Unique
Unique Industries is no ordinary party supplies manufacturer – it is a business story that shows what a single decision can become. When Eb Novak took over a small basement room in a Philadelphia warehouse in 1961, he had neither capital nor established structures behind him. He had an idea, a willingness to work and his family. Together they stored, packed and delivered what others were still looking for: a reliable full range of party supplies for the American trade. From these modest beginnings, an internationally active company emerged over the decades – one that today ranks among the established names in the industry. Unique Industries stands for a comprehensive range of products for celebrations and festivities: balloons, decorations, tableware, candles, gift wrapping and licensed products that enable themed party concepts for every occasion. The product range serves the trade, wholesalers and end consumers alike – covering everything from a spontaneous children's birthday party to an elaborately staged anniversary celebration. What sets Unique Industries apart is not only the breadth of its range, but the conviction behind it: celebrations deserve good products. And good products come from experience. More than 60 years of it go into every single item.
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Back to Home pageA Basement in Philadelphia – The Founding
The founding story of Unique Industries begins where many American business stories begin: with one individual, one idea and the will to pursue it without a safety net. Eb Novak was no industry veteran, no trained businessman with secured capital. When he rented a small basement room in a Philadelphia warehouse in 1961 to build his company, he had essentially three resources: the willingness to do physical work, a sense for an underserved market and the support of his family. He handled warehouse work himself, packed products with his own hands and brought in family members wherever the business required it. Philadelphia was then, as now, a significant economic and commercial hub on the American East Coast – a favourable starting point for a company that relied on the trade as its sales channel from the very beginning. What started in the basement was not a corporation in the making – it was a hands-on business that earned its place in the market one step at a time.
From Regional Operation to International Full-Range Supplier
That place was clearly defined from the start: Unique Industries specialised in party supplies – a product category that existed in the USA in the early 1960s but had not yet developed its own profiled specialist trade. Novak recognised that retailers were looking for reliable suppliers who could offer a broad and coordinated range. He expanded his offering accordingly: first balloons and simple decorative items, then tableware, candles and packaging materials. With each new product area, the company's reach grew – both geographically and in terms of range. The regional basement operation in Pennsylvania gradually became a national supplier serving retailers and wholesalers across the entire USA.
The next major development step came with the rise of licensed products. From the middle decades of the 20th century onwards, the party supplies market changed fundamentally: consumers wanted not just decoration, but thematically cohesive celebration experiences. Characters from animated films, popular children's series, sports themes – the demand for party sets that build a visual world around an occasion grew steadily. Unique Industries recognised this trend early and invested in licensing partnerships that gave the range a new dimension. Licensed products became one of the company's strongest growth drivers and enabled the gradual expansion into international markets, where well-known themes and characters work across cultures.
Company Philosophy – Celebrations as a Distinct Part of Life
What has distinguished Unique Industries from purely commercial operations over the decades is a sense of purpose that goes beyond simply delivering goods. The company understands celebrations as a distinct part of life – not a peripheral phenomenon of consumption, but a core element of social existence. Birthdays, anniversaries, seasonal festivities, family gatherings: these moments deserve products that do them justice. This conviction is not marketing language – it explains why a company that started in a warehouse basement is still counted among the relevant names in the industry more than six decades later. Unique Industries is not a budget supplier focused on one-off sales. It is a full-range provider that relies on the continuity of trading relationships – and on products that deliver in practice what they promise.
The Product Range – Everything for the Celebration
The Unique Industries range is divided into six core areas that together cover almost every type of celebration. Balloons form the backbone of the offering: in classic round shapes and special forms, as latex and foil balloons, in standard colours and themed designs. These are complemented by decorative items for room styling – from simple elements for everyday occasions to more elaborate decorations for special celebrations. Coordinated tableware – paper plates, cups and napkins as matching sets – caters to celebrations of any size and makes table decoration straightforward. Candles, particularly birthday cake candles in classic and themed versions, serve one of the most emotional rituals of celebration. Gift wrapping – bags, boxes and accessories – completes the range around the gifting ritual. The most dynamic area is licensed products: themed items that draw on well-known characters and franchises and generate strong demand, particularly at children's parties.
Product Categories at a Glance
Balloons · Decorative items · Tableware (plates, cups, napkins) · Candles · Gift wrapping · Licensed products
Unique Industries at miniSchoggi
miniSchoggi carries Unique Industries because both worlds share the same understanding: that behind every celebration is a person making an effort – for others, for a special moment, for a memory that lasts. Unique Industries provides the products that give that effort the right expression. A company with over 60 years of experience in celebration supplies, that knows what is needed – and reliably delivers what it promises.
Those who bake and decorate at miniSchoggi are already thinking in occasions. A home-baked cake is rarely just a cake – it is a gift, a gesture of affection, the centrepiece of a moment. What surrounds it is part of that moment too: the decoration, the atmosphere, the overall picture. Unique Industries complements the miniSchoggi range exactly there – with items that turn a simple occasion into a small celebration, without requiring much effort. The target groups of both companies overlap naturally: people who value quality and thoughtful presentation in their baking and gift-giving will now also find the right celebration accessories at miniSchoggi – all in one place, without compromise.
The wonderful thing about good party supplies is that they work quietly. You don't notice them as individual products – you notice that everything feels right. That the table looks the way it should. That the atmosphere fits. Unique Industries has over 60 years of experience in creating exactly that feeling. miniSchoggi is pleased to make this range available to its customers – as a complement to baking, as inspiration for the next occasion, as a simple way to give every celebration that special something.
From the basement. Into the world. Since 1961. Unique Industries.