Bolana Party Supplies

Whenever I have a party and need some decorations, this store is there for me. I was planning a half-​luau/​half-​mexican themed party for me and my roommates housewarming. They had little pinatas, hawaiian necklaces (lei?) and lots of planning advice. The lady that runs the place is very nice, and knows me by name. If you ever stop by, tell her I said hi.

I should’ve known better just from the outside, but I decided to give it a chance since I was so rushed.
Bolana is run down. And though I know a lot of old places in Galveston have been kept up and preserved, this place is not one of them. The building is falling apart, there is a strange odor inside, and everything just seems like it is out of the 70s.
I was looking to get some decorations for a farewell party and stopped in for a few minutes. The left room was a lot of wedding materials – all cheap and chintzy. The right room was filled with children’s costumes, balloons, and Mardi Gras beads. The middle room had some pinatas (evidently they do custom work as well).
I think my big city ways are finally catching up with me because my shock was undeniable. I found something half-​way not cheesy in their store to give as a gift, but needed it wrapped. They only had one size of bags and they were tiny. So we decided to wrap it in paper. But they only had birthday paper. I gave up and put it back on the (dusty) shelf.
Considering the area of town and the lack of cleanliness in the store, I’m guessing that they don’t get a lot of business. The women were both nice, but very slow – it is the island way of life. Getting ten balloons was a very painful process since evidently it takes quite a bit of time to fill them up with helium and attach a string.
If I were desperate for a children’s birthday party, I may come here for supplies, but only after I’d exhausted my other options. Places like this remind me that I’m spoiled by having so much around in a big city like Houston.