TWILIGHT CINCINNATI

Party City was founded by Steve Mandell, the son of a retailer who grew up dreaming of opening his own store. He started out his business career as a manufacturer's sales representative. From 1972 until 1986 he served as president of The Marketing Group, an independent sales representative firm that handled such items as school supplies, stationery, and party goods. Recognizing that party goods was highly fragmented with a lot of small mom-and-pop operations, a large number of retailers carrying…