By Phil Corso
Business has been blowing up at Whitestone’s Dial-A-Balloon delivery and decorating service, but its success did not come out of thin air.
Whitestone’s own Devon O’Connor has already collected a lengthy résumé of community activism, but did not hesitate when his father passed the business he started 32 years ago onto him. When he is not hitting the streets in the name of his own Welcome to Whitestone civic organization, the northeast Queens native can also be seen escorting enormous displays of colorful balloon arrangements to some of the borough’s hottest events.
He assembles and delivers the colorful arrangements himself and takes custom orders for any event. Most recently, Dial-A-Balloon assembled its own custom baby bottle made entirely out of blue, white and clear balloons.
O’Connor said he takes any chance he can to get the business’ name out there because a little bit of extra color could go a long way. He has also hosted some of his own events like face-painting parties and family days to remain active in the northeast Queens community.
Dial-A-Balloon has been adding color to countless events throughout the borough, from birthday parties and seasonal get-togethers to political functions and public forums.
Some of the Dial-A-Balloon appearances of late included a red, white and blue display in the backdrop of a political forum at the Bay Terrace Jewish Center in the weeks leading up to the September primary.
Their work has been prominently displayed on the Dial-A-Balloon Facebook page, with sweeping balloon banners lining the walls and ceilings of northeast Queens. With the fall season in full gear, O’Connor said he has most recently been assembling black and orange balloon displays at area schools and Halloween parties.
Whether it is a towering balloon arch or simple arrangements for tabletops, O’Connor said it was Dial-A-Balloon’s vision to be the unsung hero at any event by adding that colorful touch.
But the balloon business was not the only business venture to come with the family name. Logan O’Connor, Devon’s brother, recently started a business of his own with Logan’s Cafe in the family’s hometown of Whitestone.
The business opened up near the expansive housing complex at Lehavre on the Water in February and has been dishing out a unique array of fresh menu items such as eggplant burgers and chicken wraps. It was the latest entrepreneurial chapter for the active O’Connors and has taken on the same community-first approach, the family said.
Dial-A-Balloon is in Whitestone at 15-29 149th St. with a fully-equipped showroom an can be reached by phone at 718-BALLOON or online at ballooncorp.com. The website offers its own color display chart for anyone looking to purchase their own late balloon arrangements as well as various ideas that suit any given function.
Reach reporter Phil Corso by e-mail at pcorso@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4573.
