UPDATE, 11/10: In addition to the fire that destroyed her business, Maria is now facing the unimaginable: ICE has abducted her son.
Needless to say, Maria now needs our support more than ever, especially given the legal battles that lie ahead.
Please consider donating and sharing this fundraiser widely.
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On August 15, a fire broke out in Boom Boom Balloons, the beloved piñata and party supply store on N. Lombard and Greeley. It's still unclear how the fire started, but the impact was devastating, wiping out the entire store.
Maria Julia Zevalsa Castillo opened Boom Boom way back in 2002, and the store has been a Kenton fixture ever since. If you haven't bought a piñata from Boom Boom, you've at least probably driven by the storefront and seen Maria's wildly creative, whimsical creations: the dinosaurs and unicorns, Peppa Pigs and Ninja Turtles, dragons and mushrooms. Maria does custom jobs, too: she made a piñata of our brother-in-law that was so fun and beautiful that, five years later, it's a permanent art piece in his house.
Maria moved here from Mexico a few decades ago, and throughout her time in Portland, Boom Boom has been her passion and her livelihood. She makes all of the piñatas by hand, using recycled cardboard and newspaper. She sells all sorts of party supplies, too, and facilitates cash transfers for customers and neighbors who have family living abroad.
But in the fire, Maria lost everything. The materials she'd spent years collecting. The helium tanks. The items on the retail floor and back in storage. The machines used for cash transfers. The dozens of piñatas she'd already made for loyal customers. Everything.
All in all, it comes out to about $50,000. And though the building itself is covered by insurance, her supplies and inventory are not.
Recovering after a disaster like this is incredibly difficult, no matter one's circumstances. And it's all the more complicated if you speak limited English, and you're an immigrant living in the U.S. in 2025.
Maria has brought so much joy to this city for such a long time, and now she needs our help. Whether or not you've been lucky enough to meet her and get your hands on one of her piñatas, we hope you'll consider kicking in some cash to help her get back in business soon—her plan, on that note, is to reopen the store, in the same location, as soon as she's able to do so. The money she receives from this GoFundMe will go toward recovering what she lost, and also helping her stay afloat while she waits for the building to be repaired.
Please contribute what you can, and please share this with anyone you know who might be able to help Maria get back on her feet. Thank you for reading and thank you for helping our friend Maria!
