When Best of the Boro voters rewarded Party Impressions as Best Party Supply Store it erased any lingering doubts Kerri Knight had about a decision she made three years ago.

“This means everything to us,” Knight said. “It means a lot, too, in that we are carrying on Miss Becky’s reputation.”

Knight had a nice safe job, one where she was guaranteed a regular paycheck, when she had an opportunity to buy an existing business that, in essence, no longer existed.  She decided to take the plunge and has never looked back.

Party Impressions, owned for 20 years by Rebecca Hoover, had suffered a total loss fire in 2018 and had been closed when Knight and a former partner decided to purchase it. Knight assumed total ownership last December.

“Miss Becky had been in business for 20 years and had a great reputation,” Knight said. “That’s what we bought because there was no stock. We’ve got our money’s worth.”

Knight worked in radiology “taking x-rays” but she also had a degree in business management and helped her husband, Greg, in his business – he repairs big trucks – so she knew the risks involved in being in business for yourself.

Working at the hospital through COVID helped make the decision easier.

“It was hard working through COVID,” Knight said. “I wanted to stick with helping people only I wanted a happier way of doing it.

“To be voted Best in the Boro means a lot,” Knight said. “This means people trust us with their business and that we’re recognized in the community.”