Poetry and balloons made this Las Vegas entrepreneur successful

A long-time poet, civil rights activist and autism advocate in Las Vegas is gaining more attention for another hat she wears: balloon entrepreneur.

The city of Las Vegas recognized Jessica Washington during the annual African American Trailblazer Service Awards event in late January. Washington received the business and economic advancement award for her long-time presence in Las Vegas as a poet and entrepreneur, most recently gaining notoriety for balloons.

Washington is the owner of Vegas Valley Balloons and Events, a party service company that specializes in balloon decor. Her company has grown from $8,000 in sales revenue in 2020 to more than $120,000 in 2023. The cottage industry business went from decorations on front lawns during COVID-19 lock downs to Instagram-worthy arches at rapper Megan Thee Stallion’s most recent birthday party in Las Vegas.

“My community work opened doors for my business to be profitable,” Washington said. “At the time, being a single mother with an autistic child, I never would have thought balloons would be the thing that makes me the most money. I never thought this would be a career choice.”

Big business in balloons

The concept for Washington’s business came from an interest in event planning and her community involvement. While running a summer camp for autism youth one year, she purchased balloons and other crafts to entertain the kids.

“I know they say that kids with autism don’t like loud noises, but these kids loved to pop the balloons,” she said.

Washington posted her balloon creations on social media and by the end of the week she was encouraged to continue with the craft. She found the Balloon Training Institute in rural Tennessee and jokingly created a GoFundMe in 2019 for support – only to find out an anonymous donor paid her fees.

The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t interrupt the momentum she developed in the business. In fact, her pivots from balloon garlands – big archways where people can walk through and pose – to balloon baskets for Easter and lawn decorations during lock downs helped it grow.

Her presence as a Las Vegas poet was a driving force behind word-of-mouth marketing, she said. She’s hoping to grow her business, which she runs with her boyfriend out of her home while also working full-time in security for Station Casinos, by booking more in corporate events.

“I realized that balloons were a recession-proof business,” Washington said. “People still wanted to celebrate with all of the drive-by baby showers, drive-by birthdays – I just realized how to pivot.”

Community activism

Washington, originally from Chicago, got involved in the Vegas community in 2007 through spoken word poetry. She said her first big foray into community activism was after the 2013 acquittal of George Zimmerman, who fatally shot Black teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida. From that, she began helping with rallies and civil rights events.

In 2018, she was invited to perform her poetry at the Women’s March in Las Vegas, which she viewed as a new challenge because of the event’s high profile and concern within the African American community that the event organizers did not represent Black women.

“It was scary,” Washington, whose poet alias is Jess Flo, said. “You know how Beyonce talks about Sasha Fierce? When you get on stage, it’s real. Another person comes out when you get up there.”

Washington has also been deeply involved in autism-related support for families. A mother of two, her 18-year-old son has autism and relies on her support. She saw the need for a community network of parents in similar situations and created the I Am Autism support group network.

“When my son was diagnosed with autism, I read the statistics about marriage and autism, and other things in life, but I told myself that I would not let autism be my life,” she said. “I will let it be a part of my life.”

‘Staying power’

Claytee White, the director of the Oral History Research Center at UNLV Libraries and a member of the nominating committee for the city’s Trailblazer Service awards, said the committee looks for individuals who have “staying power” in the community, or longevity and involvement that shows a long-term desire to care for the Las Vegas community.

White knew of Washington through her poetry and activism, then watched her business grow to the point that others sought her advice.

“To learn that she has a business with the balloons – who knew a balloon business could become so successful?” White said. “And now she’s teaching other people about it. It’s not as if she keeps things to herself. She is successful and she wants everybody else to be successful.”

Washington’s community activism remains at the forefront of her business and personal life. She now teaches other interested event planners about balloon decor and is using Vegas Valley Balloons to host a quarterly free “birthday party” for families who can’t afford to throw their child one. The first event will be March 23 at the Whitney Recreation Center.

“Once you’ve brought your community together or done something good, it’s such an amazing feeling,” Washington said.

McKenna Ross is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Contact her at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X.