Summer Aldridge and Allyson Sanders formed Something Borrowed this past June, offering unique event rentals like peacock chairs, boxwood walls, parlor chairs, wedding arches, and their prize possession: Pearl. Pearl is a digital photo booth that snaps photos, GIFs, boomerangs, and videos and texts them to guests’ phones.
Aldridge said Pearl also offers opportunities to place your business or organization’s brand on the graphic overlay included in every capture. The two proclaim the opportunities to be endless.
“Pearl is a great fit for wedding receptions and birthday parties, but also creates a unique opportunity for fundraising events, ribbon cuttings, business happy hours, and other events where you want your brand to shine,” Aldridge said.
Aldridge is the senior director of alum relations and career exploration at Kentucky Wesleyan College and was exploring The Party Space Place for future alum events when she met Sanders. Aldridge discovered Sanders owned the venue and said the connection was “instant.”
“We spent the next couple of years making magic at various events together and ‘joked’ we’d be in business together one day,” She said. “I always wanted to have an event rentals business, and it made perfect sense for Allyson, a venue owner, to also be able to offer rentals to her clientele.”
Sanders said the inspiration for going into business is the capabilities they want to extend to their clients.
“We want any bride or business owner or nonprofit leader to be able to host the event that offers that little something extra. At Something Borrowed, we let you ‘borrow’ our unique rentals, which prevents you from having to purchase your own or go without due to the cost,” she said.
Since forming in June 2022, Something Borrowed has shown no signs of slowing down, expanding to add two trained booth attendants and a graphic designer. Sanders said the graphic designer maintains Something Borrowed’s marketing materials while ensuring the photo booth graphics are fresh and suited to the customer’s specific event.
“In 2023, we’re excited to expand our rental options to include a champagne wall and full decor rental sets, and we hope to offer a printing option with our photo booth,” she said. “We’re also launching a wide array of event coordination services. From day-of coordination to start-to-finish event planning, we’ll be able to offer it all and have 30+ years of combined event planning experience to back it up.”
The two also pride themselves on connecting clients with other vendors, boasting a lengthy contact list of photographers, florists, venues, DJs, caterers, bakeries, and more.
“We love connecting the dots for our clients,” Aldridge said. “Clients can become overwhelmed with the amount of (and sometimes lack of) information about various event vendors, and it’s so great to be able to name a variety of options any time a client needs something – and personally know that vendor well enough to know they deliver a quality product.”
Sanders added they’re honored to offer special and standing discounts for nonprofit organizations, a priority since the business’ inception.
“Both of us are employed by and heavily involved in a variety of nonprofit organizations and to be able to provide our services to them at a discount rate is something we’re proud to be able to do,” Sanders said.
To learn more about Something Borrowed, visit its website here, or search @somethingborrowedob on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. To inquire about services, email [email protected].
The Chamber Member of the Week program is a membership benefit of the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce. Founded in 1913, the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce has worked to provide valuable benefits and services to member businesses and individuals for over a century.
Today, with a membership base of nearly 1,000, the Chamber is a guiding force in community and business development initiatives, serving as the center of business advocacy for the Greater Owensboro region.
To learn more about becoming the Chamber Member of the Week or inquire about Chamber membership, contact Shelly Nichols, Chamber Vice President, at 270-926-1860 or [email protected].
