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When an ordinary
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H ifi
3144 SE Belmont
Portland, OR 97214
office: 503-238-7617
Balloons on Broadway owners celebrate 14 years in business
by Rebecca Ragain
hen Ron Pitt and Gary Hop new addition—is also very gay-oriented. Hop
ping met nearly 20 years ping first started by playing music from his own
ago, neither one planned on collection to set a fun, upbeat tone in the store.
making a business out of bal-
“It kind of has that nighretub-with-the-
loons. Yet in early June they lights-on feel sometimes,” says Hopping.
celebrated the 14th anniversary of
their joint
Customers
enjoyed the music and wanted to
endeavor, Balkxins on Broadway.
know where they could buy it. Pitt and Hopping
The two gay store owners have evolved a stocked the store with a test-run strip of five
two-pronged approach to their business. Pitt CDs, and it just kept growing from there. Now
handles the balloon side of things—event deco Balloons on Broadway’s selection of hard-to-
rating and bouquet delivery—while Hopping find music is so well-known that local DJs come
masterminds rhe retail portion of the downtown in to browse and talk shop.
store, which includes a wide selection of quirky
“That’s where we got quite a strong follow
ing with the young gay crowd,” says Pitt.
cards and gifts.
Despite the one-sided name, the two aspects
The music choices also appeal to the store’s
of the business are equally important to the bread-and-butter customers: straight, middle-
financial health of Balloons on Broadway. On aged women who work downtown, many of
whom live in the suburbs.
“We are opening the gay world to
them: gay music and gay humor and just a
gay sensibility,” says Pitt.
In this manner Hopping and Pitt feel
like they’re helping bridge a cultural gap.
But that gap is no longer as pronounced as
it was in the past, like in the mid-1990s,
when Pitt had to threaten legal action to
get the store listed in the yellow pages
under the heading “condoms.”
“We’ve gone from pushing the gay
issue, because we have progressed so far
here in Portland. Now it’s more of social
issues, progressive social issues,” says Pitt.
Though they’ve always been true to
themselves in their business dealings,
they are now consciously taking more of a
stand within the space of the store, using
humor to make political statements.
“People who come in and see some of
our jokes about George Bush get all dis
gusted and walk out.... It got pretty vitri
olic during the last election,” says Pitt.
“And I know we lost customers—people
who’ve been longtime customers.”
It’s not easy seeing customers walk out
when you’re trying to thrive in the chal
lenging retail environment of downtown
Gary Hopping (left) and Ron Pitt have been changing
Portland.
the retail climate of downtown Portland for 14 years.
“Downtown retail is very difficult.
some days, card sales in the store are jumping We’re competing with so many places, like
but balloon orders are slow. Other days the sce Bridgeport Village,” says Pitt.
nario is reversed.
Still, they don’t plan to tone it down any
On both sides, return customers are what time soon.
really keep the business afloat.
“We just simply are who we are.... We’ve
“We have really regular business, consistent never really compromised. We know we’re not
repeat business,” says Pitt.
everybody’s tastes,” says Pitt.
The bulk of their balloon work is for non
On the flip side, being themselves has also
profit organizations—fund-raisers, silent auc won them a lot of customers. Ir an age of box
tions and the like. They’ve been doing the main stores, many people recognize that such a
arch at the Pride Parade since Balloons on unique retail combination is a rare find. Where
Broadway opened, and they decorated for Pea else do librarian action figures, erotic board
cock in the Park every year.
games, mullet magnets and bacon air fresheners
Their balloon creations also have become an all share the same shelves?
integral part of corporate events like the Port
“We’re kind of a dying breed. It’s tough
land Marathon and many of Nordstrom’s in to find quirky stores these days,” explains
store promotions.
Hopping.
“Balloons have become a really big part of
As a result, the store has become a destina
Nordstrom’s sale marketing,” says Hopping.
tion in and of itself through the years. For
The two business partners have a talent for instance, out-of-state flight attendants have
recognizing and filling a niche, which has been been known to specifically request the Portland
a large part of the success of the retail store. For route when they run low on greeting cards.
instance, Pitt and Hopping felt like there was a
“People come to us. And we like that. We
dearth of gay-supportive ticket venues in the like to be able to hold court where we are,” says
downtown area. So during the past couple of Pitt. “You know, the two queens holding
years the store has become a ticket outlet for gay court.” jn
events like the Red Dress Party and The Rocky
Horror Show.
B alloons on B roadway is located at 617 S.W.
The store’s music selection—a relatively Washington St.
W