Photo by Kara Richenberg
After seven months of converting a gym into a colorful multi-generational nightclub vibe—tanning rooms are now selfie rooms, lockers have been replaced with a fun space to splatter, plus laser tag and glow ball areas—House of Bounce owners Pasquale and Justina Rapone debuted their new location during a grand unveiling Wednesday in downtown Batavia.
Labeling it a "Family Fun Center," Justina shared her excitement with family, friends and community members during a ribbon-cutting in front of the new site at the corner of Main and Jackson streets.
“We wanted this location to be somewhere where you can come on a Friday or a Saturday with your kids, and if you have kids that are real little, and you have some older kids, you guys can all come and have fun,” she said. “Maybe you’ve got a family that you guys always hang out with, and you want to meet up, and the adults can hang out, and the kids can play. We wanted to make it a space where everyone can kind of join together in the community. And also, we wanted it to be a place for the kids to come and have fun, and stay out of trouble.
“So we started at the Harvester, and … we’re in the downtown area, which is huge. We're super excited. We brought a lot of new things in at our new location,” she said. “You don't have to drive to Buffalo or Rochester, you can come here for an hour before you go grab lunch. We added laser tag, a glow golf. We added Laser Maze. We still have our splatter room. We also have all of our open play stuff, like we always have bumper cars and the selfie room, so we really have everything for everybody."
House of Bounce opened at Harvester Center more than two years ago before the couple decided to rent the downtown space in December, toiling away in preparation for a soft opening about two weeks ago and a bigger grand opening celebration this week.
And by bigger, it’s 12,000 square feet, so the footprint has grown quite a bit, Rapone said.
That’s an impressive piece of business news, Genesee County Chamber of Commerce President Brian Cousins said, especially when it fits so well into the downtown scene.
“To see a business expand and grow in their pursuit of prosperity is very exciting. House of Bounce, I believe, fits one of those niche needs for families in creating a memorable outing that is highly creative in product offerings,” Cousins said. “In touring their facility, they have put together a slate of activities that is attractive for a wide array of ages in a location that can also positively impact other adjacent businesses. It was inspiring to see the creativity and thought that they put into each of the areas.”
There are two levels of entertainment for all ages, Rapone said, with an upper level for the little ones and downstairs for older kids.
“It’s needed so much. There's so many kids around here that, you know, for years, didn't really have anywhere in the Batavia area to go, especially Genesee County itself,” she said. “So we really are excited to bring something in for all these kids to do. Come in, have fun, have a family outing right here in town without having to go to Buffalo and Rochester.”
So why the move after being so successful on the city’s east end? Due to the success, “we ran out of space for growth,” she said, “and we felt like moving into the downtown area was kind of the place to be.”
Now that they are part of the Business Improvement District, the business owners plan to participate in BID events, such as Christmas in the City, the Halloween trick-or-treats at each business, and annual cider and wine walks, she said. Other perks are “all the things that downtown has to offer, plus the traffic through here, and it’s just a great place to be seen.”
Within the set hours of the facility, people can just walk in and use it, there’s no need to make a reservation, unless it’s to book the party room, which accommodates up to 70 guests. That’s a change from the Harvester location, Rapone said.
“We were doing full facility shutdowns at the last place, and now we've just kind of outgrown that. We have too many people we're turning away on the weekend. So now it's just, if we're open, come in, no need for a reservation,” she said. “You can book right on our website. We have a booking software on there, so you'll just hit the book now button and look at all of our packages and pricing right on there, and book right online, and put your deposit in.”
Rapone was thoughtful to include “a lot of safety mats” and safety equipment, such as 6,000 square feet of turf, in the play areas for each child’s protection, and is also excited about a new swipe card system and a state-of-the-art prize hub. Other work has included a lot of painting and exclusive murals by a military veteran who she credited for doing “an amazing job” with complementary murals on the purple hued walls.
She and her husband hope that people will stop in to see it for themselves, and check out every facet, including the prize hub, and enjoy the facility as a family.
“It's like a vending machine for your prize. It's really cool,” she said. “We're excited to be able to have the whole family here having fun. Adults coming too. We’re trying to get food and drink, and when I say drink, I'm hoping for a beer and wine license so that we can kind of host some more adult night stuff, like do our adult paint night. That is our goal, to make it for everybody, for everyone.”
Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, noon to 8 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays. The facility is closed Mondays and Wednesdays.
For more information, go to House of Bounce.
Photos by Kara Richenberg
Photo by Kara Richenberg
Photo by Kara Richenberg
