Planning a wedding, graduation party, birthday party, or even a family picnic? If so, Any Event located on Westminster Drive off of Third Street may just be the party store you are looking for. Since opening in 1991, the family owned business, run by Charlene Carson and sister Lori Johnson, rent and sell all the supplies needed for any type of occasion someone may be having.
"We do it all, from formal parties to family picnics. If there is something we may not have in store but we do have in our catalogue, we are able to order it for the customer if there is enough time available," Carson said. Any Event is able to rent tents that are able to cover over 500 people or that cover just a single picnic table. They also rent tables, chairs, dance floors, linens, china, and concession equipment.
Looking for a particular balloon of a cartoon character? Carson said it's not a problem since they sell thousands of balloons, disposable tableware, wedding accessories, and wedding invitations. "We do deliver and pick up if the customer needs us to do that. In the past we have gone as far up as the border of New York and as far down as Selinsgrove," said Carson.
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BRANDON PLOCINSKI/Sun-Gazette
Any Event, owned by sisters Charlene Carson and Lori Johnson, have a fully stocked shop filled with supplies needed for any type of event.
One unique feature the sisters have started is a computer system called "Party Cad," which allows them to layout the entire event on a 3-dimensional level in the computer. "Party Cad allows us to show the customer what their event will look like well before the event happens. The customer is able to zoom in and out, have a 360 degree view of the party, and even see different levels of tables under a tent," Carson said.
Carson and Johnson said that they are always getting new items in on a regular basis, including an assortment of invitations that are stored in over 20 different books in their store. "Along with the wide range of party invitations, we also have new and improved propane grills, china dining sets, and a number of new colors for tableware," said Carson.
Anyone who is planning on throwing a wedding, Carson said they are running specials through the Wedding Professionals of Williamsport where the customer can go online and print a coupon that allows them to get $50 off of any rental order of $500 or more.
"It's important to us that we really haven't raised our prices since we opened almost 20 years ago. We try to keep costs down and I think that that's part of the reason why we have so many returning customers," Carson said.
Along with the sisters and their husbands, Any Event has employees who have been working for them for many years now, some who have been there since the beginning. "We have had employees here for 12 and 20 years and some who work for us in the summer when they are off school. We have very loyal and experienced customers, and that helps a lot," Carson said.
Pictures of parties that Any Event has produced can be seen on the web at either www.anyeventparty.com or as a group on Facebook which is titled Any Event.
