With 24-foot high ceilings, two 20-foot slides, obstacle courses, bounce houses and inflatables galore, kids will think they died and went to heaven. For that matter, so will parents. Pump it Up Party is a brand new "inflatable party zone" (as it is billed on the Web site) located in Totem Lake on N.E. 116th St. It offers private, two-hour parties of up to 25 kids and houses two separate arenas, each with about six inflatables.
There is a parents' lounge (if the party becomes a little too exciting) and a video gaming room. Two attendants are always present to help organize games and offer general supervision.
In addition, guests can bring their own music to personalize their party as each arena has its own sound system.
Various packages are offered throughout the week, with the least expensive being a midweek play group designed for moms' clubs ($99). The "classic" party package is the priciest, at $230. Spanning Friday through Sunday, this package allows up to 25 kids to play for an hour and a half with the last half hour in the party room. The cost is about $10 a head, which is comparable to party packages at other venues.
Pump it Up Party has the location that it does thanks to the sheer perseverance of co-owners Joey Giovacchini and Andy Roberts. There were serious zoning problems that initially prevented a light industrial area to be applied to recreational use. They worked with the Kirkland Economic Council and after about four months of "negotiating," a new ordinance was passed.
With that, the co-owners and long-time friends set out on an eight-week tear from beginning in late August to convert a warehouse-type facility into a multi-colored, kid-friendly, parent-loving extravaganza.
Pump it Up Party is a franchise based in Pleasanton, California which initially opened in a warehouse five years ago. Since then, the company has come a long way. The franchisors now provide wall-by-wall paint specs (certain colors are designated for each wall), floor tiles and custom carpet.
The location in Kirkland is the 30th sold out of 200 locations across the country. The partners have also purchased another Puget Sound location which will possibly be in Lynnwood. But first, they want to get the Kirkland site up and running.
There is the initial $35,000 franchise fee, which the partners indicate pales in comparison to the other start-up costs, including the inflatables, tenant improvements, graphics, signage and computer systems.
So what's in it for them? "Fear of a real job," laughs Roberts. "Andy and I are both management consultants," says Giovacchini. "After 20 years, we were sick of it."
They said they looked at other franchises over the course of one and a half years and this one "just clicked." "I spent a lot of time coaching," says Giovacchini. "I told Andy we should look at something a little more community involved." They proceeded to fly down to Pleasanton and bought the business on the spot.
They are hoping that the rainy Seattle winters will be a windfall for their business. In addition, "The kids will sweat, so with the current focus on health awareness, it will be more attractive," says Roberts.
"It takes older parents back to the way things were when they were growing up," says Giovacchini. "It's just you and your environment and not you and your joystick," laughs Roberts.
For more information, call 820-2298 or visit www.pumpitupparty.com.[[In-content Ad]]
