Baballoon
917-675-0399
Schedule an appointment with the Mylar and Latex pros at this Upper East Side office, who’ll create just about any kind of balloon arrangement or sculpture. They have 40-inch balloon letters that start at $15 each; a six-foot balloon person starts at $75.

Broadway Cards & Gifts
1020 3rd Ave., near 60th St.
212-521-3605
Stop by this enormous shop to stock up on candles, frames (from $7), basic invitations, cards, balloons (pre-blown or do-it-yourself), gift wrap, paper plates, cups, and the like.

Crystal Party Supplies
2211 Third Ave., at 121st St.
212-996-7880
4306 Broadway, at 183rd St.
212-543-9463
175 Dyckman St., near Sherman Ave.
212-942-2386
You’ll find everything from piñatas made right in the store (from $10) to character decorations (SpongeBob SquarePants, Barney, Elmo, and Scooby-Doo are big sellers), invitations, and personalized balloons (from $18 for 25), buttons, and ribbons.

	Goodie Bag Loot
• Grand Street between Allen and Mott on the Lower East Side is the best area to hit for reasonable prices on popular goodie-bag items like Hello Kitty erasers, toy cars, sparkly pens, eighteen-inch plastic dolls, and vinyl anime pocket books. Go from 9:30 to 11 in the morning or between 2 and 4 in the afternoon to avoid lunchtime and after-work crowds.

Havin’ a Party
9520 Avenue L, near 95th St., Canarsie, Brooklyn
718-251-0500
havinaparty.com
This festive store will outfit a birthday party of any magnitude. More traditional offerings include Mylar balloons (from $2) and goody-bag items such as chocolates, rings, and straws featuring characters like SpongeBob SquarePants. An expansive rental service includes everything from candy carts to clowns and magicians; kids’ costumes are also available for sale. Performers are $150 per hour in Queens and Brooklyn, $200 in Manhattan.

The Ink Pad
22 Eighth Ave., at 12th St.
212-463-9876
theinkpadnyc.com
This grown-up boutique stocks a great selection (as in thousands and thousands) of rubber stamps and a colorful assortment of inkpads, embossing powders, and glitter. Their watercolor pencils are fun for arts- and-crafts birthday parties. Stamps from $4.95, inkpads from $3.95.

Maxilla and Mandible
451 Columbus Ave., near 81st St.
212-724-6173
maxillaandmandible.com
Horror fans will love the terrifying party favors at this very unusual shop. Grab a blood-filled syringe pen, skull beads, even candy crickets. Prices start at $3.

New York Cake & Baking Distributors
56 W. 22nd St., at Sixth Ave.
800-942-2539
nycake.com
A great source for a baking party, this store offers everything kids need to make their own treats: cake pans, cookie cutters, rolled fondant, edible decorations (butterflies, teddy bears, and dinosaurs), food coloring, character cake toppers (Winnie-the-Pooh and Blue from Blue’s Clues are $6.99), and, of course, the ingredients.

Party Poopers
98-100 Greenwich St., near Rector St.
212-587-9030
partypoopers.com
In business since 1991, Party Poopers are pros. They’ll design a theme (paleontology, treasure hunt, medieval), rent a space (from Planet Hollywood to an Upper East Side loft), fully decorate (including floral arrangements), hire entertainers (pirates and princesses are popular options), and even send the thank-you notes, if requested. Customized goody bags are available. Parties start at $400.

Tah-poozie
50 Greenwich Ave., near Charles St.
212-647-0668
78A Seventh Ave., at 15th St.
646-638-0750
Come here for quirky goody-bag items. Tah-poozie loves anything that glows, from light-up necklaces ($1.98) to night-write pens ($5.98) to battery-operated mini-fans with 60 different light patterns ($6.98).

Village Paper
18 Greenwich Ave., at 10th St.
212-675-9697
After you fill the goody bags with cool favors from Tah-poozie, head down the block to Village Paper for the party stuff. They sell a full range of balloons (from $1) and a wide variety of gift wraps and cards, plus paper goods, costumes, banners, wigs and noisemakers.