Today we’d like to introduce you to Sophia Hall.
Hi Sophia, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Before I started Kids Party Planet, I worked in the court setting for about 9 years there I met my husband where he was a Juvenile Probation Officer at the time. We got married and soon afterwards had our daughter, Kennedy. My husband and I both had changed Jobs, where I had about a 45-minute commute everyday and required me to work evening court a few times a month. I was starting to notice that I wasn’t spending enough time with my daughter and with my husband since he was now on shift work. We were hardly ever home at the same time.
We have a lot of parks where we live but I’m not an outdoorsy person by any means. It’s Texas and it’s always hot, humid and we have a lot of mosquitoes. It’s rare when we have a nice cool day. So, parks aren’t my jam. Being a first time mom, I was worried about the cleanliness of the equipment. I know some crazy stuff happens out there. There was no way my one-year-old daughter would be playing on it. So I found myself driving an hour or so just so she could play. I wished we had a place in town we could go to every weekend for fun.
Kennedy’s second birthday rolled around and we booked a local park because we couldn’t find a party venue close to us. The only other option was a pizza place but it was booked. The weather was totally horrible the entire week leading up to her party. That Monday driving to work, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much our community needed a play space for little kids. I couldn’t be the only parent thinking this.
I started reaching indoor playgrounds across Texas and some out of State. I joined a few Facebook groups. Trying to learn as much as I could about them. I became so invested in Indoor Playgrounds because I was truly passionate about having a safe, clean environment for my little one to play in as well as others.
I talked to my husband about this crazy idea. Neither of us had a background in business much less knowledge of how to open a business in Texas. He was a little unsure about this dream I had. So I kind of pushed it back and was like he’s right we have no idea what we are doing but it could go either way and we’ll never know until we try.
I reached out to the small business center at our local community college and we learned so much. So much information that it was overwhelming but so exciting.
I had discussed leaving my job to focus on this dream with my husband and although he is very supportive, he was a little hesitant. We would be going from two incomes to one and we had a daughter to take care of. We knew we could make it but we would have to cut back on all of our extras. The wants vs. the needs. That would be the biggest struggle for me. I finally talked to my family about our plan, My dad was super excited and was ready to help where he could. My mom was a little hesitant like Kenneth but quickly she joined the excitement. My dad wanted all of us to do it together. If he was helping us, we were all going to do it as a family. My sister and her husband Patrick soon joined us.
Everyone brought something different to the table. Everyone had different ideas and we all worked well together.
I designed Kids Party Planet with my daughter in mind. We selected equipment fitted for little kids. We selected everything with little kids and parents in mind. I remember when we got to the restrooms and being so excited to purchase the Koala Kare wall-mounted seats along with TWO changing tables and my brother-in-law asking why this was on the list. Kenneth and I both looked at him and said: “because dad’s need to change their kids and moms should be able to use the restroom without holding their child” and just like that ladies we had purse holders in every stall.
After about six months of renovations, we were ready to open! July 22, 2019 was the first day we opened to the public.
Although, we have had lots of challenges with Covid and business being so slow. We have managed to stay open. It takes a lot of time, support and money to keep us open. It hasn’t been easy. It has changed my outlook on small businesses. I now shop small any time I can. I make sure to support other small businesses. I never want to close our doors. EVER.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We were open for about half a year when COVID hit and we were forced to close. Being closed for about three months was so scary and very stressful because none of your bills cared you were closed. Those bills do not pause. We had to pay out of pocket for a lot of our expenses during the time we were closed and when we opened back up. It was hard. Closing was something we talked about every day. Places like ours weren’t somewhere people wanted to come. We have always maintained a clean facility, my mom keeps everyone on top of it. All of 2020 and 2021 and even now we still struggle. We aren’t where we need to be but it has gotten a lot better. I know we wouldn’t have survived had it not been for all of our customers that have continued to support us from day one.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Kids Party Planet is an indoor playground and party venue for kids. We specialize in birthday parties, open play, and kid events. We are mostly known for the hassle-free parties. You pick your theme and we take care of everything. You basically walk in with cake and we do all the work. Perfect for busy families. We have different packages to fit everyone’s needs and budget. I think what sets us apart from others is that we aren’t a corporation. I’m just a mom that wants to have a place for little kids to play, somewhere affordable you can come to play on the weekends with your kids, a place you can come together with friends and family to celebrate your kiddo on their special day. It brings me so much joy seeing families happy to be here and them choosing Kids Party Planet.
To me, it matters. I need you to come to play so I can stay open. Big corporations don’t care whether you go or not. Their employees don’t care. They get paid regardless. We depend on the community to come to visit us and to continue to come back. I love feedback the good and the bad. That’s how I improve, how we improve as a team here at Kids Party Planet. To us you’re not just a customer, you become part of our KPP family. We have gotten to know a lot of our regulars and it’s so much fun! When we first opened Kennedy was four, she would play with everyone and she referred to them as her “customer” friends. I reminded her that we’re all “friends” here.
I am proud of our employees! They work really hard to keep KPP going!
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
We love to work with other small business owners, especially Kid Friendly businesses. You can follow us on Facebook and share our events or come visit us sometime!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kidspartyplanet.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kidspartyplanetlakejackson
Image Credits
Monster Media 85
Heartfilled Photography
