Photo by Bethany Adams.
Mary Virginia Colvert stands at her new business in downtown Homewood, Celebrate Birmingham.
A new storefront in Homewood found its start in sweet celebrations.
Offering everything from balloon structures and hand-painted banners to bamboo chair and table rentals, Celebrate Birmingham is the creation of Mary Virginia Colvert, who got her start creating experiences for family members — including her own daughter.
“It just kind of started on the side as a passion and a hobby,” said Colvert. “And then, when my daughter had her first birthday, I just loved every second of the creative process and seeing everything come to life and celebrating my daughter in an artistic way.”
As Colvert’s enthusiasm and skills grew, so did interest in her work, and the business outgrew its warehouse space in West Homewood within a few years. In October, Celebrate Birmingham opened its doors at 1743 Reese Street in the hopes of sharing in the joy of their clients’ celebrations. “Our goal is to help [our clients] celebrate either a significant person or a special event that’s near and dear to their heart in a memorable and fun way,” Colvert said.
The business offers supplies, rentals and decorations for birthdays, anniversaries, engagement showers, grand openings and more. “We have balloon garland that people can come and pick up, and then we do custom installations where we come and design everything and install the balloons for the clients,” Colvert said.
In addition, Celebrate Birmingham offers rentals for backdrops, tables and chairs in both kid and adult sizes.
The new storefront has allowed Colvert to expand her offerings to include shoppable party supplies like tableware and stovetop potpourri for Christmas, and clients can also preview decorations before placing a custom order. Celebrate Birmingham also offers mailbox-decorating services during the Christmas season and cross wreaths for Easter.
While the second Celebrate location opened in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, last year, Colvert said the local response has been more than supportive.
“Homewood’s amazing,” said Colvert. “I couldn’t ask for a better community to be in or be a part of.”
With such a warm welcome, she’s looking forward to plenty of celebrations to come.
To learn more, visit celebratebirmingham.com.
