The Corner Balloon Shoppe

What happens when your homegirl asks you to throw a hip-​hop baby shower?
Step 1: You say «yes,» because that challenge must be accepted.
Step 2: You visit the Corner Balloon Store and ask for a hip-​hop baby balloon centerpiece.
Don’t believe me? Peep the photo.
As a person that throws crazy fun parties for a living, I didn’t start seriously preparing for the baby shower until a week or so before. (If you’re interested, it was officially titled Bumpin’ Big Badass Baby Bash Bonanza.) My vision for this craziness consisted of the following:
–French Prince of Bel-​Air-​inspired plates, utensils, and cups.
–Savory Laotian eats made by the soon-to-be-mother’s fam bam.
–Gin and juice baby bottle drankin’.
–Run DMC blastin’ in the background.
But the party seriously lacked an element that would tie all of these great elements together. Thus, my girlfriend and I dropped by the Corner Balloon Shoppe a couple days before the bash to find some ideas.
At first glance, you’ll notice that it’s not the grandest biz, and the store’s selection won’t blow your mind. However, you will be blown away by their incredibly friendly service and genuine enthusiasm to tackle any type of challenge. My girlfriend asked if they could make balloon centerpiece appropriate for a hip-​hop baby shower, and they replied, «sure!» After bouncin’ some ideas off of one another, we decided to order 1) one gigantic baby rocking a gold pacifier and cocked hat and 2) a boom box that had the words «babiez4lyfe.»
Saturday morning I picked both up, AND THEY WERE SERIOUSLY SPECTACULAR. I couldn’t believe the immaculate awesomeness of the hip-​hop baby and the boom box came with custom writing as promised.
I brought these balloons to the baby shower, and throughout the bash attendees kept complimenting us by saying, «holy s***, I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.» A good number asked where we got them. Practically everyone said it was the most bada** baby shower of all time. ALL TIME. Mainly because of the balloons, I think.
Was it worth $ 60+? Hell yeah. Would we do it again? Hell yeah. If you’re looking for an amazing and unique gift, should you head to The Corner Balloon Shoppe? Hell. Yeah.

Very impressed with the service and quality. Great to work with and got exactly what I wanted. The balloons were the hit of the party! Not the closest to where we live but well worth the extra drive.

I got some last minute speciality balloons here for my boyfriend to congratulate him on a new job. The person I talked to, Lynn, was not only helpful on the phone, but also very helpful in person. She helped me pick out color schemes for my balloon arrangement and was able to tie in balloons that didn’t necessarily go with one another (I really wanted the sock monkey!). I also ended up getting a singing balloon — you just tap it and it plays!
They really do a thoughtful job of arranging balloons here and it seems like they take pride in what they do. They even think of the little things, like putting liquid into the balloons to coat the inside so that they stay inflated longer. They also had some really neat holiday ideas, including a Santa balloon coming out of a chimney, and little gift boxes. Not only is this place convenient for me since I live in Uptown, I really enjoyed the array of balloons that they had and the customer service as well. I will definitely go back again!

Helpful, friendly and prompt. Prices seemed reasonable to me.

When you’re in a party-​planning pinch, this place is fine. However, it is really expensive in comparison to Litin, my go-​to. I remember comparing the prices of getting simple helium balloons blown up. I can’t remember the exact difference, but it was enough of a price mark-​up (like, 50−75%) that I probably won’t be back. If could lower their prices, I’d come here fairly often since I have plenty of balloons to blow up on a regular basis for Unilocal events. Though, I’m sure their Hennepin Ave. rent has something to do with it.
Their selection of other party things is meager and some of it’s a little cheaply made. That said, they seem popular for balloon constructions at graduations and private occasions (there were lots of arrangements behind the counter), so maybe that’s what they do better.
This used to be Tuthill’s Balloons until maybe a year ago.