Monkey Joe’s bounces to town

January 13th, 2009 at 05:43pm Sean Driscoll

Local children can bounce away their energy when a Monkey Joe’s franchise opens in March.

The business offers an indoor playground with inflatable jump equipment where kids can play throughout the week or host a birthday party. It will be located in the old Warehouse Shoes location between Tuesday Morning and American TV Appliance & Furniture at 6663 E. State Street.

Trace Upchurch and his wife, Amy, are the franchise owners. They lived in Rockford for about eight years but relocated to the Atlanta area in 2003, which is where they first visited a Monkey Joe’s location when planning a birthday party for one of their children.

“The business had really taken off well there, and the franchiser was looking to open more stores in the Midwest,” said Upchurch, whose family moved back to Rockford in August.

One of the largest pieces of inflatable equipment at the new store will be a 22-foot-tall dual-lane slide. The facility also will include an obstacle course, mazes and more.

There will be three rooms dedicated for birthday parties, a concession area and a parents’ lounge with big-screen TVs and Internet access. The target ages for children are 2 to 12, and a toddler zone will be available for children ages 3 and younger.

Upchurch said they hope to open Monkey Joe’s by the first week of March. The hours will be 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Costs for open play range from $5 to $9.49 per person, depending on a child’s age and the day of the week. Upchurch said the facility also can accommodate up to 275 people for after-hours rental.

Monkey Joe’s is accepting party bookings for March by calling 815-505-3493 or through the Web site at monkeyjoes.com/home61108.aspx. Upchurch said they also hope to hire a few full-time managers and about 20 to 25 part-time employees. Applications are available through the Web site.

Entry Filed under: openings