Party City Announces Surprise Closure Of All Illinois Stores

You may have to find another place to get balloons.

The huge party supply chain Party City has announced that they're closing all stores (hundreds of them across the country), according to NBC Chicago.

It's effective immediately, with corporate employees being told that their last day of employment is December 20th. An employee at an Illinois location confirmed the closure with a planned last date of February 28th, 2025.

Party City CEO Barry Litwin told corporate employees in the meeting that they're "winding down" operations:

It's really important for you to know that we've done everything possible that we could to try to avoid this outcome. Unfortunately, it's necessary to commence a winddown process immediately.

This isn't the first struggle the chain has had lately. Party City had to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last year, contending with rising costs and less customer spending. At that time, Party City said it's stores, balloon business, and subsidiaries would not be part of the restructuring.

Party City has been in business for almost 40 years. We know them from carrying holiday decorations, party supplies, and definitely balloons. Lots and lots of balloons. They're based in New Jersey and have dozens of locations in Iowa and Illinois. All of Party City's over 800 stores will close.

If you need to stop by your local Party City any time between now and the spring, you'll want to call them first to see if they're still open, as closure dates for each Party City location haven't been announced yet.