photo by steed media service

Proprietors, Aquemini Creations

To get balloons for that special occasion, you don't have to travel to some far-flung area of the city. In a renovated storefront on the corner of 45th and Indiana, Aquemini Creations's doors have been open for a little over a month. For the owners, Tenille and Ray Brooks, it's a shared vision come true. No stranger to the world of start-ups, Tenille knew she wanted a balloon business. And much like the title of OutKast's third album, the unique name is a combination of the newlyweds' zodiac signs. "This was a leap of faith. We haven't been married a year yet; we're still on our honeymoon, but we opened the store," reveals Tenille.

When you walk inside the party store, the retro design and swivel rainbow chairs that line the counter take you back to a simpler era. As they were scouting sites and settling on a location, the couple noticed the neighborhood children going in and out of the local liquor store to get their candy. That didn't settle well with them, so they added penny candy as a complement to balloons.

"This is a neighborhood and it didn't look right for kids [to be] going into the liquor store for candy, so it was no skin off our backs to add candy and chairs. Now the kids have some place to go and hang out," says Tenille.

The space lends itself to many possibilities. The happy couple intends to open up the space and add a party room in the fall. And business is growing every day. "This is nothing like I thought it would be. I can't wait to see what's next - how it's going to evolve. I love people. I love this community. We don't have anything like this," says Tenille. -tony binns

Aquemini Creations is located at 4509 S. Indiana. Contact them at (773) 536-0566 or e-mail aqueminicreations@att.net. They're closed on Monday.

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