Meet the Party Barn at a March Pop-Up
It’s winter. There’s snow on the ground and frigid temps.
And the kids, pardon the cliche, are bouncing off the walls.
Casey Shelton, a Champaign mom of three, knows this scenario all too well. That’s one of the reasons she is committed to bringing a new indoor play concept to Champaign-Urbana.
The premise: Party Barn will be a year-round indoor bounce house for kids ages 2 to 10. Instead of making trouble in the house, kids can bounce – literally – inside a fun, safe environment that values play.
“We started this because we need more things for children to do inside and the winter is long,” she said.
Families will be able to get a taste of what Party Barn will bring to the community at a pop-up event on March 7, from 10 a.m. to 6 pm. For $5, kids can enjoy all-they-can-jump (parents/caregivers enter for free).
Shelton and her husband Ryan are not new to the world of entrepreneurship; Ryan is the CEO of Champaign medical device company PhotoniCare. Together with their partners Jon and Faith Cagle of Rantoul, they have a goal to open Party Barn in May, around the time school gets out.
Shelton’s degree is in early childhood education, and she has owned a daycare and been a preschool teacher. The couple has been mulling around the idea that will launch as Party Barn for four years, and have modeled their vision after other bounce house spaces in the Texas/Oklahoma area, where they are originally from.
“I believe that play is so important and to be able to do all the gross motor things that children can do outside – they can’t really do that in a house – is so important,” she said. “We will have a place for the parents to sit and have coffee and work while their kids play.”
Party Barn also plans to host birthday parties and other group events for children.
Round Barn is centrally located in Champaign (near the corner of Mattis and Springfield); the banquet space is surrounded by plenty of parking and has bus access.
As far as the concept: Party Barn is not a franchise, and that’s intentional. The nearest inflatable play space to Champaign-Urbana is Monkey Joe’s (a chain) in Peoria.
Details about hours and pricing will be released at a later date. One item of note: Party Barn plans to offer year-long passes as well as punch card options.
“We want to make it our own,” Casey Shelton said. “It’s been a dream to start one.”
For up to date information on the Party Barn pop-up on March 7, respond to the Facebook event. Like Party Barn on Facebook HERE.