If you look closely, there is magic in every little thing that we do. And anything done with love, is magic in itself. There is magic in the way we make people smile and magic in every time laughter sends ripples through the universe.
The year is 1998 and standing at the corner within close proximity of the Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church is ‘Party On,’ a party shop that is the first to know when there is a party happening in town.
The first of its kind, Party On is run by Joslyn Menezes. She, along with the Goan ladies that she has hired to help around the store, is discussing the new shade of balloons that she thinks they need to add to their collection.
Joslyn’s help force is made up of Goan women. She always patronizes Goan women and they are always her first choice to hire. She likes to help them in whatever little way she can and teach them all the little things that she has learnt herself.
Apart from the shop, Joslyn also takes up other tasks such as decorating kids' parties.
Meanwhile, whiling away her time in a tiny corner of the tiny shop is Joslyn’s little girl, Alexandra.
Children are said to be a reflection of their parents – what they see, they emulate and that is exactly what little Alexandra is doing as she makes mental notes of her mother’s many tasks.
The idea of starting a business like ‘Party On’, stemmed from the fact that at the time, the only way to throw a well-decorated party was to make arrangements for decorations to be shipped or flown from abroad.
Making things easier, Joslyn opened a shop that had its fair share of imported decorations which were accessible to people right in the heart of the city and the rest is history.
The year is now 2019 and the only problem that Joslyn is facing is the space constraint due to the tiny size of the shop.
Not-so-little Alexandra is in Bangalore and although she is working in the sales department, there is something about the decorative setups at work parties that leave her in awe.
Meanwhile, Joslyn has decided to move her shop to a bigger location in Altinho and rebrand the business.
She has decided that the shop ‘Party On’ would now be rechristened ‘The Magic Wand’, which is what she believes her shop stands for – making magical moments.
So, she sticks a sheet of paper on the shutter of the old shop that lets people know that they’ve shifted, but soon, the Covid-19 pandemic hits and the world comes to a halt.
Post Covid-19, things are slowly starting to resume but Joslyn is now almost at the age of retirement, “I’m getting old, starting a whole new brand will be tough,” she tells Alexandra who has been asking the universe to show her a sign that tells her if she should move back home to Goa – this was her sign.
“I’ll do it, it is the perfect opportunity,” she tells her mother. And, again, the rest is history.
The year is 2024, Alexandra is now 28 years old with a daughter of her own and is enthusiastically running ‘The Magic Wand’, which has been passed down to her from her mother.
“As a kid, I used to sit with mum in the old shop and knew how everything was run, so when I came here, it was easy for me to run this business because I understood the way it worked, how she used to stock up, how she used to buy new products, everything was known to me,” she smiles.
The reason for the name being ‘The Magic Wand’ is, “Mum wanted the shop to be a very magical place for kids as well as adults. She hopes that kids will remember the experience that they had when they come to shop for stuff, how thrilled they are to buy the products and the excitement to put together the whole party and celebrate,” she adds.
Along with providing some of the best of decorations, Alexandra also explains how they help people create a setup in the shop itself and assist them with ideas on how they can do the décor themselves.
They also cater to decorating small, themed birthday parties and bespoke décor.
“We don’t go large scale, we do it for people who want small decorations such as a backdrop for a restaurant,” she explains.
The most recent addition is, ‘Magic Wand pretty packs’ which are made up of customised décor such as customised cake toppers, cupcake toppers, 3D alphabet names and customised banners in different themes. “People are always looking for something unique,” she says.
A seasonal business, the peak season for The Magic Wand is from June to February.
“Big seasons are Halloween, Carnival, Sao Joao and New Year’s,” says Alexandra who runs the shop with her supportive and hands-on husband, Jonathan.
“Jonathan looks after the marketing, he’s the face of it and I’m the brains,” she laughs as she glances in his direction.
Just like her mother, Alexandra, too, is hiring Goan women and giving them the opportunity to earn and learn, simultaneously. And, we’ll say it again with an amendment - the rest is indeed shaping up to be history!
DETAILS
CONTACT: +91 9011996906
FACEBOOK: The Magic Wand Goa
INSTAGRAM: @magicwandgoa_partyshop