Every Day’s a Party for W.O. Business

Local woman turned celebration-planning hobby into new store on Route 48

By Stacy Alderman
The Tube City Almanac
September 29, 2025
Posted in: White Oak News

Ariel Jenkins turned her love of party-planning into a full-time career. Her new store, Party Rockers Pittsburgh, recently celebrated a grand opening on Route 48 in White Oak. (Submitted photo)

When Ariel Jenkins became a mom at 19, she didn’t have a lot of help. So when special occasions like birthday parties came around, she ended up planning the events by herself.

Turning to the Pinterest social media app for inspiration, Jenkins began constructing balloon arches that soon caught everyone’s attention.

“People were always asking—‘who did that?’” she said. “And the answer was always me. Soon I was creating things for other people for free, but then I realized I could start charging for this kind of service. It helped pay for college and childcare while I was working retail.”

Fast-forward several years. With hard-earned experience behind her, Jenkins now has her own business — Party Rockers Pittsburgh — with a brand-new storefront on Jacks Run Road in White Oak. The store opened last month.

It’s a big step forward for a hobbyist turned small business owner.

Jenkins credited her education at California University of Pennsylvania — now PennWest California — for giving her the tools to understand what it would take to start a small business. She graduated from CalU in 2017.

Her education, combined with skills obtained through the CPD Certification Service and the TikTok Impact Small Business Team, allowed her to create revenue by working out of her home for several years, including during the pandemic lockdown, Jenkins said.

“COVID gave me the time to work on my website while I continued to do smaller events,” she said. “I figured out I could do ‘to go’ set ups with video instructions for customers to set things up on their own.”

One of Jenkins’ offerings is custom balloon art — a type of display that’s challenging to create, Jenkins said. A single arched entrance can take several days to complete. “Some use around 500 balloons and it can take an entire day just to inflate them,” she said.

But Jenkins takes the artistic challenges in stride and somehow manages to have enough energy to keep adding ideas to her list of goals. “Now that I have my own space, I want to host crafting events, meetings with Santa at Christmas, fun things like that,” she said.

Her past high-profile clients include the Mario Lemieux Foundation, University of Pittsburgh, PNC Park, Robert Morris University and Travelers Insurance. “I really enjoy working with corporations and nonprofits because it gives me a chance to provide a service to a worthy cause and I can build relationships and make more connections.”

Jenkins said she enjoys working with smaller customers as well: “In this industry, your customers are always happy because they’re celebrating something good.”

(Submitted photo)

The new store is co-located with an event venue, Antonella Villa, which hosts birthday parties, bridal showers and baby showers. “This is the perfect location because it’s nearby so many communities and I’m right next door to a venue,” she said.

The owners of Antonella Villa have been very supportive, Jenkins said, and she’s looking for additional White Oak area businesses with which she can partner.

“I love community,” she said. “Eventually I want my retail inventory to include gifts from local crafters – if you know someone who makes candles, for example, send them my way!”

In addition to custom balloon arches, backdrop rentals, favor walls and giant light-up letters, Jenkins is trying to make the store into a one-stop gift shop that also offers cards, gift bags, tiaras and T-shirts, along with other  unexpected extras.

“I actually love when people aren’t sure what they want,” she said. “That way I can be creative and show them what I can do.”

Jenkins uses the online Canva graphic design software to create digital mock-ups so that clients know what their idea will look like in a specific space. And because she’s familiar with multiple venues and other party vendors, she can also recommend various services to customers.

Ariel Jenkins said her husband, Eric, and friends have provided valuable help along the way.  (Submitted photo)

For now, Party Rockers is mostly a one-person operation, but Jenkins said her husband, Eric, and her friends have provided valuable help along the way.

“Ultimately, I want to hire more people,” she said. “I would love to work with an array of vendors who can offer their services.”

The store can be contacted at www.partyrockerspgh.com and on social media at the handle partyrockers.pgh.

Stacy Alderman is a White Oak-based freelance writer whose work has appeared in Heather Christie's Love Notes, THEMA Literary, inScribe Journal, Minerva Rising, and several others. She is the recipient of the Children of Steel fiction award.

Originally published September 29, 2025.

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