Now a One-Stop Shop for Events

In recent years, Leiser’s Rentals, the fixture on Linden Street in Bethlehem that rented everything from Halloween costumes to heavy construction equipment, has been shifting their focus exclusively to event rentals.

Gone are the tillers, lawn mowers, chainsaws, and heavy machinery that the business was built upon. Another significant change has been their move to 3464 Linden Street—just south of their previous location.

“We started doing event rentals in the 1970s and handling big events in the 1990s,” explains Rob Uliana, Leiser’s Rentals’ current President and grandson of founder Don Leiser.

“For the past 10 years, we’ve been moving more and more toward event rentals exclusively.”

Leiser started the business in 1948. As Uliana tells it, his grandfather, who was in lawn and garden sales, was at a trade show in California and came across a company that offered a variety of items for rent. Leiser thought that business model could work in the Lehigh Valley and brought the concept east.

He was right about the model’s viability. For more than 70 years, Leiser’s Rentals was the go-to place for the ordinary and the unusual. Need a lawn aerator? Call Leiser’s. Want to have a cotton candy machine at your party? Leiser’s had you covered.

However, as larger heavy equipment operations squeezed out the smaller rental companies, Uliana took the opportunity to pivot operations.

“We were spreading ourselves thin, and I don’t feel that we were doing either side justice,” Uliana says. “Now, we feel like we can really focus on the party rental side and make events perfect for our customers. People can count on us to have what they need.”

Uliana says that the most-rented items now are tables and chairs. Leiser’s Rentals has 3,000 brown folding chairs in inventory to go along with more than 1,000 white folding chairs.

“They are our bread and butter,” he says, noting that several local colleges are regular clients. “We even get small orders, for example, from families at Thanksgiving that need to rent a couple extra chairs and tables because they’re having family and friends over for dinner.”

Leiser’s Rentals carries inflatables and various sizes and colors of tents. And although they don’t provide DJ and catering services, they do carry audio/visual equipment, lights, sound systems, chafing dishes, beverage dispensers, linens, place settings, and much more.

“We rent huge tents and everything that goes under them,” Uliana says. “Our new slogan—‘Everything You Need in One Place’—reflects this.”

“We have people who come to us because something happened and they only have a week to put together a wedding for 300 people in their backyard. They need to rent tents, tables, chairs, tableware, and more. We have the expertise and the inventory to pull that together for them.”

We rent huge tents and everything that goes under them

All items are stored at the new location. The warehouse has five bays, each 60 feet deep by 20 feet across. It also has a state-of-the-art racking system; the tables and chairs are stored on racks that can be popped off with a forklift and loaded onto delivery trucks.

“A whole clip of chairs—which is approximately 150 of them—can be grabbed with a forklift and loaded on a truck,” Uliana explains. “This new system has streamlined our storage and delivery processes. We came into this facility with a lot less space to store everything and we had to come up with innovative ways to make it work for us.”

Uliana, a graduate of Penn State University, is energized by Leiser’s Rentals’ new location and focus. “With renting tools and heavy equipment, it was always about work because time is money,” he says.

“In the event rental space, it is very fulfilling to be working with our customers on functions that make them happy. We feel very lucky to be there for that part of their lives.”

New Location Provides a Better Customer Experience

Although Leiser’s Rentals’ new location is just several hundred yards away from its previous home on Linden Street, it has had a significantly positive impact on the business.

“This new building is giving us new life,” Uliana says. “It’s much more enjoyable for the employees and me to come to work in this type of atmosphere. People are proud of the building and proud of the way the showroom looks now.”

Previously, he said, brides-to-be would browse for items for their wedding receptions in view of heavy machinery and garden tools.

“We were trying to have this great event company, but it didn’t really show in our building,” Uliana recalls. “Now, it does. In our new showroom, we have something that truly represents us.”

Leiser’s Rentals’ new location is at 3464 Linden St. (Rt. 191) in Bethlehem. It is open Monday through Saturday from 7:30am to 5pm. For more information, call Leiser’s Rentals at 610-691-3070 or visit leisersrentals.com.