Chain of children's party facilities coming to Utah

Enterprise, The, Nov 5, 2007 by Rattle, Barbara

Bounce U, a Mesa, Ariz.-based chain of children's party facilities featuring large inflatable toys, will enter the Utah market next year.

Franchisees Kyle and Cindy England are slated to open an approximately 15,400 square foot Bounce U at 9451 S. 700 E., Sandy, in early to mid-2008, according to Eric Little, vice president of franchise development for the company.

The first Bounce U facility opened in Gilbert, Ariz., in August 2003. The firm began franchising the following year and now is almost entirely franchise-driven, with 75 franchise territories sold and 25 open nationwide. Additional Bounce U facilities in Utah could be opened by the Englands, Little said, as "there is room in the area there ifyou go down to Provo and up north of Salt Lake to Bountiful. All up and down I-15, there are all kinds of opportunities."

Little said Bounce U is in the business of making memories.

"That's what we do," he said. "If you look at the Bounce U business model and what we can provide to these kids, parents, families and friends that they can't get anywhere else, it's all about making memories. We actually have employees in the original store in Arizona that get recognized out in the community by kids who have had a party with us."

The average Bounce U store has eight large inflatables, some weighing as much as 1,000 pounds and requiring a ceiling height of 18 feet. Most facilities are "dual stadium."

"What that means is there are two stadiums and two birthday party rooms that go with those stadiums," Little said. "One of the things that really sets us apart isthat it's a private party. You don't really share your party space with anybody else. It's not a place that you would go and gather on a Saturday and blend in with the crowd. It's a place where we're going to greet you within five seconds of coming in the front door and ask you which party you're there for. It's a private place."

Bounce U offers party packages for up to 25 participants. A basic birthday party costs about $200 - although pricing varies from store to store - while the firm's "Mega Bash Party," whichincludes provision of pizza, soda, cake, ice cream, goody bags and a clown or magician, runs between $400 and $500. Parents wishing to bring in their own cakes are allowed to do so.

"The cost to do this party is no different than what you would pay to have the same party at your house," Little said. "The difference is there's no crayon on the walls, no mud on the carpet and your yard doesn't get torn up by inflatables that are brought in. That's not a good experience for mom and dad. The kids have a lotof fun but it's a lot of work for the parents. The idea here is you spend about the same amount of money but you don't have any clean-up or work associated with it. We really want to take care of all the details for mom and dad.

"It's hard because mom wants to get up and to cut the cake and serve the ice cream, but usually we'll politely say to mom, "No, no, let us serve you today. You work hard enough every other day of the week. Let us at least serve you during this short time together.' Usually that works. We'reeven going to take notes on who gave what .gifts so that if they want to do thank-you notes after the party they can do that. They can even buy the thank-you notes from us. It's really meant to be a start-to-finish process. We greet them right when they come in the front door and we're even going to carry their gifts out to the parking lot and put them in the car no matter how cold it is or how much snow is on the ground. We really want to take care of all the details."