The questions we get on the phone, answered before you call.

Both. Tents are always delivered and installed by our crew, because a tent that is not staked correctly is a liability rather than a rental. Everything else you can collect from Surby Ave in your own vehicle if you would rather.

Delivery is quoted on distance and on what is in the order. Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Portage, Marshall, Olivet and Bellevue are routine runs.

For a wedding, as soon as you have the date and a rough guest count. Six to twelve months is normal and it costs you nothing to hold the tent early.

For a graduation party, book in February or March. May and June are the two busiest weeks of our year and the popular tent sizes go first.

For everything else, two to four weeks is usually plenty. If your date is inside two weeks, call rather than using the form.

Bringing the order to your address, setting up anything that needs setting up, and coming back to collect it. Tents include installation and takedown. Tables, chairs and linens are dropped stacked unless you have asked for a full set, which we can quote.

The tent still goes up. That is largely what it is for, and Michigan weather is the reason most of our tents get booked.

Inflatables are the exception. We will not run a bounce house in sustained high wind or lightning, for the same reason a school will not, and we will talk to you about it before the day rather than on it.

A flat area larger than the item itself, clear of cars and furniture. For tents, we need to know where the underground utility lines are, because we stake into the ground. Call 811 before you dig applies to us too, and we will walk you through it.

For anything with a motor or a blower, a working power outlet within 100 feet. For inflatables specifically, that outlet needs to be a dedicated circuit.

Scrape the food off and shake the crumbs out. Do not wash the linens. Bring the tablecloths back dirty, folded or not, that is what our laundry is for. Washing them yourself is more likely to set a stain than remove it.

Talk to us. Weather, illness and changed plans are not new to a company that has been doing this since 1970, and how we handle it depends on how close to the date you are and whether the item has already gone on a truck. Call and ask before you assume the worst.

Yes, and we would rather you did. The showroom at 951 Surby Ave is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, and Saturday mornings. Linen colors in particular never look the same on a screen.

Constantly. School fun fairs, field days, church festivals, fundraisers and galas are a large part of what leaves this building. Ask about the field day and festival packages, which are put together for exactly this.

Yes. We have a room on Surby Ave available to rent, and everything that goes into it comes from the same building, so it is one walkthrough and one invoice. Call for capacity and dates.