Bounce...Bounce...Bounce

Imagine walking into the eerie Columbia mall. Many shops that once inhabited the spacious suites are out of business and those shops that once housed happy customers sit in silence. Entering the mall to see such a sight can be uncanny but that's what makes Bloom Bounce stand out even more. As soon as you step into the mall you can hear the cheers and screeches of children's joys. As you get closer, you see the bright neon sign that shines "Bloom Bounce" and the energy all starts to make sense.

A current favorite that many kiddos use for racing.
(Figure 1.)

Opening up about four years ago in the frigid January months, Jenn Rarig says, "We had no idea what to expect". Jenn is the founder and owner of Bloom Bounce. Her eyes sparkle and glimmer as she talks about her "little baby" referring to the business. Taking all her savings, Jenn bought two spacious suites and transformed them into a kiddo's dream. The idea was an instant hit! So successful that she had to start hiring more and more employees to fill hours. She typically employs college students who have an interest in working with children as a future career so they all take the job very seriously and keep child safety as a top priority. The walls coated in periwinkle blue and lime green bring a fun aspect to the space. Six differently shaped bounce houses ranging from an elegant castle to intricate obstacle courses scatter the space as well, with the matching colors of the wall to bring a fun vibe for the kiddos and their families (Figure 1.). Elephant decals can be found throughout the vicinity along with two spacious party rooms to host exciting birthday events. Lined with picnic-style tables, the rooms have balloons floating around to make each birthday kid feel special.

A party room that can be rented out for your special day!
(Figure 2.)

Parties tend to be a big aspect of Bloom Bounce. A typical party for Jenn and her crew range from about 10-30 kids. Normally, the birthday family arrives first and a crew member will escort them back to their reserved room. Typically the party will have a theme and therefore the whiteboards will be decorated with pictures or drawings done by Jenn that bring a little extra pizazz to the family who hosts the party. Streamers of all colors line the walls and sweet sugary deserts and fresh cheesy pizza fill the air waiting to be consumed by the party goers and fill their tummies. Closer to party time, guests will arrive, usually with fun colored gift bags and brightly died tissue paper. The guests will stand at the gate, eager to enter, bobbing up and down just waiting for someone to let them in (Figure 2.). 

A good representation of how clean the space
is at all times! (Figure 3).

You can not even begin to imagine how clean Bloom Bounce is (Figure 3.). Jenn explains that she and her staff take pride in the fact that the place looks like they just opened just yesterday. The navy carpeted floors are spotless like the inside of a doctors office and the bounce houses get sanitized at least five times a day like, "everything has the flu".  On a normal day, a potential bouncer will walk to the counter and be greeted by a Professional Bouncer in royal blue attire and a gleaming smile asking if you have bounced here before. Scattered throughout the place yellow X's occupy the floor where other Pro Bouncers will be standing and monitoring the rosy-cheeked and sweaty kids who probably won't be following the rules. Smiles plaster each kiddo's face while they hop and dive like fish into the bounce houses.

What is so intriguing is that no matter how many times a kid comes to Bloom Bounce, they always have an amazing time. Jenn believes that that happens because she and her staff like to create such a comfortable environment for the bouncers and their families that they just want to "come back for more". She has customers who come at the same time every week. They just make it a part of their normal routine and continue to show up for more and more fun!