Card & Party Giant Party Supplies Blog — Father's Day
Welcome Customers! 0
Card & Party Giant is a friendly, family-owned and operated business with more than30 years’ experience. Located in Glenview, the party store serves its community with everything from holiday party decorations and seasonal party supplies to birthday party balloons and banners. Patrons from Evanston, Skokie, Northbrook, Wilmette, Des Plaines, Morton Grove, and various other local communities have discovered what Glenview residents have known for a long time – that Card & Party Giant is a great local party store.
Until you cross the threshold, it is impossible to imagine how much this party store has to offer. Newer customers from Evanston and Skokie have shared their surprise at the size of the store. The inventory is vast and constantly changing. The people who work at the store engage in a never-ending cycle of rotating one season or holiday’s inventory with an upcoming season’s products. Holiday greeting cards are in a never-ending cycle of rotation from New Year’s to Christmas, from Valentine’s Day and Easter to Mother’s and Father’s Day, and from Halloween, Thanksgiving back to Christmas. And, as party decorations from Easter are packed and stored, the graduation party supplies, First Holy Communion and the patriotic party decorations are on display to help patrons prepare for the spring and summer party season.
If you’re hosting a party, stop in. We’ll be at Card & Party Giant on the west side of Waukegan Avenue, just south of Lake Avenue in Glenview. If you like our store and are a Google member, we’d love an online review. As a small, local business, service is our business!
We look forward to meeting new customers every day!
Spring is Party Time!! 0
Thinking spring? When I think spring, I think of warmer days, sunshine, gusty winds and occasional rain. I picture the daffodils and tulips make their first appearances and the trees sprouting the early green buds that will later provide the canopy of green. I think of early morning coffee on the deck or in the three-season room and I can hear the birds chirping their glorious tune of hope. Growing up, my mom had us take the linens outdoors to air out just as soon as the weather warmed enough to allow it. Pillows were either hung on the backyard clothes line or assembled on the picnic tables. And how does all this relate to a party store? Well, I think spring is as much about preparing flower beds as it is about planning Holy Communion parties, wedding showers and the like.
Throughout the course of our history, June was wedding season and spring is wedding shower season. There are so many beautiful elegant designs available for these wedding shower parties. The fancy plates and service ware are just the beginning. Streamers, banners, balloon bouquets, champagne flutes and an assortment of party favors can make any day special.
Another popular party theme coming our way soon is First Communion. Most children make their first Holy Communion during April or May when the weather is just warm enough to allow the children to form their processional outdoors but not quite warm enough to promise an outdoor party. Families gather around the table where decorations and table ware, colored streamers and balloons help to set the scene for a picture-perfect event.
And while our Christian friends enjoy Easter as one of their major family gatherings, many of our Jewish friends will be preparing for Passover which occurs a little later in April this year. But whether it is Easter or Passover, the family meal is at the center of the holiday. Both offer families an opportunity for making memories they and their children and grandchildren will fondly recall throughout their lives.
Other famously celebrated spring holidays include St. Patrick’s Day when people dress up, don Irish buttons, green suspenders, shamrock ties and the like – or Purim when people don their Purim costumes and gather with noisemakers to stamp out the evil Haman.
Before you lose an hour of sleep on Saturday, March 12th, think Spring and check out our selection of floral designed napkins and tableware, St. Patrick’s Day party supplies, Purim costumes and Purim accessories, and all the other spring-themed party favorites.
Lazy Days of Summer 0
The “lazy days of summer” conveys the idea that it’s just too hot to get out and do things. Not true in the retail world. A casual observer may not see it, but so much happens behind the scenes to stay ahead of the cycle of seasons and holidays to keep patrons coming back. Watching the store undergo constant rotations of on-the-floor inventory is an amazing sight. In the past three or four months, Easter rolled up as Mother and Father’s Day roll out. Graduation party supplies took front and center stage only to move a little further back and finally be packed up to make room for the patriotic party goods that are popular for 4th of July celebrations. The cycle continues as summer party accessories take up a fair amount of floor space next to beautifully displayed elegant entertaining plates, napkins, and glassware perfect for your summer brunch or afternoon tea party.
Unless you are a regular in-store customer, there is no way to appreciate the constant change and continuous flow of moving merchandise to cater to the patron’s needs. And this doesn’t even account for the constant restocking of balloons or the aisles where birthday party supplies or everyday ware are located. What you see is a never-ending cycle necessary to keep Card & Party Giant’s inventory fresh, restocked, and seasonally appealing.
So, there are no lazy days of summer. While August may not see as much foot traffic – though we stay ready for your patronage - the activity never stops. Time is used preparing for end-of-summer parties and for Halloween. As parents get kids ready for back-to-school, CPG is readying its inventory of costumes for both in-store and online sales. The staff are to be commended for their attention to detail, their understanding of local values and preferences, and their diligence to keeping inventory appealing and restocked. It is a daunting task, but small family-owned businesses like CPG rely on highly professional folks to do it with the ease that comes of experience. Unlike large corporate competitors, CPG cannot rely on a large advertising budget. Rather it thrives through word-of-mouth of the satisfied north shore customer from Evanston and Glencoe, Glenview and Northbrook, Lake Forest and Highland Park, Skokie and Wilmette, Morton Grove and Niles, and places north, south, east and west of CPG’s store at 1318 Waukegan Road, Glenview, IL.
Please stop by today to see what’s in stock. CPG is a family-friendly store that caters to its local community.
Father - Dad - Pops - let's celebrate! 0
Father’s Day is next weekend and many of us will host or attend parties and celebrations to honor that special man in our lives. You may fire up the grill or go out to dinner and make a fuss to acknowledge your dad and recognize his role in your life.
In my generation the role of the father was that of breadwinner and wise counsel. My father worked hard and was honored daily for his commitment to the family. This was demonstrated by our understanding that he needed a few quiet moments when he arrived home after work, by making sure he had the seat of honor at the dinner table, and by deferring to him in conversation.
Growing up dad was my favorite. Mom was my rock, but dad - well, he was the one whose attention was something to seek and to cherish. I especially remember Friday nights when he brought home a few liters of soda and made something he called pizza bread for a snack. We chomped down on our pizza bread and gulped our soda while we watched the Chicago Blackhawks, the Friday Night fights, or a movie This was our time with dad and those Friday family nights are a cherished memory.
Those days are long gone. I haven’t lived with my parents for more than 40 years. Recently, however, circumstances gave me an opportunity to spend some concentrated time with my dad. For the past several months we’ve spent a few days together each week. We run errands, watch television, and cheer on the Chicago Blackhawks. We dine together and have lots of opportunity to chat. In all, we are just reconnecting. It’s nice - really nice.
This weekend one of my brothers is hosting a backyard barbeque for our dad. Everyone will take a dish to share, and dad will be the center of attention at his father’s day party. We’ll have greeting cards and gifts for him to open, but mostly it is about being with family and honoring our dad on this one day set aside just for that purpose.
Dad, father, pops, pa, daddy – whatever you call that special man in your life, remember to let him know just how special he is this Sunday, June 21st. Happy father’s day to my dad, my husband, my son, and to all of you who are fathers!
Card & Party Giant, a “Giant” of a party supply store 0
Card & Party Giant (“the Giant”) is a family-owned business that’s been around for a good long time. It is part of the Glenview community, a treasure now located on north Waukegan Road, but originally founded in 1989 to specialize in party goods and costumes. It’s true the Giant has not been around as long as, oh let’s say, the Glenview House that was built in 1878. Nor is the Giant as old as the Village of Glenview itself which was incorporated in 1899. But then again, you were more likely to find a dry goods store than a party supply store back before the turn of the last century.
We’re here now, and for the past few years the Giant has been located in what was the former Clipper’s Toy Store location, just south of Lake Avenue on the west side of Waukegan Road. From street view, the size of the store is quite deceiving. It takes a walk inside to get a real sense of the available inventory and just how much space the store has to offer everything from party platters and decorations, balloons and banners, to costumes and accessories. We hope you’ll stop in soon to check out our supply of elegant entertaining items, birthday party supplies, specialty party items from wedding showers to graduation parties, greeting cards (including Father’s Day cards), costumes, and more, more, more!
Greeting Cards, Banners and Balloons for Moms and Dads 0
Greeting Cards, Balloons, and Banners for Moms and Dads
When I think of Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, I think of a special day set aside to celebrate my parents. And, as a parent I look forward to being celebrated on Mother’s Day. This year, Mother’s Day is May 10th; Father’s Day is June 21st. But do we give equal time and equal presence to each?
Recently a friend of mine commented that Mother’s Day is a more celebrated holiday than Father’s Day. And, while I was quick to disagree, I pondered his comment and have come to believe that it may, in fact, be true. I wondered why. I love my parents equally.
I asked myself if it could be related to the fact that Mother’s Day occurs when the kids are still in school. After all, teachers help organize projects to celebrate mom. Father’s Day, on the other hand, arrives after the regular school term is over. Its celebration relies upon a self-motivated child or a mom inclined to make sure her children remember dad’s special day. Perhaps, however, Mother’s Day is more celebrated because of the traditional roles of parents. Historically children spent more waking hours with their moms. Moms tended to be responsible for cooking, cleaning and carting children off to extra-curricular activities. And as these roles change, we may also see a shift in the patterns of celebration. 
Tell us how you honor your father. Do you agree that more is done to recognize our moms? Do you have any ideas why that might be? If so, please share them here or on our Facebook page.
