What could be more fun than owning a business that specializes in FUN?! Mingle, a full-service balloon boutique and event company located in Santa Rosa Beach does just that.
We recently chatted with owners Barry and Rebecca Cross to learn more about this whimsical local business that has been making area parties and events more memorable with their decorative balloon creations and original decor for nearly five years.
What was the inspiration behind Mingle?
We launched Mingle in February of 2017 with the intent on creating a company and a brand that would help others gather, celebrate, and create memories for all of life’s important moments (big or small!) We knew we wanted to be a part of these milestone moments in some way! When we began offering in-home delivery and styling services for our balloon designs our business really “blew up” and led us down a path we couldn’t totally predict. Today we deliver and design events six days a week with over 100 events delivered each month! Our tagline is “We Decorate. You Celebrate.” and that message really says it all.
What kind of services do you offer?
We focus primarily on the delivery and installation of modern balloon decor and balloon structures for every type of event. We work with local festivals, corporate clients, and everyone in our area who has a reason to celebrate! Our fanciful balloon creations allow our guests and clients to feature colorful, dynamic, and instaworthy balloons at their event without the hassle! In addition to that we also offer event prop rentals and photo backdrops, and we help our clients pull a cohesive look together by collaborating with other proven vendors throughout our 30A community.
What is unique about your balloon creations?
Every balloon arrangement or structure we design is one-of-a-kind and unique to each event theme, color palette, or client. We primarily feature balloon techniques that are “air filled” so that our balloons are not released into the environment or end up in our precious gulf waters. We call this design technique “organic design” which means we purposely create random sizes using a variety of styles, textures, and patterns to create something we consider art! We also work hard to use color and icons that will translate into the perfect themed event for every client.
How long have you been in the 30A area? Why do you feel 30A is a great place to have a business?
We moved to the 30A area in 2016 and launched Mingle in February of 2017 so we are close to hitting our five-year anniversary which is super exciting. Like many others we moved to this area because we knew we wanted this area to be our forever home and our final destination. We truly believe 30A and the surrounding communities provide some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, and we absolutely love living and working here.
The one thing we learned after launching our business in this area is that our clients value their TIME! We provide a “service” that helps our clients save time, and we also get to help them create “an experience” while they are here on vacation, and we love doing it! Without a doubt 30A is a popular destination location and we make it easy for our clients to decorate and celebrate whether they live here or vacation here.
What is the biggest/most extensive balloon creation you’ve ever made for a customer?
It is hard to narrow it down to just one of our biggest events; but one of our most memorable was helping the VIE magazine staff and the Alys Beach Digital Graffiti team decorate for their VIP evening event in 2019. We were able to cover and adorn two vintage vehicles and one airstream Photo Booth using our balloons and these areas quickly became hot spots for photos and selfies during the event. It was a gorgeous night with gorgeous balloons, and we loved being a part of it!
Do you have any interesting stories about custom events you’ve participated in?
I actually think every event has some sort of unique twist to make them interesting, however, there is one event that is jumping out in my mind and it involves a corporate event where they asked us to set up a ballroom event with balloon decor, remove it at the end of the night and then completely duplicate it exactly the same way the 2nd night. Instead of leaving it overnight we actually had to design it, install it, remove it, and then re-design it the next evening exactly like it was the day before. That was definitely a unique request and one we haven’t had since.
Please share any additional fun or important details about your business!
We are growing, and we have our clients to thank for it! We recently opened a venue space in Grayton Beach called The Grayt Room (www.graytroom.com) so that others could host events in our space, and we continue to add to our list of services through event rentals, props, and more! Thankfully we are a vital part of our clients’ events, and we will continue to find new ways to help our community decorate and celebrate along 30A.
Keep in touch with Mingle on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mingle30a or Instagram at @mingle30a.
