Algonquin businesses give funky parties

At any good birthday party you need fun, and then, of course, you need some good food.

Two Randall Road-area businesses are working together to bring both to kids and their families.

Funky Things, which sells handbags, jewelry and more, and Buddyz pizzeria are both in the same Algonquin strip mall, just west of Randall Road, and just a few doors down from each other.

And they often work together to help create the perfect birthday party.

Funky Things owner Becky Barrus said the idea to collaborate with another local business came her to one morning, as she was getting ready for work.

“I remember I was blow drying my hair and when it popped in my head, I started calling my mom with the dryer still going saying, ‘Mom, we can do lucky bead parties'.

When her mom replied, “No mess, no fuss, leave the rest to us, Barrus said she knew she had a great idea.

That morning, she brought the idea up to the folks at Buddyz, and soon the concept started to take shape, as both businesses thought it was a great way to help promote one another and their unique offerings.

“I love our store so much and am always looking for different ways to promote it. All of us in the shopping center work so well together. We all promote one another in our stores and encourage shoppers to stop by the other locations, Barrus said. “We all look out for one another, which is great.

The collaborative parties begin at Funky Things, and usually take place on weekend afternoons.

At Funky Things, the kids can pick out eight beads and a bracelet to string them on.

Once everyone chooses from the 1,000-plus beads Funky Things has in stock, the kids walk down to the Buddyz. At Buddyz, there is half-price, dine-in pizza on the weekends from noon to 4 p.m., which is when many of the parties take place.

While the pizza is cooking and everyone is getting settled into the restaurant, the staff at Funky Things keeps the kids occupied.

With their help, the kids create their own bracelet, and then decorate a keepsake box for it.

While the parties are often on the weekends, especially since that's when Buddyz offers the half-prize pizza, they can be held any day, Barrus said.

As soon as someone books a party, she walks down to Buddyz, and the folks there mark it down on their calendar to make sure they have enough coverage for the party.

Both Buddyz and Funky Things also offer separate parties, but the coupling has worked well since the businesses started it more than a year ago, Barrus said.

The parties aren't just for kids either, she said. They also have had moms groups, scout troops and charity groups where the members usually make a bracelet for a cause book the parties.

For information on Funky Things, call (847) 854-6800, or for Buddyz, call (847) 658-1010.

• Amy Williams' column covers all the news of business along the Randall Road corridor from Batavia to Crystal Lake. Contact her at randallbiz@comcast.net or (847) 894-5036.