New shop opens downtown

Published 7:53 pm Thursday, January 4, 2018

There will be no shortage of party supplies in downtown Suffolk with one of the newest businesses to open there, J&L Rentals and Party Supplies LLC.

Suffolk residents Janice and Laron Claude held the grand opening for the store on Dec. 4 and since then have provided services for six parties in the area. The store is located at 106 N. Saratoga St.

J&L offers plenty of amenities to their guests for every occasion. The store offers standard rentals such as tables, chairs, sashes and linens. What sets the business apart is the other rentals the store offers its patrons. The business also offers an array of balloons, including birthday balloons.

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The store offers more unique items for parties and events like gift baskets, but one of its most popular products is screen-printed T-shirts.

Janice Claude has started J&L Rentals and Party Supplies LLC with her husband, Laron Claude.

“I’ve been screen printing for years, and I decided to add it all together,” Janice Claude said. “That is pretty much what keeps me busy.”

Claude originally owned a boutique in the same location that she opened up in November 2014, and after two years she decided to close. Rather than close it and start from scratch, a new idea emerged for the space.

“I was sleeping one night and I had a dream about it, and I woke up the next day and starting researching,” Claude said.

From the dream until opening day, the couple worked hard to get a store up and running. It only took five months for the boutique to be turned into a party supply store. Janice attributes most of the handy work to her husband, Laron, in that five-month period.

“He was responsible for transforming the other store to this new one. He did all the work,” she said.