The directors at Airigami know balloons. This popular business in Rochester is comprised of a team of artists that create large scale creations, illustrations, and experiences entirely out of balloons.
- Nationwide shortage affecting local businesses
- Local balloon designers strive to be eco-friendly
- Prices rise for helium and helium air mixes
A nationwide shortage of helium may sound alarming, as the gas serves a variety of essential purposes.
"It's certainly a concern of mine. I want to see helium used for electronics, manufacturing, MRI machines, for leak detection, and things like space launches," said Larry Moss, Arigami’s creative director.
For businesses that depend on it, a shortage or increase in the cost of helium may sound daunting.
"I already get it at a higher price than a place like Party City would because they get multiple tanks and stuff, so I would have to increase my prices if the [cost] really goes up," said Cantina El-Amin with Tonz of Fun Entertainment.
Both Airigami and Tonz of Fun Entertainment assure there is an alternative, simply creating designs that don't require the gas.
"You can put the balloons on a frame, for instance, balloon arches they can actually go on an actual frame even made out of something as cheap as PVC," El-Amin said.
Directors at Arigami said they strive to be eco-friendly at all costs.
"A balloon is so light, most of the time you don't have to fill it with pure helium. We'll use a helium air mix," Moss said. "We do that by hanging balloons from ceilings or making sculptures that come up off the ground and fill space that way. We'll do a lot of things where instead of helium releases, and littering, we don't participate in that [at] all."
And when it comes to a cause for concern, Moss has an answer to that as well.
"Now that it's something we mine for and collect, there's an expense to it. So I don't know there's so much a shortage, it's not available to us. As it's much more expensive to obtain than it was in the past," Moss said.