Plan the perfect party with a new Fairview Heights business. See what’s offered
If you’re planning a birthday party, wedding or other special event and would like some assistance, check out this new balloon supply shop in Fairview Heights.
They’ll even plan your party for you.
ALCE Luxury Events, aka LovelyLoons, is located at 111 Union Hill Road and offers balloons in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes, as well as ribbons, balloon weights, and other decorations.
Customized messages are available for balloons, as are pre-packaged balloon kits in themes ranging from baby showers and birthdays to sports teams and superheroes. The shop has a balloon bar where folks can come and make their own balloon bundles.
While LovelyLoons provides balloon bouquets, centerpieces, arches and other elaborate and attractive set-ups, they are just one part of the growing business owned by Nancy Quiroz.
From planning to party, the business is a one-stop shop
Since starting the business nearly three years ago, Quiroz first added linens, tables and chairs to the balloons and balloon-related supplies already offered. Today, LovelyLoons also provides full event planning services for personal and private parties, corporate and community events, and events for schools, clubs and organizations.
Recent events include a quinceañera (celebration of a girl’s 15th birthday), a 25th wedding anniversary celebration and the eighth-grade Sneaker Ball at Collinsville Middle School.
Services include:
Event rentals: Tables & chairs, fancy thrones and other unique seating, backdrops, florals and flower walls, marquees (numbers and letters), pipe & drapes, linens, props, lighting and electrical, aerial straps (fringe garlands);
Balloon décor: Focal points bundles, balloon walls, garlands, columns, arches, centerpieces, helium & bouquets, string & pool, shapes & figures;
Draped tents
Full décor packages
Dessert & candy tables
Catering
Wait staff
Invitations & personalized items
Kids themed party activities
Event planning & design
Event coordination
A recent addition is La Cutesy Snack Bars by ALCE Luxury Events. Available snack bar themes are charcuterie, mini pancakes, cake, waffle sticks, funnel cake, choco dip, fresnas con crema, raspado natural (Mexican shaved ice), nacho, elote/esquite (Mexican street) corn, maruchan, mangoneada, los locos, fresh fruit, and the original bar, which includes chips, fruits, candies and nuts.
As clients started ordering full packages the business became a go-to for one-stop event planning, said Quiroz.
Quiroz also offers digital rendering services to show clients what their event will look like, based on shared images and discussions of what they have in mind for their event.
These renderings are part of the planning services available, but they can also be a lone service for events that will take place outside of the 180-mile radius LovelyLoons will travel.
“We work with other vendors” as needed, she said, including photographers, venues, make-up artists and other more specialized services.
LovelyLoons will provide full event planning down to the smallest details and can work with any budget to make an event beautiful. Planning the entire event makes things easier for the client.
“I like to coordinate everything,” Quiroz said.
Building a family business from the ground up
Quiroz started her business as a home-based operation in August 2022, making balloon garlands and small décor for family and friends.
She posted images of her work on Facebook to see if others in the community would be interested and started getting requests.
It started as a side hustle while she worked in St. Louis performing secretarial and administrative tasks, she said. Her husband, Jose Sanchez, encouraged her to leave her job to focus on starting her own business.
“Our dream … was to have a Mexican ice cream shop,” she said.
Instead, life led her to open LovelyLoons, and she’s the first in her family to own a business. She and Sanchez had to learn everything about starting the business on their own.
It was a struggle to get by with one less secure income, said Quiroz, adding that Sanchez worked extra hard to make up for it.
Over time, business started to pick up through word of mouth and by handing out business cards. She developed her website and Facebook page, posting new content every day and making her business more attractive to potential clients.
Just as she was getting started, Quiroz became pregnant with her fourth child and faced related and unexpected health issues. She had to avoid heavy lifting and eventually stop climbing ladders. At one point she had to decide whether she should stop to focus on her family or carry on with her business dreams. She decided to keep working, both because she really enjoyed her work and because she wanted to make her family proud.
Business picked up enough that Sanchez left his job to help with what started to become a family business.
“He’s my backbone,” Quiroz said of her husband. He’s also her muscle and carries all of the backdrops and other supplies. “He’s into it now,” she said, and he often sees new possibilities and has ideas for the business.
Quiroz said her mom, aunt and children help manage the store and work at weekend events.
As she gains more experience and grows the business, Quiroz looks forward to the opportunity to have employees and to be a good employer.
“It’s never gonna be, ‘I’m so serious. I’m the boss,’” she said. She wants her employees to enjoy their jobs and be able to come and do something they like.
She’s also open to working with other small businesses in similar lines of work. If there are others who work with balloons, she wants to support them. Other event planners can come here and rent supplies including backdrops and other items, she said.
Quiroz puts everything she has into every detail of every event, which are as much for her as they are for the clients.
“If I don’t like it, they’re not gonna like it,” she said. “It’s what makes us different” from other businesses.
Upcoming plans include opening the shop’s adjoining suite on Union Hill Road for use as a consultation and planning area. She hopes they will soon be able to hire more help.
Quiroz would like to eventually open other businesses that will allow her and Sanchez the freedom to travel.
Not everyone is lucky enough to turn a hobby or interest into a career. “For me? I like it,” she said.
About ALCE Luxury Events/LovelyLoons
ALCE Luxury Events is located at 111 Union Hill Road in Fairview Heights. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.
Open event dates are filling quickly for the summer, but some are still available. Consultations are by appointment only.
For more information or to make an appointment, call 618-213-6410, text 314-312-2255, or visit lovelyloonsluxuryevents.com.
