Meet Elaine Frei | Balloon Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Elaine Frei and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elaine, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I was the kid selling stamped stationary in the back of my red radio flyers wagon to my neighbors. For my 5th grade science fair, I designed something for mail collection and then tried to sell it to my local hardware store. I still have the mailbox prototype! Suffice it to say, I have always loved creating and knew I wanted to own my own business someday.

After a move back to Chicago right before the recession, my field of Landscape Architecture went on a hiring freeze and I couldn’t find a job. So I reinvented myself as a grade B graphic designer, taught at IIT, and fumbled my way through many freelance gigs. On the side, I started a bunch of businesses that failed. For example, I designed study flashcards for the LEED AP and made a very basic website. Someone in India stole the idea and made it much cooler! Then I tried to design a product for keeping engagement rings safe in your pocket as the traditional boxes were so obvious and bulky. Many, many explorations and then failures. You get the idea. Then I tried to get a new circular off the ground called “The Sass & Science for Hosting Dinner Parties.” We did a theme on birthdays and I designed a tablescape out of balloons. In the process of buying $400 worth of balloons from Party City and Target, I realized that there was no consistency in color, that the quantities were off, and that there was a void in the balloon market for someone color-obsessed like me.

After I had my first kid, I decided to explore that idea. And that exploration spiraled into Luft Balloons today!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am most proud that we have figured out how to run our business not just for profit but for profit AND people. This is our guiding light. We bring the joy through the art of the balloon. When BLM resurged last May, we printed BLM balloons and gave out over 3,000 balloons for free to use in marches, protests, and to put on house fronts and businesses. This became a conversation starter and I realized then that our business could have social impact.

Since then we’ve printed VOTE balloons and MENTAL HEALTH FOR ALL for free and hot on the press is INCREASE THE PEACE and LOVE IS LOVE. We want to use balloons as a medium to start dialogue, to bring awareness and to keep our society moving forward for the better. For years, I had been searching for a deeper connection with our community. How do we give back? What is the soul of LUFT? I feel so grateful to have found it and to be able to connect and use our platform for good. It feels good to now know what I want our company to be in the world.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Chicago is the best of both coasts. You can be fancy or go out in sweats. You can say hello and be kind or stay in your lane. You can be sporty or an artistic introvert. It’s just a refreshing, breezy, urban city full of art, passion, culture, and grit.

An ideal day would start with driving through Portillo’s to pick up an Italian Beef with Giardiniera. Scoot down to the Planetarium to sit on the water’s edge and eat said Italian Beef while looking at the most spectacular skyline. Pop over to the Art Institute’s South Garden by Dan Kiley to experience the most breathtaking grove of ancient hawthorn trees. You could certainly get lost in the Art Institute for the day. Otherwise, walk over to Cloud Gate, more affectionately known as The Bean. Pop on a bike and take the lakeshore path up along the beach. There are miles of beachfront to relax for a quick nap. Then head over to Wrightwood 659 deigned by Tadao Ando for some modern art sight seeing. It’s set in a quaint neighborhood with incredible, unexpected architecture on the inside. After the headiness, you’ll need some relief with Beacon Donuts, which is down a dark alley but serves up the best donuts in the city. And they are vegan! Last stop is a nighttime game at Wrigley Field to watch our fellow Cubs and get a Chicago style dawg and Old Style beer. Nothing beats a night at the ballpark!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My partner, Alex. I spent many years pregnant, raising babies, and trying to build a “balloon business.” I had many heartaches and he never once said “This is not a good idea,” or “Why don’t you get a real job?” He recognized that I needed to pursue something on my own terms and he supported me by encouraging, listening, and being a partner in our parenting. Without him, LUFT would not exist. My objective is not to make money. It’s to bring the joy to others. But any profit I will put towards buying him his dream car one day!

My dearest friend and photographer, Elaine Melko. She has been a constant optimist in my crazy ideas and without her photography of the product and the installations, I don’t think I would have fallen in love with our work as much and seen it’s potential. She has an incredibly gifted eye. She finds the beauty, movement, light and essence when she photographs our big installs and brings life to them. Her support has meant the world to me.

Website: www.luftballoonstore.com

Instagram: @luft.balloon

Image Credits
Elaine Melko