While it might be geared towards children, one of the newest businesses in Estevan has proven to be a drawing card for families, and it鈥檚 not uncommon to see adults using the structures.
The Energy Outlet Indoor Play Zone, located at 2-521 Fifth Street, has proven to be a popular business for adults and kids alike. In their first month in April, they were full most weekends, while attracting a lot of drop-in users as well.
聽鈥淚 knew it was going to take off, because it was a long time coming,鈥� said owner Melissa Mosley. 鈥淲e had stuff for about three years, so once we finally got going, there was a lot of questions.鈥�
But she didn鈥檛 expect it to be as successful as it has been.
鈥淓veryone seems to be pretty happy with everything the way it is,鈥� said Mosley.
During the day, they have had lots of moms bringing in babies and young children to play and socialize.
Afternoons have been quieter, and Mosley said that is a perfect time for families who want a quieter play time.
Even during an interview Mosley had with the Mercury on Thursday afternoon, a family dropped in to make use of the structures.
Some monthly passes have been purchased.
鈥淢ornings are usually repeat visitors, with lots of the moms that always come here and meet with the little ones in the morning. They make dates to come and hang out.鈥�
Birthday parties have been a big part of their clientele. They had as many as six birthday parties a day, and thanks to having two private rooms in the upstairs, they can have two celebrations at a time. The parties last for two hours and offer unlimited play.
Some customers have come from outside of the city.
The play structures occupy about 3,000 square feet of space, and they were constructed by Mosley鈥檚 husband.
Highlights include a ball pit, about five slides, lots of tubes, tunnels, a moving structure, bridges and even a zip line for the kids.
The structure has proven popular with the adults, too. There isn鈥檛 a weight limit, which means parents can use the structures with their children.
鈥淭he older they get, the more mindful they have to be of the smaller ones, is really the only rule,鈥� she said.
Mosley is the mother of a three-year-old and a five-year-old. Her children were born in the fall and winter months, so there weren鈥檛 a lot of birthday party options for them in Estevan.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always been a聽dream of mine to give back to the community where I was born and raised,鈥� said Mosley.
They 鈥渟tumbled鈥� upon the option of the indoor play area, and decided to open one in Estevan.
They have used a suggestion box in an effort to ensure they meet everyone鈥檚 needs, and they have made a couple additions. But those have been minor changes, such as adding benches where people can sit down and remove or put on their shoes. They also changed the mats on some of the slides to create a softer landing.
鈥淲e鈥檙e looking into kneepads for some of the adults, because some of the dads like to get in there, but it鈥檚 pretty hard on the knees,鈥� said Mosley.
And they have purchased a cleaning machine for the ball pit, because there have been concerns online about ball pits 小蓝视频 dirty.
鈥淲e have a piece of equipment that takes all of the balls out, and cleans every ball individually, and then actually puts them back into the ball pit,鈥� said Mosley.
The bottom of the ball pit will also be wiped.
Mosley pointed out that she hadn鈥檛 been to facilities like this much previously, other than one in Winnipeg when her five-year-old was younger. But with some hard work and ingenuity, she believes she has created something big enough and fun enough to get people coming back and having a good time.
