retail profiles // sexy // wally’s party factory and card & party factory

Number of locations: 31
Square footage of primary location: 25,000
Location: Ennis, TX
Phone: (972) 875-6971
E-mail: Nancy.Bauman@erwindistributing.com
Year Opened: 1973
www.WallysPartyFactory.com

Ted Vayos, BODY: Describe your store.

Walter Erwin: Based in Ennis, Texas, Wally’s Party Factory, which also does business as Card & Party Factory, is the largest privately held, family owned chain of independent party supply stores in the United States. We have grown steadily into one of the nation’s best multi-channel party supply and Halloween costume merchants. Key product categories include:
-Party Supplies
-Costumes
-Balloons
-Catering Supplies
-Children’s Party
-Special Occasion Party
-Theme Parties
-Birthdays
-Weddings
-Baby Shower
-Gift Wrap
-Greeting Cards
-Candy
-Gifts and Novelties
-Custom and Preprinted Invitations, Cups, Buttons, Magnets, t-shirts and Napkins
-Custom Indoor/Outdoor Banners
-Seasonal items for Halloween, Christmas, New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, Mardi Gras, Easter, Graduation and just about any other holiday you can think of!

Ted: What makes your store special?

Walter: Customers come to Wally’s because we are devoted to helping them celebrate the most important events in their lives by providing unrivaled customer service, offering an excellent selection of the best products and pricing those products competitively. We also give back to our local communities, each of which we treat as our home.

Ted: What are the latest trends?

Walter: One of the popular trends we are currently seeing in our stores is the moustache trend which started with the “hipster” crowd and grew in popularity to mainstream America. We sell everything from adhesive moustaches to moustache mood rings and moustache finger tattoos. Another style/trend we saw this Halloween was the neon craze. Our stores featured an entire section devoted to neon/the 1980’s with colorful tutus, leg warmers and wigs. Lastly, this was also a popular year for superheroes with movie release like The Avengers and Batman.

Ted: Describe your price points and size ranges?

Walter: In regards to Halloween costumes, Wally’s offers an extensive selection from value priced to deluxe costumes to fit many different types of budgets. Wally’s carries something for the entire family in a wide size assortment of sizes from infant and toddler to plus size, which are priced competitively.

Ted: What is your typical or average customer size?

With adult costumes, one of our best-selling categories is plus size. This is particularly popular online as it may be hard to find a wide selection of plus size costumes in stores at other retailers.

Ted: What does the average customer spend per visit to your store?

Walter: The average customer spends around $50 per visit to our store. This price range is typically reflective of planning a complete party including invitations/thank you notes, balloons, decorations, favors and tableware.

Ted: Describe your customer.

Walter: Our customer base is primarily made up of adult females ranging in age from 25-55 years old. This demographic often includes mothers who come into our stores to shop for their kids and are looking for birthday party supplies/balloons, Halloween costumes and other seasonal items and decorations.

Ted: Describe your online retail website.

Walter: Wally’s Party Factory has recently unveiled its newly operational e-commerce website at www.WallysPartyFactory.com where customers can shop online 24/7. The website extends the in-store experience and is a great platform for new and existing customers to discover fun, unique merchandise and inspiration with every click. Some of the new e-commerce features include: award-winning, cutting-edge design and layout with creative graphics, party planning inspiration, easy navigation, updated technology and web standards, a detailed store locator with easy search by zip code, and a quick and accessible form to join Wally’s Party Club.