Today we’d like to introduce you to Dewanna Richard.
Hi Dewanna, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
In 2017, I purchased a cotton candy machine from offer Up. February 2017 I attended a lead project at my church home the Lighthouse church. My church was in the works of hosting an Easter Extravaganza event for the community and I was inspired to be a vender. I purchased the additional machines of snow cone and popcorn. During that event I was a vender, I made sales from 12 pm to 3 pm with the snow cone, popcorn, cotton candy machines and additionally 2 sacks of crawfish. After this event I made $1,200 in the 3 hours working with the help and support of my adult children and my grandchild and knew that I wanted to continue this journey for providing this service to the families in my community.
With this experience I was excited to started my business and my son helped me with the name It’z A Party Rental. I was still in nursing school and worked at MD Anderson Cancer Center. By May my Boss Latricia Hunt gave me my 1st Referral for her Cousin Lisa Party, which I will forever acknowledge her as my very 1st customer. She rented our crawfish tables and chairs setup for her party. This is how my business began as a Party Rental and vendor events. I invested in all these machines and rental items on a budget with my accountant son that handled the financial budget and advised of profitable purchasing strategies and items. From here we booked other events and party rental for all occasions parties. While still looking on Facebook marketplace I found this food truck trailer for $800. It had a sink and electricity in it and my parents, kids and I drove to Brenham Texas for pick up and brought it back home. All in this same year, GigiMan Concession Stand was founded by my handsome 1st born grandson Cameron, who was 5 at the time. The trailer purchased was a ugly sight and a big fixer upper. My father my dad had some left over house paint that Cameron and I used to paint it up. I was only 43 when I became a Gigi and granny was out of the question, so GigiMan Concession Stand was born and created with the inspiration of my Grandson, I am his Gigi and he is my GigiMan and his face is the cover of this business. My friend saw us on Facebook and asked how much would I charge to come to her job for 50 people with hamburgers and hot dogs but I had no idea what to charge her, so I said let me get you an invoice by Monday.
So I called James Coney Island and ask them their prices and that’s how I generated the invoice based on what they told me. I formatted my first invoice for the Concession stand and sent back the invoice to her and we were booked. We pulled the food truck up to their place of business and served 50 employees with the help of my GigiMan, my mom, my aunt and daughter Monica. We worked the event from 11-1pm and even received a tip of $150 in addition to the invoice price. After that event my GigiMan, his mom and I had already planned to go to seaworld so that tip came in handy. We went on to vender many events and supply party rentals items that I enjoyed and had much fun and success at. In the process of doing those party events people wanted Tshirts so I would out source them my cousin that had a shirt business. My cousin eventually stop doing the shirts so I took a class learning how to make the shirts myself and was able to add on to our business.
In 2019, we took a hit due to the pandemic and could not stay in business with suppling rental or doing events.
With the unfortunate event of George Floyd, there was a rally held here in Houston that my daughter and her friend attending and I made Black Lives Matter and I can’t breathe mask and items which helps turn around my business. Mask was added to our business as well as caps and other personalized items. The best part is it’s 3 of us in my family that do Tshirts and we all had our own business but we supported each other at events or completing orders. In 2021, my dad passed and due to family drama it was a hard time for me and I wasn’t speaking to my mom or sisters and the day before we were to go to the funeral home I had to complete an order for a customer and I wasn’t gonna attend the meeting at the funeral home.
My cousin Ann Davis called and said DD come on and go I’ll help you afterwards with your order. And she did.
After this we were inseparable. She had her own office space and we stayed many nights working together and we eventually got a bigger office space and The Party Suite was founded. Man when I tell and we had our own party on this place. Ann was the best event planner I knew and she taught me everything I know which I am forever grateful for. In 2024, I turned 55 and had this vision of having a senior Prom theme bday party and Ann put it all together…. Not knowing this was our last event of many we did together and she had a contract at a hotel she hosted and had vendors there monthly and I was the food vendor at each of them. We made money and made memories that I now cherish and thank God for her. She was so good at what she did, I handicapped myself by asking her to do everything for me, when it came to creating designs and images I needed, she did them for me. Even after my dad passed, I started Daddees Gyrlz merchandise in his honor, Ann created my watermark, bags, thank you cards and so much more. She would always say
DD Dewanna you need to learn this for yourself and I was would say no I’ll pay you to do it. She buckled down and made me sit there n learn to do things on my own.
Itz A Party Rental will be In Business 10 years next year and I am thankful for all my customers and Event bookings like with radio personality Jerri P Beasley. We have been booked at the radio station when she does her events, so if your looking to book with us or Need any occasion birthday rentals tshirts as we say, you vision it, we create it. We service Houston and surrounding area. Daddees Gyrlz has been shipped to 10 different States n we still growing. GIGIman Concession Stand is ready to book with you also. Follow us on IG, Facebook or Tik Tok. As a child I never remember having a birthday party but for sure my kids and my Gigibabies can’t say that. I love what I do.
In April of 2025 she was diagnosed with stomach cancer and she passed August of 2025. I was so broken but thankful that I was under her wing and learned how to do things on my own now that she is gone. I miss my cousin aka best business partner a business owner could ask for. When I work now, I still say Thank you cousin because of you I did it. I have flourished in creating and making jugs, custom and personalized items and still continue to run my business. After the pandemic we had loss from a couple of years but now we are back up and running full business. I now am able to do birthdays and milestones for my team at my job with Chase I’m over birthday and anniversary on monthly bases for my teammates. I ask each of them to send their birthday and work anniversary dates along with a list of their favorite thing like food, drinks and snacks so I can create a backpack with our team name and their names on it with goodies inside.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No it has had the good and bad road, u enjoy the good and learn from the bad. Booking events and they say x amount of people and you get their n it’s not what was expected. The pandemic hit us the most for lost of business. But the best part is that we are still in business and have meet a lot of customers n referral all over the US
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about It’z A Party Rental ?
It’z A Party Rental was created out of being a business owner who never had a childhood birthday party and being raised in a family with Fun Family and Fellowship. Raising Four kids on my own and making Family memories by celebrating any occasion from a vision I had no idea that it would lead me to this purpose of living a life of fun n meeting people and celebrating and partying with them rather it’s a party or being a vendor our most joy is that we are here to celebrate you or Hope that our brand is know in our city and other places we have traveled to or shipped merchandise too.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Yes as a Party planner as a Team player at my job at Chase I’m over our Team birthday and Anniversary so each month I create a back pack personalized with our team on it n their name with their favorite goodies in it and it brings me so much joy to celebrate with them, it’s like bring my own business to my work place to celebrate my team.
Pricing:
- All Tshirts start at $20 and are based on design and 10 or more we do discount
- All machine rentals start at $50 or rent two or more n we discount(except margarita machine $125 supplies are included
- Tables n chairs are available
- Yard games
- Any party theme decor or favors
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itzapartyrental
- Facebook: It’z A Party Rental and GigiMan Concession Stand
