Nationwide bounce park franchise Funbox arrived in Kennesaw on Sept. 15 to bring fun and mentor foster youth.
Located outside of the ground-level entrance for Belk, the park boasted several attractions for visitors, including an inflatable obstacle course and smaller bounce houses.
Besides bringing entertainment to the area, the Funbox is also working to aid Connections Homes, a Georgia-based nonprofit seeking to help aging and alone foster youth by providing them with mentorship. For every ticket sold at Funbox, a dollar was donated to Connections Homes.
Headquartered in southern California, Funbox was founded by Antonio Nieves with the intention to “craft immersive experiences that captivate and inspire.” As for the Kennesaw franchise, its founding was more the result of chance, but its persistence was just as much the result of passion.
“We were looking for a new business opportunity and we stumbled across Funbox,” franchise co-owner Debbie Vaughan said. “We flew out to California, saw the operation and loved it. And we just wanted to bring this to Atlanta.”
Before the park was open, work needed to be done in setting everything up: not just the attractions, but also getting the word out to the community. Doing both was an intensive but ultimately worthwhile process.
“The first two weeks we spend building the park,” Vaughan said. “After everything is set up, our biggest form of advertising is Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. We also get involved with local churches and schools and…invite local influencers to come to our park so they can experience Funbox for themselves and post their experience.”
Kennesaw may seem to outside observers as an odd place to host Funbox, considering past locations like in its home state of California or major suburbs like Chandler, Arizona. This choice does, however, make more sense considering how deeply rooted the franchise’s owners are in the community,
“My husband and I and our two daughters grew up 10 miles away,” Vaughan said. “We live locally and have come to Town Center for the last 20 years. So we’re excited to bring Funbox close to our home.”
It’s not just the franchise’s owners who see potential in these community ties. According to one of their daughters, Funbox makes for a great venue for social events for people of all ages.
“The size of the park makes it a great event to attend with a large group of people, and there are several activities to participate in,” UGA student Audrey Vaughan said. “Along with this, a normal bouncy house targets young children, however the size of the park targets a much larger audience as there’s more room, more to do and is a fun concept for adults to relive their childhood. Overall, the park is an exciting activity to spend time and bond with your friends while getting good exercise and trying something new.
Funbox’s Town Center stint will be open through Dec. 2nd. More information about Funbox, including locations and their charitable work, can be found on their website. More information about Connections Homes can also be found on their website.
