Balloons & Things In Harford Mall Soars In Popularity

BEL AIR, MD — The inability to find a good balloon prompted a Harford County woman to start a business that has blown up in recent months.

Teliya Zulu was put on a long waiting list at Party City when she went on the seemingly simple errand last April to get balloons for her daughter's birthday. They could not get her the balloons she wanted in time.

While Dollar General saved the day, the quality left Zulu wanting something more.

“I like things that are different,” Zulu said.

Zulu, who has worked in sales for her entire career, said she thought others may be facing the same problem.

“I said to myself, why don’t I do something around balloons?” she told Patch, surrounded by inflated arrangements outside Macy’s in the Harford Mall.

Customers may want something more “put together” than what is on the market, Zulu said.

She found the materials she wanted overseas. After watching videos to learn how to create her own designs, she began putting together bouquets of balloons.

She opened her shop — Balloons & Things — in the Harford Mall in October, and by the end of the year was making 350 balloons a month.

“The response has been amazing," Zulu told Patch “People just loved it.”

In fact, she has found the community so positive about her products that she may open a second location in the White Marsh Mall.

Currently, she has about 450 clients who have asked her to create custom balloon arrangements into September, including for events like weddings.

“My clients can put any kind of message on their balloons,” Zulu said, including pictures.

Her items start around $15 and go up depending on how elaborate the arrangement.

The balloons last four months to a year, she said.

“All my balloons are extremely different,” Zulu said. “Not only do they have flashing lights, you can put anything inside, and I mean really anything — even a guitar.”

Balloons & Things is at the Harford Mall outside Macy’s. It opens when the mall does and closes from 7 to 8 p.m.