Karl's Party Rentals used photos from Lela's (full disclosure, my wife co-owns this boutique) 2005 fashion show in the Historic Third Ward to help win the contract to produce this year's Olympus Fashion Week in New York City. And today, the Wall Street Journal praises Karl's while discussing the big tent rental business.

Reporter Elizabeth Holmes opens a story titled "Local Event-Rental Companies Consolidate" with the following two paragraphs:

"Unlike the clothing featured at New York Fashion Week, the lavish tenting covering the runways didn't come from shops in Paris, Milan or even Manhattan. It came from a little-known company in Wisconsin."

"Milwaukee-based Karl's Event Rental provided 80,000 sq. ft. of tenting -- some 45,000 lbs. of vinyl fabric for nine large tents -- to house the models, editors and retailers, as well as support the elaborate lighting system strung from it. All the supplies were hauled from a Midwest warehouse and assembled by 80 staffers (most of them out-of-towners)."

The article goes on to discuss Karl's and two other major players -- Chicago Party Rental and Classic Party Rentals -- and their growth and expansion through acquisition.

New York's Fashion Week runs through this week.

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