The saga of the party rental industry in Los Angeles is taking another dramatic turn, with the announcement last week that the founder of party rental powerhouse Classic Party Rentals—Richard LoGuercio—will open a rental operation in July.
A veteran of the party rental industry for more than 30 years, LoGuercio worked at local stalwarts Abbey Rents and Regal Rents before opening Classic in 1981. He sold the company to a group of investors in 1998; its revenue at the time topped $11 million, according to reports. Classic’s new management embarked on a buying spree of other operations, primarily in California, culminating in the acquisition of Regal Rents last summer.
BACK IN TIME
LoGuercio’s new rental company—Town & Country—will operate out of a 61,000-square-foot warehouse in Van Nuys, Calif. LoGuercio tells Special Events that the location will enable him to serve high-end clients in both the San Fernando Valley and L.A.’s Westside. “We’ll have great equipment and quality service,” he says, selling points that are “going back in time a little bit.”
Indeed, the very name “Town & Country” is going back in time a little bit. “It actually came from a division of Abbey Rents back in the 1950s,” LoGuercio says. “It was inspired by an old manual I’ve had for years, when Abbey did parties for clients like Phil Silvers and Jack Benny.”
The Town & Country phone number is 818/908-4211; the company's Web site is not yet up.
Why jump back into the competitive party rental business after five years without its stresses? "I missed it," LoGuercio says. "I love it."
