EP 473: What If Great Service Beats Low Prices

What makes Noele Ames with Ames Party Rental a good neighbor?

Party planning gets expensive fast and somehow, everything you buy for one big day ends up sitting in your garage forever. We sit down with Noele Ames of Ames Party Rental to talk about a smarter, simpler approach: rent what you need, skip the clutter, and still create a celebration that feels elevated and effortless.

Serving Argyle, TX and surrounding North Texas communities, Noele shares what people are actually looking for when graduation season, wedding season, and party season hit tables, chairs, linens, coolers, lighting, and all the details that pull an event together without the long-term commitment.

She also takes us back to her first business, Sign Gypsies, and how moving from Seattle to Texas introduced her to the world of “rentable moments.” That experience shaped how she runs her business today, centered on convenience, reliability, and being the kind of local business owner who shows up on time and makes things easier for her clients.

We break down one of the biggest misconceptions about party rentals cost. When you compare renting to buying, hauling, and storing everything yourself, it’s often far more affordable than people expect. Noele also shares practical planning tips, from navigating seasonal demand to creating themed events (yes, even Stranger Things-inspired lighting setups), and why great service is what truly sets a rental company apart.

If you’re planning a birthday, graduation, or wedding, this conversation will help you think ahead, save money, and host with confidence. Subscribe for more local business spotlights, share this with a friend planning a party, and leave a review: what’s the one party item you never want to buy again?

To learn more about Ames Party Rental, connect here:
 https://www.facebook.com/groups/975249666841700/user/61577563373795/

 Ames Party Rental

Website coming soon!

Transcript

Welcome To Good Neighbor Podcast

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Sophia Event.

Meet Ames Party Rental

SPEAKER_02 0:10

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a party rental company? Well, one may be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Noelle Ames, with Ames Party Rental. Noelle, it is lovely having you on the show today. Now we are all so excited to learn more about you and your business. So please start off and tell our listeners just a little bit more about your company.

SPEAKER_01 0:40

Hi, thanks for having me. Well, I just started Ames Party Rental April 10th. So we're only about 10 days into it. As a second company of mine, I've been a franchise owner with Signed Gypsies, which is your local yard greeting company. And been doing this for a little over three years now. And one question that I would receive is Hey, do you know anybody who offers tables and chairs for our party? And luckily for me, and being out here in Argyle and being a small community, I was able to have those connections. And then just recently started, why don't I offer this as well? So I can kind of be, you know, an all one-stop shop for my customers.

From Seattle To Yard Greetings

SPEAKER_02 1:31

Aw, I love that. I love that. Definitely sounds like you have a heart of service. Now, diving deeper into your background, you know, when did you get the idea for either of these companies in the first place?

SPEAKER_01 1:47

Funny thing is, I'm from Seattle, Washington, and yard greetings was never a thing. You just didn't see them within the neighborhoods. And moving here to Texas, we've been here for about 10 years now. I would see these beautiful displays throughout my neighborhood and even purchased one. It's a rental, it goes up the night before your day of your event, and then they come pick it up later that evening uh for my daughter's sixth birthday. And when they arrived, I went out there and it was my friend Julia who was doing it. And I was like, hey girl, I didn't know you actually did this. And she's like, Oh, it's my first time. I'm just taking over this franchise. I'm training, if you will. And I was like, Well, this is so great to know. Because of course, wanting to support my friends and their small businesses. And every day, about for about three years, I always thought, man, that would have been the perfect opportunity. I wish I would have known about that. Well, fast forward three years later, I am with my little cricket and some core core plastic plastics making little football signs for my nephew who's playing school ball and selling them to some of the other mom friends. And if you've ever worked with vinyl, and if you have any slight OCD disorder, it's it's a very painful process to say the least, just to make sure everything, you know, ends up perfect on the board. And Julia reached out to me and she goes, Hey, are you still making those signs? And I was like, Yeah, I'm I'm still am. Are you wanting one? And she's like, No, actually, I want to sell sign gypsies. I have three kids now in college, all going to Texas Tech, and I would love to be able to take off when I want to to go see my kids. And I was like, Absolutely. I didn't even hesitate. I don't know how to buy a business, I don't know what I'm doing, but absolutely finally came. And so I jumped in to that with both feet and just took off.

Taking The Leap Into Ownership

The Truth About Rental Pricing

SPEAKER_02 3:52

Wow. Wow, what a wonderful story. Now, today, since you have two very different businesses, right? Um, in this brand new business, I understand that it's very new, right? Just this month you got started with it. So, what is that most common misconception when it comes to party rental companies?

SPEAKER_01 4:16

I think a lot of it has to do with pricing. It's a lot cheaper than most people believe. For instance, a happy birthday greeting for me starts at$99. And when I tell people that, they're like, really? That's it. Same goes for tables and chairs. You're starting at$10 to maybe$12 a table,$2 per chair, coolers are like$25. So, in reality, to not have to buy it, have to store it for that one event that you need it for, it actually makes sense to rent them out and you know for the price of what you probably pay for one table.

SPEAKER_02 4:58

Oh, yeah, definitely. And where does your idea for this pricing point really come from?

SPEAKER_01 5:06

Like sign gypsies, what I did is I visited a lot of my neighboring party rentals websites. You want to stay competitive and stay within the same price range. You know, you don't want to all of a sudden start charging three, four dollars more a table. Right there will lose you business. But you also don't want to lose out on money because you're not charging enough. So just a little bit of research, you know, deep diving, seeing what everybody has to offer. What I'm hoping for with Ames Party Rental is yes, you're gonna receive quality equipment for your party, but it will be the service that we provide that will make us stand out from the rest.

Graduations Weddings And New Add Ons

SPEAKER_02 5:51

I love that. Now, diving deeper here into the marketing side, right? Because marketing is the heart of every business. So who are some of your ideal customers you're looking to help? And today, with having this brand new business, how are you attracting them?

SPEAKER_01 6:13

Obviously, it would be anybody having a party, but to be more specific, graduation season's is coming. You know, we're upon it now, especially as we're entering the end of April. I've noticed with Sign Gypsies that that started to be an uptick of when we we start getting busy because you have five friends and you're all having graduation parties. When can you get your party in so you can make it to your friends' parties as well? So it does start rather early. Definitely graduations, wedding season is upon us as well. So those who are needing extra tables and chairs, linens for those types of events is a big one. I have a birthday party coming up that I not only am I doing a sign for the little girl, her mom reached out because they're having a garage party. That's where she wants to have her tables and chairs. So I'm providing the tables and chairs, and then she mentioned to me, do you have up lighting? We are doing a Stranger Things theme and we want red lights on the walls. Absolutely, let me look into that. So now I actually offer outdoor lighting almost like a glow-up package, if you will, to you know, everything else that we offer there.

How To Find And Book Noelle

SPEAKER_02 7:30

Wow. Well, you've definitely given us some exciting things to look forward to with Ames Party Rental. But one final question for you today is where can our listeners go to learn more about Ames Party Rental?

SPEAKER_01 7:45

I am still so new that I'm waiting on my website. So that is should be up and coming within this week, if not early next week. And to answer your question, it'd be mostly social media, either on Facebook or Instagram. And it is Ames AMES Party Rental. And you can find me there or Sign Gypsies as well. I we're being with Signed Gypsies, we're franchisees owners. So even though I'm out in the Argyle, Justin, Lantana area, even Trophy Club, if that's not where you're listening at, you can find a giant Signed Gypsies anywhere near you, and that's at SignGypsies.com.

SPEAKER_02 8:23

Love that. Well, Noelle, I really appreciate you being on the show today, and we wish you and your business the best moving forward.

SPEAKER_00 8:33

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpfrisco.com. That's gnpfrisco.com or call four six nine two two one nine three four five.