With just seven words, Melissa Turner, owner of Jumpin' Jane's Indoor Party and Play Center, made my afternoon: "Do you want to try it out?"
Trading my high heels for a pair of socks Turner provided, I stepped onto one of the several large interactive inflatables at Jumpin' Jane's. Cautious at first, I bobbed up and down. But, after a minute, I was bounding into the air and simply unable hide a smile of glee.
While I had entered into the facility an adult, I couldn't help but feel like a child as I climbed up ladders, slid down slides and slam-dunked a Nerf basketball, all while in business casual. I'm not sure which muscles worked harder that day: those in my legs leaping me into the air or those in my stomach from laughing.
Fun and laughter for adults and children alike were the ultimate goals in Turner's business venture. Previous to the indoor play center, Turner was office administrator at O'Connor & Thomas, P.C. law firm in Dubuque. It was her son Ryan's birthday a year ago that opened her eyes to a possible career change.
"Trying
| Jumpin' Janes Indoor Party and Play Center |
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Jumpin' Janes Indoor Party and Play Center 2055 Holliday Drive Dubuque, Iowa 52002 563-582-4454 www.jumpinjanes.com Monday: Closed (except for school holidays - $8.99 per child). Tuesday-Thursday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. $7.49 per child. Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. $8.99 per child. Sunday: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. $8.99 per child. Admission Children 3 and younger: $4 per child. Children 2 and younger: Free with paid entry of sibling over 3. Adults are always free. Adult supervision is required. |
Turner also was aware of families who were driving 70 miles to Davenport to Chuck E. Cheese in order to find indoor activities that suited both adults and children.
"That proved to me there was a need here," she said.
After deciding with her husband, Joseph, that they'd open a play center in Dubuque, Turner met with different franchises to see what they could offer. Not satisfied, the Turners decided to start one on their own. With their children Ryan, Kiera, and Kaden as a focus group, the Turners traveled around to test out various equipment and games.
"I wanted to know what my own kids liked," she said.
Trading courthouses for bounce houses, Turner and her husband purchased a 12,250-square-foot facility on Holliday Drive, which has been transformed into a play center for all ages.
"It was important to find a location with high ceilings," she said.
And it's easy to see why. The various jungle-themed inflatable play structures stand tall, allowing for sloping slides and different levels of play. Each inflatable has special features. One boasts a game area that includes a basketball hoop, a Twister game board and hopscotch. Another is an obstacle course. There also are two interactive inflatables reserved solely for children younger than 4 -- and their adult companions, too, of course.
"The family that plays together, stays together," she said. "Sometimes the adults have just as much fun and are just as tired as the kids."
But for those looking to relax while children play, there's a lounge featuring a flat-screen TV and big, comfortable chairs near all the action so adults are still able to keep an eye on their children. And, the play center is outfitted with free high-speed wireless Internet access.
There also is an area at Jumpin' Janes with more than a dozen games such as skee ball and air hockey. The facility offers a full menu of family favorites, as well.
Jumpin' Janes, which takes its name from Kiera's middle name, opened on April 4 by hosting three birthday parties. While it's open to walk-in play Tuesday through Sunday, there also are three private party rooms that can be reserved for two hours. Prices are based on the number of attendants.
Getting children to leave Jumpin' Janes is a challenge, as Melissa Ernzen of Dubuque discovered.
"We had to leave after two hours but the kids would've stayed forever," she said. "I had to carry their shoes out because they wouldn't put them on."
For Ernzen, Jumpin' Janes was not only a fun way to spend an afternoon, but a relatively low-priced one at that.
"Adults are free and so for a family of five it was reasonable," she said. "And, the kids had a blast. Their little faces were beat red after we were there for just 10 minutes."
Shelby White's children have enjoyed it so much, the family has returned three times. White, of Dubuque, said her 4-year-old simply cannot get enough.
"He keeps asking me, 'When can we go to Jumpin' Janes?'"
White has used their enthusiasm to her advantage.
"It is a good way to get pictures taken," she said, while laughing. "I tell them we'll go to Jumpin' Janes afterward and they're golden!"
Still, White had some concerns about safety and cleanliness. After one trip, her anxieties subsided.
"When I've been there, there has always been an attendant at each of the bounce houses keeping an eye on things as well as cleaning up," she said.
"It seems like they really thought everything through and how they were going to do this from the safety and cleansing perspective of it."
White is particularly fond of the wristband system in place that lets staff monitor anyone leaving the facility.
"You get checked in as a group and when you leave, they check the number on your band to make sure if the four of you came together, the four of you are leaving together," White said.
Turner already has repeat customers such as White in mind and intends to change no less than one interactive inflatable per year.
"I want it to keep it different so kids want to come back," Turner said.
Further yet, Turner and her husband hope to expand.
"We hope to open two more within a 90-mile radius of Dubuque within the next three to five years," she said.
For now, Turner is focused on maintaining the inflatable jungle on Holliday Drive. And, surprisingly enough, she doesn't find her new career all that different from her days at the law office.
"I'm still managing," Turner said. "I just don't have to wear shoes now."
Jessica Kurt is a freelancer from Dubuque who has worked as a proofreader/reporter for the Quad City Times and Bettendorf News.
