Township residents now don’t have to leave Franklin to get their party supplies.
A Piscataway family has opened Party On in Cedar Grove Plaza on Cedar Grove Lane.
Owned by members of the Sharp family, the store – dedicated solely to party supplies – is the result of a long-held dream of Kelly Sharp and her father, Stephen.
“My father and I had always talked about opening up a store, probably since I was in high school,” she said.
A professional event planner based in New York City, Sharp found herself looking for a job after having a baby and losing her desire to commute to the city every day.
That’s when she broached the idea to her father.
“I said, you’re retired and I’m looking for a job, so let’s do it now, it’s the best time to do it,” Sharp said. “Six months later, we had a store.”
Family members Dawn Sharp, Stephen Sharp Jr., Yvette Sharp and James Brock are also involved in the store, she said.
“Anything you need for a party, we have,” Sharp said. That includes balloons, wrappings, boxes, cards, a variety of plates and eating utensils, and streamers, among other things.
Kelly Sharp also brings her corporate experience to bear in offering event planning.
“If you don’t have time to plan a birthday party for your child or your spouse, we can do that for you,” she said.
The store actually opened on June 18, but held its official ribbon-cutting on July 16. Among the dignitaries in attendance were Mayor Philip Kramer, Township Councilwoman Roz Sherman and Somerset County Freeholder (and former mayor) Brian Levine.
Sharp said they are also able to do personalized orders, such as for balloons.
“We pay very close attention to detail for our clients,” she said. “We’ll open up early, we’ll close late so we can be flexible for our clients.”
Sharp said the family chose Franklin for its store because they wanted to be part of a neighborhood environment.
“We didn’t want to be on Route 18 or Rt. 1,” she said. “Parties are very personal. We wanted to be right in the neighborhood so they think of us when they have a special event.”
The store is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.