The tears of a clown

It's been no party for the clowns and bounce-house owners who rely on childrens' birthday festivities.

But they're optimistic the laughs will begin to return in 2010 after they posted large revenue declines in 2009.

Cindy Hammond better known as Cuddlez the Clown from Circus Circus, where she worked for more than two decades says her private clowning gigs declined from highs of about 100 per year to around a dozen in 2009.

Hammond, who also runs the Faces 4 Fun face painting booth at Circus Circus and recently opened a similar operation at Grand Sierra Resort, says revenues from face painting dipped by nearly 50 percent last year as well.

Face painting primarily is an impulse buy, she says, and casino patrons largely passed on the service for their children.

"We do have return customers, but it's all about impulse," Hammond says. "And if people do take vacations or do some kind of entertainment they know what they are going to spend their money on."

John Dameron, owner of Fun Characters and Woody the Clown in Reno, says revenues were off but he still landed a good volume of work at children's parties in 2009.

"What is so nice about our business is that families like to have celebrations for their kids," he says.

Diversification helped Dameron stay busy. His characters include Woody the Clown, which he's done for two decades, Dr. Suess' Cat in the Hat, and impersonations of Charlie Chaplin, Groucho Marx, Austin Powers and the "Doctor of Love." Dameron also does holiday characters like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.

Hammond and Dameron say they noticed steep declines in corporate bookings as companies slashed spending on employee entertainment. But Damerson says inquiries have picked up lately.

"At least it feels like they are the way the phone has been ringing," he says.

Businesses that rent bounce houses to private parties or corporate events also struggled to shake the recession's grasp.

Don Conner, owner of Ultimate Bouncers, says revenues plummeted 20 percent last year, and corporate bookings dipped between 20 and 30 percent. More customers these days compare prices before committing to booking a bounce house.

"A lot of them are just shopping around for the best deal they can find," Conner says.

Conner in January purchased the assets of another bounce house provider and that company's client list to increase booking opportunities, but he's cautious that consumers still may be pinching pennies.

"We are hoping for a good year but it's hard to say what we are going to see," Conner says. "People might still be in the aspect of, 'Let's save every penny we can because we don't know what the year will bring.'"

Nick Cresci, owner of Bouncing Around, says 2009 was a year of recovery after he shut down an indoor party center in South Meadows in December of 2008. Party bookings at the 5,000-square-foot facility dropped from an average of 30 per month to 10 to 15 a month about enough revenue to cover the $4,000 monthly rent, Cresci says.

Bouncing Around's rental numbers held steady in 2009. The company rents out a wide range of bounce houses, as well as inflatable sumo wrestling suits, boxing and jousting equipment. Cresci estimates revenues could have increased by an additional $5,000 without a Yellow Pages snafu that highlighted a number for his shuttered party center.

Business in 2010 already has shown signs of an uptick, he says.

"We had two bouncers last weekend and four on Super Bowl weekend, so it is picking up some. When we got the Yellow Pages ad worked out it helped out a lot."

Bouncing Around also has seen an increase in bookings from businesses renting the sumo wrestling and inflatable boxing equipment for fun-filled employee battles.

"Those are definitely filling in some of the gaps, getting more corporate clients," he says.

Both Bouncing Around's Cresci and Fun Character's Dameron say they've noticed a marked increase in bookings and queries from the Internet.

Cresci says more than 60 percent of his business comes from the Internet.

"The Web is huge," Cresci says. "Twenty-somethings with little kids don't use the Yellow Pages."

Hammond says she receives most of her clowning jobs from word of mouth or referrals by Circus Circus.

"When anyone wants a clown, they think of Circus Circus and call them asking for a clown and get my number," she says.

The party and special event rental business hasn't fared much better, says Joe MacHarg, owner of Top Hat Party Rentals. MacHarg says his business has mirrored the percentage drops in the casino industry.

"We're kind of a luxury product," he says. "People don't need to party or carry on special events."

MacHarg says he won't know how this year will go until the busy summer season hits, but he's predicting another down year from his peak in 2006.

"You just have to be patient these are business cycles, even though this one is a little rougher than most. We just curl up and hibernate; it's a good time to take a vacation. In busy years you can't seem to get away."