On the Job: He's Got That Bolt of Optimism

It’s easy to see that Larry Bruce is a resilient guy with an optimistic outlook.

The giveaway?

He’s a lifelong fan.

They keep knocking him down, but he keeps popping right back up again, willing to have his heart broken one more time. And when customers come into his store – stepping over the welcome mat with the lightning bolt on it -- he’ll happily debate the merits (or demerits) of Norv Turner and A.J. Smith with fellow sufferers while they buy their balloons, color-coordinated table settings, birthday decorations or baby shower accessories.

For Bruce, however, resiliency goes far deeper than his Chargers allegiance.

Bruce opened Santee Party Zone a little more than a year ago, popping up with a new plan and a renewed optimism after being laid off three times.

That’s a heck of a lot worse than suffering through the Bolts’ Dan Henning or Kevin Gilbride coaching eras.

“I had been laid off three jobs in five years, and (my wife) had been pitching some kind of business to me ever since we got married,” says Bruce. “So I finally said ‘OK.’ ”

For Bruce, it was a chance to take control of his own destiny. So he and his wife, Eva, examined their options and did their homework. They wanted to open some type of a business, but didn’t want to pay a franchise fee.

They found a company that helped people open businesses, and it specialized in either 99-cent stores, party stores or shipping (as in packages and mail) stores.

Though Bruce didn’t know a thing about how to run a party store, he was willing to try something new.

“My wife really liked the idea of a party store,” he says. “It didn’t appeal as much to me as it did to her, but I figured having been laid off three times I wasn’t doing anything else, and if she wanted to open a party store, I’m going to run it for her.”

Since opening the shop in September of 2010, Bruce has been taking a crash course in Party Store 101.

It was a steep climb at first, learning the terminology of items and how to order them, figuring out how to work with balloons and deciding what will sell and what won’t.

And, just getting the word out that his store exists – and getting locals to come to him instead of going to a chain store – is a constant challenge.

But the move, he says, has been a gift. It’s a chance to be positive again.

“It’s been a great learning experience,” says Bruce, 47, who lives in Santee. “Specifically to this type of business, I’ve loved every minute of it. Having worked in health care for so long, making people smile instead of dealing with their health care issues, their angry family members, that sort of thing.”

Transition from medical field

Bruce grew up in San Diego and attended St. Augustine and Crawford high schools before embarking on a career in the medical field.

He worked his way up to become the manager of an MRI department at UCSD, with a tenure of more than 20 years until he was laid off, a casualty of downsizing and reorganization resulting from a takeover.

From there, he was hired by Alvarado Hospital to work downtown at its prison facility – a job he calls “a wonderful experience” because of his co-workers – but found himself unemployed again after about a year when changes in federal guidelines resulted in layoffs and replacements by contract employees as a cost-saving move.

He was hired again by Alvarado for another position but, after a few months, again was laid off as part of more cost cutting.

When asked if he’s been run through an emotional wringer – losing three jobs in a short span – Bruce pauses and softly says, “Yeah, kinda sorta.”

While working in his field, Bruce met Eva, an MRI tech, and they married 16 years ago.

Often during the course of their marriage, she proposed they start their own business, but he always was reluctant to leave a good job with a steady paycheck for the unknown.

Eventually, the rough times made it a necessity.

“When it (a job) is taken out from under you, there’s an initial shock and anger,” he says. “I loved that job, I was comfortable there. I maybe didn’t like the work but the pay was decent and I was making a living and my family was happy. And then you get over that and there’s this freedom to say, ‘What do I want to do?’ ”

At first, because he loves to cook, he enrolled in culinary school. But he didn’t find that to be a good fit. Then he started an eBay business selling gift items.

Finally, he launched Santee Party Zone, which he opened in the vacated space of what was a Mission Federal Credit Union in Santee’s Carlton Oaks Plaza.

He works seven days per week at the store. Sometimes, Eva can give him a hand, but she works two jobs as an MRI technician. His schedule is demanding, but he’s his own boss. He can decide to close when he wants – as he did on the day after Thanksgiving – and control when he opens or closes.

“On a personal level it’s gone phenomenal,” he says of the store. “I have a blast working with the customers. I love the center. I’ve made so many friends, the other store owners. I love dealing with the public in this type of business.

“On a business level, it’s been an emotional roller coaster. It’s been tough. But we knew going in that the average business, no matter what they’re going to sell, it takes a good three years to get their foot in the door.”

Learning the trade

Since opening, Bruce has appreciated the customers who have become regulars. Some have told him they’d much rather support a small, local business than a big chain.

But, there are times when traffic is slow, and he knows that’s his biggest hurdle: just getting the word out that he exists.

“If we can grow on that (current clientele),” he says, “we’ll be fine. I’m not trying to make a million dollars.”

Though he carries all types of supplies over his 1,500 square-foot store – invitations, cards, banners, party favors, themed plates and napkins – he says more people come in for balloons than anything else. Balloon bouquets, arches and sculptures, balloons for birthday boys and girls and new mothers.

He’s expanded the balloon area at the front of the store and plans to expand even further, offering personalized balloons. He knows he loses business to the chains because they offer that service. Soon, he’ll have it too.

Aside from balloons, the store’s hottest items are for baby showers and birthday parties. Often, one of the biggest challenges he has is counseling moms about how to accommodate the exact wishes of a kid who wants a Mario Brothers or Phineas and Ferb birthday theme, but those items aren’t available.

Then it’s time for discussion and suggestion, and it’s something he enjoys.

“They’re coming here to enhance whatever event they’re going to have,” he says. “And the best job I have is helping them do that. And if I don’t have something, I know where they can go to get it. I may not make a dime off it, but the point is to make it a positive experience, whether I make a dime or not.”

He’s still working on developing a website, but knows he needs to. He has built a Facebook page. The more he learns, the more he knows he needs to learn. His next step is hiring a business coach to advise him. He’d like to bring in a second set of eyes to help him discern where improvements can be made.

Establishing a business, he knows, is a rollercoaster ride that often leaves him too little time to spend at home with Eva, or doing some of the things he likes to do – watch sports, garden, cook and walk their dog, Dizzy.

But, he says he “wouldn’t change a thing.”

As he looks forward, he’s hoping for a good December. With the holidays approaching, he knows the month can be one of his busiest.

But he knows, too, that he likely won’t be selling any Chargers-related items for playoff parties in January.

Which, of course, will leave plenty of opportunities for discussion with his fellow Bolts fans when they walk through his door.

There’s always reason for optimism, right?