BLYTHEWOOD – In a time where celebrating events with loved ones is difficult, one new local business has created a way to make those moments a little more special. Enter Yardy Party – a company that is stepping up the celebration game.
From birthdays, first days of school and graduations to engagements, new homes and new babies, the mom-and-daughter team of Martha Ladd and Callie Ladd Sims is steadily making a name for themselves in the celebration business.
Ladd and Sims had been tossing around the idea of a yard sign business, and they got the push they needed to get started when life changed with the coronavirus pandemic closures.
Though they have only officially been open for a few weeks, the business is already taking off. And, according to Sims, they plan to expand as quickly as possible.
Sims said her mom is really the driving force behind the company.
“Both of my parents really instilled the do-it-yourself creed into our lives,” Sims said, “but my mom is so creative and always celebrates the important events in our lives in big ways. She’s very artsy. Growing up, she made our party hats and decorations from scratch. We came home from our honeymoons to handmade signs and balloons all over our houses. It was the same when we came home from the hospital with newborns.”
It is easy to see how the duo’s love of celebrating has translated into their new business venture.
“One of my favorite movies is Christmas Vacation,” Sims said. “Clark brings out his boxes of lights to decorate the house and says, ‘We’re going to do it right, and we’re going to do it big.’ Wouldn’t life be great if we all aspired to celebrate the way Clark Griswold does?”
But perhaps the greatest thing about Yardy Party is that they do the hard work for you, so you won’t be hanging from the roof by your sleeve like Clark. A one-day rental includes a night-before set up of the signs, so all you’ll have to do is wake up and enjoy the view.
Yardy Party’s sign inventory already celebrates most occasions:
- Birthdays: cupcakes, cakes, age and candles
- School: apple, mascot, school supplies, graduation cap
- Engagements/Weddings: champagne, church, engagement ring
- New home: HOME
- New baby: stork & carriage
- Sports: football, volleyball, baseball
And they have more on the horizon – a list of sign to-do’s that they are continually adding to.
“We have so many ideas of things we want to create to help personalize moments for our customers,” Sims said. “Unfortunately, there are only two of us. We’re drawing, cutting and painting as quickly as we can – we’re just having to prioritize with what we need next.”
The yard signs, made of plywood, range from four to six feet in size, and prices start at $60.
A website is still in the works, but they hope to have that finalized by the end of August. In the meantime, you can find them on social media @yardypartymidlands (Facebook and Instagram). To book signs, contact them on social media, email yardypartymidlands@gmail.com or call/text Callie at 803-718-0449.
If you’re going to celebrate, you might as well do it right and do it big. Because, in the words of Dave Matthews band, “Celebrate we will. For life is short but sweet for certain.”
