves satisfied. If we don’t have what they are looking for, we try and find someone locally who does. All of our donations stay local to help meet needs in our community.

2. Tell us about adding CARD$MART — how has that added to or changed the business? 

Adding CARD$MART has been a huge learning curve for us. We have always carried some gifts but nothing like we do now. Jewelry, clothing, and larger ticket items are a whole new ballgame. Vendors wanted us to order all our items back in march because of the pandemic. Ordering that kind of volume not knowing what the future would hold was very scary. We also took on the laser engraving. It’s been a process learning all the tricks and proper techniques. The biggest and best change has been our volume of business. CARD$MART has a huge following, so we have pretty much doubled our customer base. Everyone loves the changes we have made to our building and our inventory. 

3. We’ve been asking business owners how they’ve been dealing with the pandemic— how has it affected your operations?

We sanitize all our common areas (counters, door handles, credit card machine) daily with microban 24-hr spray. All employees and customers must wear face masks before entering the building. We maintain separate exits and entrances. Customers are encouraged to stay 6 ft apart.

4. Whatever else is going on, people always have things to celebrate, like birthdays, holidays, graduations and weddings — how has planning for celebrations and gift giving changed? 

Large parties are no longer an option so our customers have come up with some creative ways to still celebrate special occasions, such as drive-through parties and parades when they decorate their vehicles to show love and support.

5. What have you leaned these last several months that will help you going forward after things return to normal?

We have learned that there is no normal. Things are constantly changing and you just have to roll along with it and adjust.

6. What can you tell our readers about your Christmas items? What can people find in your store to help bring this year to an end and welcome 2021? 

This year Christmas is all about the lights and unfortunately the masks. Glitter lanterns, light-up gnomes, and fun and fashionable holiday masks. I think people are ready to have some fun and show their personality in whatever ways we can. With fewer people traveling to see family, we are selling more cards than ever, and at 50 percent off, it’s very affordable. For New Year’s, I think people will still celebrate, just in smaller groups. I know everybody is ready to kiss 2020 GOODBYE!!