For East Bay residents, the store Paper Plus has been the go-to shop for party supplies for decades. But now its owner is ready to retire and like a lot of small businesses, there’s no one to take over the operation.
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"I want a banner that says Congratulations. I’m looking but I don’t see…"
Kendra James is pulling a shopping basket through the maze of aisles at Paper Plus. Today she’s planning a surprise party for her coworker.
"Ladies! I’m looking for graduation stuff, are guys wiped out?"
"Yeah! They’re up front. Right now they’re 50% off. Everything is 50% off."
Kendra turns down another aisle - breezing by the wall of greeting cards - past shelves of cookie cutters, and racks of discounted Halloween costumes. She stops her cart in front of a selection of napkins, plates, and tablecloths dotted with diplomas and graduation caps.
Like a lot of people - she says she’s come here for every kind of celebration imaginable.
"Oh my kids - they’re 26 and 34 - all their birthdays. People’s weddings, baby showers, bridal showers. You name it, we got everything from here. This store has everything!"
Most of all, people love the balloons. In the back, there is a counter where customers can pick out balloons in every color of the rainbow!
And Hanging from the ceiling are balloons in every shape and size - characters from Star Wars and Paw Patrol; everything from mustaches and music notes to hot dogs and bottles of champagne.
Recent years have seen a rise in specialty orders - columns and arches made of hundreds of balloons - for bigger celebrations.
"Everything has changed with balloons. It’s more like an art."
Ronny Carillo is the longest serving employee at Paper Plus. He is also the resident balloon artist. He and his coworker Jila Sabzevari have worked together so long, he’s lost track.
"Ten years?"
"No Ronny! Are you kidding me? Sixteen years! I’ve worked here for 16 years."
They’re inflating a dozen green and white balloons for a customer’s upcoming get together.
"Are you going to put them outside today? Or tomorrow?"
"I’m going to keep them inside my house today, and then tomorrow, I’m going to take them with me."
"That’s a good idea. I’m not going to make them that big, because it’s hot today make sure you keep them inside."
"I mean, the thing is that this is like my home, basically."
Jila says she’s gotten used to seeing the same customers coming back - another year older - celebrating the same special days.
"They come in first getting balloons for their kids, and then they, in a few years, you see they come with their grandkids, and, and it's amazing. And they know us by our names, and we know them by their names too. They share their stories of their kids, of their grandkids. It’s so touching. I mean, it’s so sad we cannot see those people anymore."
It’s sad because… late last year, Paper Plus’s owner, Michele Schurman, announced that the business would be closing after nearly 40 years in operation. Jila says the customers keep coming to her with questions about Paper Plus’s future.
"Are you guys closing? Yes. And where are you guys moving? We’re not moving, we are closing the store. Oh no, what should we do?! It’s like, what should we do?"
The customers’ fondness for the store is linked with memories of past celebrations, which adds to their sadness. Jila’s sad about something else though…
"That’s the thing, Everybody says where should I get my balloon from? I said, OK, I don’t know, but how am I supposed to live my life without income?"
For Jila, the focus is on the future: what comes next? For others this time of transition is an opportunity to look back.
"Believe it or not, this old building used to be a bowling alley."
That’s Michele Schurman, owner of Paper Plus. We’re standing outside taking in the iconic building. If you’ve never been inside Paper Plus, maybe you’ve seen it driving down San Pablo. It’s to hard to miss! It’s this brightly painted building that looks straight out of the 90s!
"My husband decided that a nice bright turquoise color would definitely catch the eye - and it does!"
Paper Plus started down the block, as the byproduct of a much larger company. Michele’s mother-in-law founded the stationary store Papyrus - Paper Plus began as a place to sell the excess inventory.
"And it started in that building at the very end. And bit by bit we stayed there for 15 years of so."
Sometimes, if the party gets too big, you’ve gotta move things to a second location. In the early 2000s, Paper Plus’s operation got too big for their original storefront, so they moved here.
Over the years, Paper Plus has survived challenges typical to small businesses these days: the rise of online shopping, the pandemic. AND overcome hurdles more unique to the party industry - like helium shortages.
But now, Michele says Paper Plus is facing another common small business concern - she’s ready to retire, and there’s no one to take it over.
"And I think that’s what we’re going to find with most of the businesses that are closing. Only the ones that have children that are willing to take it over, or some kind of cooperative that can be made out of it."
This question of succession is one that many business owners face. We’re talking about this one small business…but there are over twelve hundred small businesses in the city more than 20 years old. Berkeley’s Office of Economic Development says these businesses account for more than half of the city’s small business revenue.
As these owners retire, Berkeley faces the risk of losing both the revenue and the jobs they provide. Which is why - in 2018 - the city began working with businesses to provide alternatives to closure, like employee ownership models.
It can be hard to plan ahead like that… owners like Michelle are so busy running the business, there’s no time to think what’s next. Back inside…She says that stress has taken its toll.
"Every last bill that I pay, there is a sense of relief. I don’t want to see the dumpster come out and the merchandise go in it."
Here’s the secret - the party isn’t actually over. When the news came from Michele that Paper Plus would close, her longest tenured employee, Ronny, saw it as the perfect opportunity.
"So I think that after 22 years here and I see that it’s over, I have to do my own now."
He’s decided to open his own party business… right next door!.
"I am excited, I am really excited. And if you want we can go and check the place?"
We walk back outside. Thirty steps away, in the same storefront where Paper Plus started, Ronnie will be opening Berkeley Balloons & Events. He took over the lease, reached out to his contacts in the event planning industry, and started acquiring product … even buying some of Paper Plus’s inventory.
"And I wanted to keep it like a secret. That people could be excited 'oh we are sorry you guys are gonna close' and then when I had everything ready I say 'no worries, I am going to open next door.'”
Ronny says he’s hoping to bring some of his coworkers with him.
"She’s going to come with me."
"Why not? I need to make money."
These two have made a living out of helping people celebrate. It is what they love to do.
"What I want to do is bring happiness, smiling. We say party but we want to keep that joy."
As a small business owner, Ronny’s gonna face some of the same challenges Michele did at Paper Plus. Now - as with any good party - he’s gonna need people to show up.
