Something changed for LA party shopping in 2025: Party City wound down its US stores, and with them went the default answer to “where do I get balloons?” for a lot of Angeleno parents. The good news is that Los Angeles never really needed the chains. It has something considerably better, and it has had it for decades.
A few blocks of East Olympic Boulevard, just southeast of downtown, make up the Piñata District – a dense run of family-run shops selling papier-mâché piñatas, balloons, decorations and candy at prices that make the old chain stores look silly. Around it sits the rest of the downtown party-supply trade, and scattered across the city are the specialists: a balloon warehouse in Glendale, a Melrose institution, a pottery of party goods on Wall Street. Here’s where we send people.
Still deciding where to hold it? 12 Kids Birthday Party Places in Los Angeles (2026)
Party City closed its stores nationally, not just here — see the full picture: the 2026 party supplies guide
Los Angeles party stores at a glance
| Name | Area | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Joker Party Supply | Piñata District | Piñatas, balloon arches, helium tank refills |
| Navarro’s Party Supply | Piñata District | Decorations, piñatas, balloons, toys |
| One Stop Piñata | Piñata District | Papier-mâché piñatas |
| Piñatas Place | Piñata District | Piñatas, toys, candy |
| Fiesta Mex | Piñata District | Piñatas, Mexican candy, decorations |
| Carrusel Party Supply | Los Angeles | Balloons, tableware, decorations, themed kits |
| Classic Party Supplies | Downtown | Bulk tableware, balloons, decorations |
| Vine American Party Store | Los Angeles | Balloons, decorations, costumes, tableware |
| LA Balloons | Glendale | Bulk latex and foil balloons, arch supplies |
Details as listed by each store when we last checked — confirm with the store before you go.
9 spots below, hand-picked for Los Angeles.
The Piñata District on East Olympic
5 spots in this list.
Joker Party Supply
A family-run wholesale and retail operation that has been on Olympic for the better part of twenty-five years, and the most complete single stop in the district. Alongside the piñatas and candy you’ll find balloon arches, columns, organic garlands and bouquets, plus decorations, tableware, backdrops and the general event miscellany that makes a theme hang together. They handle helium tank refills and rentals too, which is worth knowing if you’re inflating at home. Note the hours – they keep wholesale-market times and close early.
- Known for
- Piñatas, balloon arches, helium tank refills
Navarro’s Party Supply
One of the anchors of the district and a good first stop if you want to see everything at once: decorations, piñatas, balloons, toys and gifts under one roof. They open early – properly early, before seven on weekends – which is a genuine gift if you’re assembling a party on the morning of. As with most shops on this stretch, the staff will happily talk you through what pairs with what if you arrive with a theme and no plan.
- Known for
- Decorations, piñatas, balloons, toys
One Stop Piñata
Small, friendly, and exactly what the name promises. The draw here is the piñata wall itself – the district's piñatas are papier-mâché rather than the styrofoam-cored things the chains sold, which means they hang properly, take a beating and burst the way a piñata should. Shoppers consistently single out the staff here as unusually hospitable, and they’ll help you get an awkward, enormous purchase into a normal-sized car.
- Known for
- Papier-mâché piñatas
Piñatas Place
Part toy store, part party shop, part candy counter, which makes it an efficient stop when you need the piñata and the things that go inside it in one transaction. Worth a browse even if you came for something else – the district rewards wandering, and the shops along this block each carry slightly different character licenses and shapes, so the thing you couldn’t find two doors down is often sitting here.
- Known for
- Piñatas, toys, candy
Fiesta Mex
A long-standing Olympic Boulevard fixture with a deep bench of piñatas, Mexican candy, decorations and themed goods. The staff have a reputation for patience and for actually hunting down what you ask for rather than pointing vaguely at an aisle. They keep long weekday hours and there’s a second location down in Lynwood if you’re coming from the south.
- Known for
- Piñatas, Mexican candy, decorations
Downtown Party-Supply Row
2 spots in this list.
Carrusel Party Supply
Just north of the Piñata District proper, on East 9th, Carrusel is a well-stocked general party store that covers the full range – balloons, tableware, decorations and themed kits – without the wholesale-market opening hours that catch people out further east. A sensible option if you want one shop that can handle an entire party list rather than assembling it across four storefronts.
- Known for
- Balloons, tableware, decorations, themed kits
Classic Party Supplies
A downtown standby on South Wall Street, in the thick of the wholesale district. Classic is the sort of shop where the stock is stacked high and the pricing reflects that you’re buying where the trade buys. Best approached with a list and a little patience – it isn’t a boutique experience, but for volume tableware, balloons and decorations it’s hard to beat on price.
- Known for
- Bulk tableware, balloons, decorations
Specialists Worth the Detour
2 spots in this list.
Vine American Party Store
A Melrose Avenue institution and the most convenient serious party shop for anyone on the Westside or in Hollywood who doesn’t want to make the downtown trip. They keep normal retail hours seven days a week, including Sundays, which alone makes them valuable when you realize on a Sunday morning that you have no candles. Good range across balloons, decorations, costumes and tableware.
- Known for
- Balloons, decorations, costumes, tableware
LA Balloons
Not a general party shop but a 12,000-square-foot balloon warehouse in Glendale, and the place to go when balloons are the entire point. Originally Conwin’s Balloons & More and in business more than twenty-five years, they stock thousands of latex and foil designs plus all the hardware for building arches, columns and organic installations. This is where a lot of the city’s professional balloon decorators buy, so if you’re attempting an ambitious garland yourself, start here and ask questions.
- Known for
- Bulk latex and foil balloons, arch supplies
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Why did we pick these Party Shops in Los Angeles?
We wanted shops that are open, independent and actually worth a drive, and after Party City’s closures that meant rebuilding the list from scratch rather than trusting older guides. Every address here we checked against current listings, and we’ve deliberately clustered most of them into a few walkable blocks so a single trip can cover a whole party.
The Piñata District dominates the list because it genuinely is the best party shopping in the city – cheaper, better made and considerably more fun than the alternative. The other shops earn their places by covering what the district doesn’t: convenient hours, Westside access, and a specialist balloon supply for anyone attempting something ambitious.
What Can I Expect to Find at These Shops?
Piñatas in every shape imaginable, from cartoon characters to donkeys to whatever is currently popular with eight-year-olds, made from papier-mâché rather than styrofoam. Balloons in bulk, in both latex and foil, with helium refills available at some shops and full arch-building supplies at others. Tableware, decorations, themed kits, banners, candy, party favors and toys. Prices skew wholesale, so quantities are often larger and cheaper than you’re used to.
What you should not expect is a polished big-box retail experience. Many of these shops keep wholesale-market hours, some close early or shut on Sundays, and a few are cash-friendly places where the stock is piled rather than merchandised. Bring a list, bring a car with a decent trunk, and give yourself more time than you think you need – the browsing is half the point.
Tips for Shopping the Piñata District
Go early. Several shops on Olympic open before seven and start winding down mid-afternoon, so a morning trip catches everything open and the parking manageable. Weekday mornings are calmer than weekends.
Walk the block before you buy. The shops sit within a few hundred yards of each other and their stock overlaps only partly, so the character piñata that’s sold out in one place is frequently hanging in the next. Bring cash as a backstop, measure your car before falling in love with a six-foot unicorn, and if you need helium, call ahead – not every shop fills tanks, and the ones that do can run out.
Party Supply Stores in Los Angeles & Piñatas — FAQs
Is there still a Party City in Los Angeles?
Not as a standalone store: Party City closed its standalone US stores, including its many Los Angeles County locations, by early 2025 after filing for Chapter 11 in December 2024. California had more Party City stores than any other state, so the closures left a real gap. Since April 2026 the brand has operated shop-in-shops inside more than 700 Staples stores in 34 states, with ordering on Staples.com and balloon pickups you can schedule online; check Staples’ store locator for the nearest one.
What stores are like Party City in Los Angeles?
Carrusel Party Supply on East 9th Street and Vine American Party Store on Melrose Avenue are the closest to a one-stop general party store. Carrusel covers balloons, tableware, decorations and themed kits without wholesale-market hours, and Vine American stocks balloons, decorations, costumes and tableware seven days a week. For the widest range at wholesale prices, the Piñata District shops on East Olympic, led by Joker Party Supply, make the old chain stores look expensive.
Where is the Piñata District in Los Angeles?
The Piñata District runs along East Olympic Boulevard just southeast of downtown, near South Central Avenue, roughly between the 1200 and 1500 blocks. Joker Party Supply, Navarro’s, One Stop Piñata, Piñatas Place and Fiesta Mex sit within a short walk of each other on that stretch, and their stock only partly overlaps, so walk the block before you buy. Street parking fills up, and the district is calmest on weekday mornings.
Where can I buy balloons in bulk in Los Angeles?
LA Balloons in Glendale is the specialist, a 12,000-square-foot warehouse stocking thousands of latex and foil balloons plus arch, column and garland hardware. Many of the city’s professional balloon decorators buy there. In the Piñata District, Joker Party Supply builds balloon arches, garlands and bouquets and handles helium tank refills and rentals. If you’re inflating at home, call ahead about helium, since not every shop fills tanks, and ask about tank sizing: a standard tank goes less far than most people expect.
Why buy a piñata from the Piñata District instead of a big store?
Price and construction: the piñatas along East Olympic are typically larger and cheaper than chain-store ones, and they are papier-mâché rather than built around a styrofoam core. A papier-mâché piñata hangs properly, survives a line of children taking turns and bursts at the end rather than denting. You’ll also find far more shapes and characters; One Stop Piñata is known for its piñata wall, and Piñatas Place sells the candy and toys to fill it in the same stop.
Where can I find party supplies near me in Los Angeles without driving downtown?
Vine American Party Store on Melrose Avenue covers the Westside and Hollywood, with normal retail hours seven days a week. LA Balloons in Glendale is the stop if balloons are the whole point, and Fiesta Mex has a second location in Lynwood for anyone coming from the south. Otherwise the Piñata District on East Olympic remains the most complete single trip in the city, and Party City’s section inside Staples is another option through Staples’ store locator.
Which Los Angeles party stores are open early or on Sundays?
Navarro’s Party Supply in the Piñata District opens before 7 a.m. on weekends, which helps if you’re assembling a party that morning. Vine American Party Store on Melrose keeps normal retail hours seven days a week, including Sundays, and Fiesta Mex keeps long weekday hours. Several Olympic Boulevard shops, Joker Party Supply among them, keep wholesale-market hours and close early, and some shut on Sundays, so go in the morning and call ahead.
