Claire Gilvar and Meryl Lefkowitz
Claire Gilvar and Meryl Lefkowitz
Booked Parties, LLC – Founders
Claire and Meryl are two Chappaqua, NY moms that joined forces in 2014 to create Booked Parties, a children’s birthday party resource website and booking platform for seamless party planning. Booked Parties, provides you all the tools you need to leverage our curated database of venues and party vendors and access the best-of-the-best in party planning! But what if you would like a little more help planning your party or celebration, find out how Booked Parties Events, our one-on-one event planning services can do the work for you! From Ideas to Execution we can help you achieve the party of your dreams! The Booked Parties Blog also provides an indispensable resource for the inside scoop on new venues, and a variety of local party services and spotlights on our community - like our Mini Movers and Shakers series!
What inspired you to create Booked Parties?
As busy moms we are always looking for great resources for all things related to our kids - when we realized that one did not exist for planning and booking a birthday party the idea for Booked Parties was born!
How did you gain the confidence to start your own company and later expand your brand?
Both of us worked in the corporate world for many years and took our learnings from the positions we held in the many high-profile companies we worked for and applied those skills as we set out to work for ourselves. Each success we have had has been a stepping stone to move us onward and upward. Being an entrepreneur is exciting - your future is in your own hands and we work hard every day to continue to build and succeed with our company!
What do you like best about being an entrepreneur and your job?
The best part of being an entrepreneur is that you are creating your own roadmap for success. Sometimes you have to take a detour but in the end the decisions you make are what make the business happen and even when it’s not the perfect choice you have the ability to make changes and go in a new direction! We love the fact that we are always finding new partners, new trends and new ideas to share with our users, it excites us to know that we have had a hand in helping parents to plan their child’s perfect party or celebration!
Why did you choose to partner with so many local stores and merchants and how have you given back to the community?
We love local businesses and know how important supporting them is in this day and age of online shopping and instant gratification! So, because of that, we want to give back to the community whenever we can and to that end our company has partnered with many local non-profit organizations that are doing their part to service their communities. Our mission is to balance what we do with supporting the greater good and those doing good!
I was fortunate to have been featured on your blog - Mini Movers and Shakers, supporting young entrepreneurs. What inspired you to create this blog as part of the Booked Parties website? Why did you decide to hold an event showcasing this young talent?
Mini Movers and Shakers has been a passion project for us! We began talking about a few friends whose children had started their own businesses and very quickly we discovered there were many more than we even realized. Once we started to feature the kids on our blog, more reached out and it has literally snowballed from there! This has been one of the most fun projects we have worked on and are so thrilled and excited to have been able to create this Mini Movers & Shakers community! We knew that all of these great mini-entrepreneurs were doing such great things and the feedback we got from the blog was so amazing we decided to bring the blog to life and gather everyone together for a live event!
What is next? Do you have plans to further expand the brand?
We are always looking ahead - we have more events planned for Mini Movers and Shakers as well as some new and exciting updates and additions coming to the site over the next year! You will just have to stay tuned to find out!
Do you have any advice for a young person who is considering becoming an entrepreneur?
Our best advice to future entrepreneurs is to follow your heart and always remember what your original mission is/was for starting your business! Always ask questions and always keep yourself current on newness in your field! Being an entrepreneur is not always easy, but it is always worth pursuing your passion!!
If you could tell your younger self anything what would it be?
I think the best thing we could tell ourselves is to be patient, things will happen - you can’t rush greatness!
Is there anything else you would like to share?
We were so flattered to have been interviewed by Jackie for her blog! We hope that as female entrepreneurs we can motivate and be role models for young women to start and maintain their own businesses and we know Jackie you are going to be a BIG success!!
Thank you to Claire and Meryl for sharing your story, showcasing me as a Mini Mover and Shaker in November 2018 and inviting me to represent at their Mini Mover and Shaker Showcase with other young entrepreneurs in June 2019 at Jefferson Valley Mall in Yorktown Heights, NY.
All art/photos belong to Booked Parties and are used with their permission.
