Ground Floor: For Adorable Princess Party owner, every day is a fairy tale

CEDAR RAPIDS — When she was a performing arts student at St. Ambrose University, Amanda Knowles' professors told her, 'If you don't have work, create your own.'

Knowles took that advice to heart and started her own business.

'Shortly after I graduated with my performing arts degree, I had to move back home and start from scratch,' Knowles said. 'One day, I saw a friend on Facebook was posting pictures of herself dressed as a princess. It turned out that she worked for a company that did princess events and parties.'

Knowles was intrigued. She started researching job opportunities in the Chicago area, where she lived, and was hired by a company to perform as a princess at children's parties and special events. After working in the princess industry for about a year, she relocated to Omaha with her fiance.

'I missed doing it,' Knowles said of her princess performances. 'I started marketing myself and found an opportunity to work with a local gym doing kids events.'

Knowles' princess business was just beginning to take off in Omaha when her fiance was transferred to Marion.

'It was a little disheartening,' she said. 'I had to start over.'

Once again, Knowles heeded her professors' advice. After getting married last August, she launched Adorable Princess Party in Cedar Rapids.

'I looked at the demographics in the area to figure how far out of Cedar Rapids it was worth marketing to,' she said.

To get the word out about her new business, Knowles began doing free public appearances at area libraries and local events such as the Fire and Ice Parade.

'A lot of the business has to do with word-of-mouth,' she said. 'A lot of people don't know this industry exists.'

Adorable Princess Party offers three children's party packages ranging from 30 to 90 minutes in length. Each package features a performance by a popular fairy tale character, such as Cinderella, the mermaid princess, or the ice queen. All packages include an interactive story time, a singalong, and dedicated photo time. Makeovers, games, crafts, and extra characters also may be included.

Knowles said the ideal age for a princess party is between 3 and 5, although she has done parties for children as young as 1 or 2 and as old as 11.

Knowles said her business has grown enough that she recently added a second performer to help her cover weekend parties. As bookings continue to increase, she envisions adding additional characters and performers.

While she eventually would like to get back to the stage someday, Knowles said her current focus is on her business.

'Party days coincide with theater days,' she observed. 'My main focus is getting to the point that I have a decent amount of parties so I can hire more performers.'

AT A GLANCE

Owner: Amanda Knowles

Business: Adorable Princess Party

Phone: (319) 640-0807

Email: amanda@adorableprincessparty.com

Website: www.adorableprincessparty.com

Know a company or manager who has been in business for less than a year that would be ideal for 'Ground Floor'? Contact Francie Williamson at francie.williamson@thegazette.com