Husband-wife duo create balloon business Up ‘N Da Air

Published 7:00 am Monday, January 22, 2024

Husband and wife duo Kimberly and Tamayo Coats are natives of Milledgeville and Sparta, and they are the owners of Up ‘N Da Air Balloons.

They aim to provide the customers with a great experience whenever they come in the store. 

“What makes us unique is the team of people providing amazing service to every single person who walks in and goes above and beyond in everything that we do,” Tamayo said. 

Up ‘N Da Air has a balloon for every occasion. Prices range from $1.50 to $25. More than likely, they will have any sort of balloon requested on hand, and if by chance they do not have it, it can be specially ordered. 

“From large numbers, cartoon characters and happy birthday, to ‘Get Well Soon,’ ‘Thank You’ and graduation balloons, we have everything under the sun. We offer both latex and Mylar balloons, sold individually or in packages, depending on your needs,” said Coats. 

They will blow up balloons purchased in-store and additionally blow up balloons purchased from other locations.

Upon request, they also offer balloon arches and balloon column services. If that were not enough, Up ‘N Da Air offers pickup and delivery services for every order within the city and in surrounding counties as well.   

Working together has been quite a treat for Kimberly and Tamayo. 

“It’s an awesome thing because we get to share in the joys that the business brings. We get to spend our time making our ideas and goals come true. We like to see the smiles on the customers face when they receive their balloons,” Coats said.

The business, located at 1841 N. Columbia St. Suite G and is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Tamayo said that he had a vision of owning a balloon store for some time. When they last discussed the matter, Kimberly encouraged him to move forward with the idea. 

They established Up ‘N Da Air in October 2020 and have been open since February 2021. 

“We saw a need for a legitimate, affordable and efficient party shop in the Milledgeville area. The closest Party City is in Macon, and while that’s not that far for some, it can be quite inconvenient of a drive,” Coats said. “We wanted to be able to provide a convenient, community-friendly service to those in search of balloons, arches, columns, and the near future, party supplies.”

They faced an uphill battle to get things started. 

“From finding a location to purchasing quality products and staffing each location, it was hard, but we’re still going strong and are only going up from here,” Coats said. 

They said the best part of running this business for them is being able to meet and support people within the community.

“As young adults, we never even imagined being able to start and run a successful business but to see how we’ve been fully embraced by the community and that we are thriving and prospering, is more than we could have ever asked for,” Coats said. “We have so much more in store.”