With the Jubilee and Olympic celebrations approaching, we decided to pick the brains of founder and creator of Stylish Party Bazaar, Monika Mileszczyk.
Stylish Party Bazaar was launched in February by Monika Mileszczyk who took inspiration to launch an online boutique for vintage party decorations when first planning her daughter’s Christening. Stylish Party Bazaar offers bespoke party pieces from birthday banners to giant polka balloons, all of which are unique party essentials, which you won’t find on the high street.
Stylish Party Bazzaar (SPB) stocks a lot of kitsch and vintage theme design party wear. How would you describe your personal style?
I would say I am very much a cross between stylish and quirky. I have always had a unique style. I take inspiration from what’s hot but I never followed fashion trends religiously. I’m into chunky jewellery at the moment and skull motifs. I have just purchased a vintage tee with a massive skull in feminine pastel colours – it looks as fab with heels and jeans as with shorts and my shiny silver Toms.
Stylish Party Bazaar is a very catching name. How did you come up with it?
Stylish Party was there from the beginning. I wanted the items to be unique and very stylish. I then thought that my shop could be like a bazaar, where you can rummage through unique buys at not so expensive prices. I think the name says exactly what the shop is about.
Describe in a few sentences a day in the life of Monika at SPB?
My days are very busy as a mum and a businesswoman. I’ve learnt to juggle a lot. I spend any free time I get looking for unique products for my shop, speaking to the suppliers and planning new designs for my tables.
What are your influences?
I have been influenced by my surroundings and everyday items through my whole life. I have travelled a little and was always very excited by beautiful products. I always imagined how things would look in a certain set up. I do think though that my biggest influence was reading books and my wide imagination.
What is your thought process when you buy certain products? Do you think ‘What do I like or what would my daughter like?”
I always have in mind what I think my customers would like and how a certain product would look in a party table setup. This helps me eliminate products that might not be popular with my customers.
The Jubilee is fast approaching, what advice would you give to mums on how to throw a true SPB party – intimate or big?
Have fun planning it. I think this is the most important part of any party planning process. If you get stressed, you won’t enjoy it. Start with the Union Jack colour scheme first and think what items you already have at home that you can use. Often we have Union Jack crates or boxes, throws or pillows laying around, maybe a canvas. You can use all this for styling to add final touches later. If you are planning a party on a budget, make your own bunting. Buy disposable tableware in navy blue and red, mix and match to make it fresh and stylish. Fill up children friendly plastic bottles with red lemonade or milk and decorate with navy blue retro paper straws. Make some cupcakes and have them displayed on a cupcake stand. If you are not skilled in cupcake decorating and want an easy option, go for a cupcake kit. And get plenty of polka dot balloons! Balloons make great impact whatever the size of a party and both children and adults love them! If you hang tissue paper pom poms from the ceiling or garden, it will look fun and stylish and I can guarantee your party will be the one to remember! But most of all have fun with it all.
Being involved in parties, do you get to throw many? What is your best party tip?
I have planned some big corporate events in the past and loved it. This was always something that was very close to my heart but I much prefer children’s parties – they’re much more fun. I am venturing into designing more dessert and candy tables for clients – for birthdays, baby showers, anniversaries, small weddings. This is where I can see my creativity about to explode. As for the party planning tip, plan for every aspect. It is almost certain something will go wrong somewhere, so be prepared. I always have a box in my car full of tapes, glue, scissors, pins, and other spare items that I might need.
You mentioned you design dessert tables for various celebrations. Is this something you offer to your clients?
Yes absolutely. This is where we want to grow more. We provide creative design service across London and Kent. Based on a brief, we come up with a theme, colour scheme and then style it accordingly. This is increasingly popular with our clients as not everyone has the time and skills to turn simple items into art. Even a small family gathering for an afternoon tea can be turned into a very stylish affair. We would love to get our hands on helping you style your next celebrations so do get in touch.
Your daughter was your inspiration behind SPB, how did you find the courage to set up a business on your own?
I have always embraced new things in life. I don’t sit thinking “what if”. When I make a plan in my head, work things out and get going, it just works for me. I don’t want to be looking back in thirty years from now and thinking I wish I followed my passion then.
What advice would you give to someone trying to start a new business?
You need to be prepared to work hard, the success of any business venture depends on how much effort you put in. There will be many late nights, worries and second thoughts, but if you are committed and serious about it, you will just get through it.
You are working mum. What do you do for some well deserved “me time”?
I don’t get to have much time for myself at the moment as I am always running like a headless chicken, but my guilty pleasure is Aqua Spa at Sanderson Hotel. Otherwise I just read a book.
When you are not busy working, what do you enjoy doing with the family?
With my husband travelling a lot for work it is very challenging to get some quality time together but we love doing simple things like going to a farm and feeding goats. Our daughter loves it and in general we try to spend as much time outdoors with her as possible.
What fashion spots have you made this season that your wardrobe won’t be without?
I bought a gold nail varnish from Chanel. Is it actually in fashion now? It must be my leopard print playsuit for my well-deserved holiday.
Style is obviously very important to you. SPB is oozing with style from page to page, what is your style staple and why?
I want all items to be stylish first of all. The idea behind SPB was to offer people an alternative to high-street shops so that they can buy really lovely, good quality products to decorate their party. I went for items that look retro or vintage but can be applied in modern settings. I think this is what makes my shop unique. You won’t find plastic looking items, but instead very unique and sometimes hard to source items. It is like a rainy day candy.
How do you balance being a working mum?
It is obviously very challenging but my daughter and my family come first. I make sacrifices and juggle a lot. I think you need to learn what works for you best and stick to the routine.
Can you give our readers any exciting insight on what to expect from stylishpartybazaar.com in the future?
Apart from bringing you more lovely products, we have some exciting projects lined up. At the moment I’m concentrating on designing various dessert tables so I can show people how to put various items available in the shop together depending on the celebration. My next big project will be to bring party printables to the shop.
Party planning can be overwhelming, when choosing party essentials, what is the best approach to take? Start with a budget? Colour scheme? Theme?
I would encourage starting with a budget first. Then decide on a theme. Work out what items are a must for your theme and what would be nice to have and budget accordingly. Make sure to check vintage shops for cheap, great finds. Once you have your theme, look for inspirations for your colour scheme. Inspirations are literally everywhere…pinterest, shop windows display, fashion catwalks and bookshops.
You obviously have a creative flair, what do you do with your daughter to help keep the creativity alive?
She is at the stage where she prefers playing with forbidden items. I can’t wait to start doing some simple craft projects with her but I will need to wait a bit longer. She does enjoy trying on felt hairbands I made for her, although they don’t stay on for long.
Do you have any beauty tips and who are your favourite designers?
I love make up. I am very much a Bobbi Brown girl as I find their products work extremely well with my skin. I try not to skimp on face products and I am a massive fan of Aromatherapy Essentials.
What’s your motto?
When people buy from you, they are not wasting their money. They are gaining something they love. That’s a big difference.