28 Feb 2019

The urge to start Balloon World can be summed by the quote that “art is not what you see, but what you make others see.”

Ms Galaletsang Butale started a Kiddies Palace Saloon in 2012 and whilst it was going, she realised that she needed to do kiddies parties as well.

After that, she realised she needed to find a unique way to make her brand stand out. She said she observed that kiddies parties needed balloons hence she searched the Internet and stumbled on beautiful balloon decorations.

According to her, kiddies parties should not be about glamour but rather should be about what interests children, citing designs like giraffe arch made of balloons.

The Ramotswa-born woman said she took time to go for training in South Africa at a balloon school called Balloon Design in Pretoria. She also took a lot of time watching and practising from you tube tutorials. She started implementing her skills after a year.

Ms Butale said after being satisfied she opened a shop which sold balloons only. Therefore, she has Kiddies Saloon, Kiddies Parties and Balloon World.

The 40-year-old said her intention was to do training for people who were interested in learning about balloons. On the other hand, she advised people who aspired to venture into balloon business to have passion.

The business lady said balloons could do a lot of things like centre pieces with flower arrangements underneath which could be used in showers, weddings and kiddies parties.

She said arch could be good in events such as Khawa and Desert race, more especially if they were put at the starting and finishing point.

Balloon world sells helium filled balloons, does balloon arches, balloon trees and  balloon columns. Her focus is on balloon decorations, explaining that Batswana were interested in seeing balloons art used in many events.

Ms Butale said she has realised that Batswana have started to appreciate balloons as they used to undermine her work.

“I taught them that balloon is an art, you sit down and wonder how frames are done,” she said.

She said there were different types of balloons, but that they used professional ones only as they were biodegradable and did not break easily. Latex balloons are made of rubber, stretches and can be printed.

The other type is foil balloon which can be shaped into anything. The common foil balloons are used for birthday shoots and celebrations. However, foil balloons do not stretch and come in different shapes, sizes and can be printed using ink and vinyl.

“We also have the bubble balloons which are the latest addition having about two years on the market, they stretch and can be printed by transfer printing using paint,” she explained.

Ms Butale explained that bubble balloons gave an event a glamorous look, especially evening celebrations. Moreover, one can put light on top and they give a unique glow.

She also explained that bubbles were all clear and white while overtime latex gets cloudy whereas foil balloons float for longer.

She said prices of a single balloon ranged from P2.50 to P250. The cheapest balloon art is centre piece with prices ranging from P50 and the bigger the size, the more the price. She said she once did an arch costing P3 000.

Ms Butale is considering venturing into teaching children crafts using recycled materials as she loves art but focusing on primary school children. ENDs