Want to host a Taylor Swift-themed sleepover? This State College mom has you covered

Every sleepover Claudia Prieto hosts starts with a shopping trip in her basement. Teeming with everything from hot pink pillowcases to 6-foot fabric tents, the room is so crowded with slumber party supplies her family has taken to calling it their “mini Amazon warehouse.”

When a new package arrives, Prieto’s two daughters leap at the chance to help slot it into its proper place, her youngest pretending to scan and stock inventory at a grocery store.

But beyond being a conduit for imaginary play, what’s inside the boxes is usually just as exciting: assorted trinkets and keepsakes that match one of 30 themes Prieto offers through Happy Valley Slumber, the sleepover planning business she started in April 2023. Crafting cozy settings with a personalized flair, it aims to make every slumber party an unforgettable experience.

Book the “Fairy Garden” theme, and Prieto will transform your living room into a pink-and-green paradise adorned with flower garlands. Try out “Touchdown!”, and she’ll create a sports fanatic’s dream, filling every square inch with football-themed pillows, banners and balloons.

There’s no age limit on Happy Valley Slumber’s designs — Prieto has set up everything from a dinosaur-themed playdate for a pair of 4-year-old boys to a post-prom party for a group of girls preparing to head off to college. Regardless of what brings her guests together, the goal is to make them feel special.

“It’s been really lovely to connect with kids who a couple years ago were fully isolated in this COVID world,” Prieto said. “I’m getting to play a small role in bringing friends together and creating these memorable spaces.”

Creating Happy Valley Slumber

For Prieto, launching Happy Valley Slumber was like a birthday gift to herself.

The thought was initially planted when Emilia, her oldest daughter, was invited to an elevated sleepover: Instead of knocking out on the couch or lining up on the living room floor, each girl spent the night on a mattress in her own individual tent. At the time, the family had moved back to Prieto’s home state of Texas while her husband, Penn State professor Derek Kreager, was on a yearlong sabbatical.

Back in Happy Valley, Emilia and Isabela, Prieto’s youngest daughter, had matching requests: Their birthdays were coming up in March, and tented slumber parties were still on their minds.

Google searches for nearby sleepover companies turned up bare — the closest options were hours away in cities like Lancaster, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

“My business degree started reactivating,” Prieto said. “I’ve always gravitated toward things that involve some type of creativity: photography, arts and crafts with the kids, something that keeps me busy.”

On Feb. 20, 2023 — Prieto’s birthday — she took the day off from her job at Penn State’s education abroad office, hunkered down at a coffee shop and began researching what it would take to start a business from scratch. Not only did it seem to fill a gap in Centre County’s party market, she said, but it also provided her with a well-needed artistic outlet.

In another life, Prieto said, she’d be an interior designer, and she leaned into this urge right away — buying wood and cloth for the tents at Lowe’s, perfecting her ever-growing list of party themes and making sure they were all distinct and cohesive.

Happy Valley Slumber is a family affair, she said. It was Emilia, 12, who designed the logo on Google Slides, replacing the a’s with tent icons. Isabela, 9, proposed the idea to offer mini tent rental packages, so your American Girl doll can sleep in style, too.

“I have the best focus group in the world because I have two kids who are really part of the business,” Prieto said. “It’s all hands on deck.”

Perhaps her daughters’ greatest contributions came from their status as Swifties — that is, fans of singer-songwriter Taylor Swift.

The most popular sleepover themes tend to overlap with movie releases or other pop culture moments, Prieto said. Last year, the massive popularity of “The Little Mermaid” live action adaptation and “Barbie” starring Margot Robbie led to an influx of families requesting “Under the Sea”- and “Retro Barbie”-themed parties.

So, it only made sense that release of the Eras Tour movie and extended U.S. tour dates would drive the need for a “Swift Dreams” slumber party option. Of the past 10 sleepovers booked, more than half have been Taylor Swift-themed, Prieto said.

What can you expect from a themed slumber party?

Since Happy Valley Slumber booked its first party in May 2023, Prieto has hosted close to 30 sleepovers, most within 30 miles of State College. Sometimes, she’ll have back-to-back parties on a single weekend, with her busiest months yet being January and February, when “we’re stuck in the snow, and there’s nothing much to do.”

Once a date and theme are chosen, party prep begins with transporting everything from Prieto’s basement to the location of the sleepover — tents, pillows, blankets, decorations and other assorted party favors packed into her trusty Subaru Outback.

The traditional tent rental package ranges from $150 for two guests to $450 for six, which includes a full sleep setup (air mattresses will soon be swapped out for foam), tray table, string lights and personalized letterboard and name plate. Guests under 8 years old can opt for the smaller A-frame tents, while those older are encouraged to select the larger 6-foot tents.

Prieto also makes sure everyone leaves with three to four keepsakes — something they can take home to remember their experience. For an upcoming Harry Potter-themed party, she bought each guest a wand, pair of glasses and chain representing their Hogwarts House.

The goal is to invoke a sense of personal space and attention not typically created at your average slumber party, Prieto said.

“What I love hearing when I do pickup is, ‘Oh, they never left their tents. They wanted to see if they could get back right after dinner,’” she said. “That’s a great thing to hear as a business owner. And as a mom, just to see that kid light up is really fun.”

All Prieto asks of families is that they clean and clear out the space beforehand. She and her family handle setup, showing up a few hours before the event to decorate and put together the tents. The next morning, she comes back and takes everything down.

So far, Prieto hasn’t hosted any adult-only parties, but she hopes to book a girls night in or football watch party in the future, she said. She’s also looking forward to exploring sleepovers that aren’t necessarily centered around a birthday or special occasion.

When her mom, who lives in a retirement community in San Antonio, Texas, mentioned Happy Valley Slumber to her friends, they were excited about the possibility of booking a similar service when their grandchildren stop by — a way to elevate even the most routine visits. Prieto also wants to gift a few free sleepovers per year to children facing health-related or other personal challenges, based on a nomination process she plans to launch on her website this fall.

“This is about creating a memorable experience,” she said. “It’s creating connection and having fun and feeling special for that night.”