Laura Orta started her business Bella Pop, which specializes in balloon décor, about a year and a half ago. The Ponte Vedra resident started the venture after discovering the limited options out there after trying to plan decor for a party she was having. Next thing she knew, she was blowing up balloons and creating archways and columns for parties across the area.
Tell us a little about yourself and your background.
My dad’s in the military, so we moved to Jacksonville probably in like 1999, so I grew up in this area and then I went to UF and graduated in 2015.
I moved around for a little bit but came back to this area and St. Johns County within the last three years.
What led you to the creation of Bella Pop?
I was pregnant with my daughter last year, and we were trying to find a way to do a baby shower that was creative and still colorful.
So, I started looking on Pinterest and stuff because I’ve always been into decorating and stuff like that.
I found some kits online, but they didn’t really work out that well, so I started investigating what professionals do, and that’s pretty much how the business came about.
It’s called Bella Pop because my daughter’s name is Arabella. She’s 10 months old now, but whenever we’re blowing up the balloons she is just blown away by it.
I started doing it for family and friends about a year and a half ago, and I normally work in insurance, so owning your own business is a whole new realm for me.
What type of celebrations do you specialize in?
Believe it or not we get a lot of corporate events asking for columns or big archways, and we’ve also had a lot of retirements lately.
Graduations, birthdays are definitely something we always get a lot of as well.
A lot of our materials come from wholesalers from across the country, so it’s not your typical balloons that people think of.
It takes maybe two weeks just for the ordering process and then to actually make the installations, it really depends.
If we’re doing like a 20-foot arch, that could take about four hours to prepare at home and an additional two hours to setup at the location.
The goal is to make as much as we can at home and then just set it up at the location, because a lot of vendors don’t give you a lot of time to set up.
It also allows for less of a mistake to take place, because we are dealing with balloons in Florida so they could pop at any moment because the heat can make them explode.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
What’s great about this little business we’ve got going on, is that it allows me to express my creativity in way that most people probably don’t really realize you can. You can really make some amazing art and really express yourself in different ways using balloons.
You can turn a simple area into something extravagant and memorable.
What has the feedback been like since opening up Bella Pop?
There is really not that many companies like this in this area, and we’ve been received really well within the community.
We’re really grateful that we live in such a great community where people are just open to different things.
Even though it’s balloons, I really take it as art, so when someone says, “I really like this,” it means a lot because you go in really nervous wondering if they’re going to like it or the color choices.
You are never sure how people will receive it until you put it out there. It’s a little nerve-racking but we take any feedback because that’s what helps us grow.
Do you have goals for the business down the road?
We’re trying to get involved with the universities to perhaps be their main balloon vendor, so pray for us with that. There’s also so many sports teams around to get involved with.
I would love to eventually get involved planning full parties, but I’m also just really happy just focusing on balloons at this point.
What do you love most about living in Ponte Vedra Beach?
Honestly, what isn’t there to love! When my husband and I got the opportunity to move back to Florida, it was a no-brainer.
We knew we wanted to start a family and this area is just so great for that.
