King Party Center

Yay! My uptown party needs have been met. There used to be a King’s Party Center on 125^th Street that was my go to for everything party: costumes, decorations, goody bags, treats, plates, etc. They closed last Spring and I’ve been bummed ever since, relegated to searching through sad dusty aisles of CVS and Rite Aid for fun party accessories and buying boring paper products at the grocery store. Who wants white plates at their Luau? Not this girl.
Anyhoo, I knew that my old love had a sister in the Bronx, but the trip scared me off all these months (and three barely decorated parties) later. But my deep need for flower leis and my wish to avoid the plague that is the Party city on 14^th Street got me to hop up there on my lunch hour. Little did I know that once you walk up the stairs onto 3^rd Ave off the ²⁄₃ express stop at 149^th Street, King Party Center is right there at the entrance to the subway. Seriously, couldn’t be easier to get to. This location has a basement level that is currently getting tricked out for Halloween. The first floor is as chock full of dozens of great coordinated party sets, balloons, and fun random items as the old King’s on 125. Even the security guard and cashier who had sold me so many hundreds of dollars worth of items were there! (King’s price point is inexpensive, but I throw a lot of parties, and I love tacky decorations perhaps too much.) I could feel my blood pressure dropping as I walked the aisles with tissue paper centerpieces swinging in my wake and cocked my head up to check out the various pinatas hanging above. I was home.