Kids’ Activity Centers Aiming for Wide Appeal

Jesus Chairez was asked by the owner of the Space Play children’s activity center in Ventura how he would handle an angry customer.

“I would listen all the way to the end of their story, let them say whatever it is they have to say and ask how I can help them to forget about what happened,” Chairez said. “We have to make sure service is provided.”

Apparently, the answer was correct.

Chairez, a 16-year veteran of the restaurant industry, was subsequently named Space Play’s new general manager. His arrival coincides with a change in ownership of the 2-year-old facility, which offers arcade games, parties and food for preteens.

The new management’s first orders of business, Chairez said, have been to tidy up the 10,000-square-foot site, increase security and establish greater community outreach to build business. Officials have increased a promotional campaign targeting youth soccer clubs and other children’s organizations.

“Activity centers are not necessities,” Chairez said. “You don’t have to bring a child to Space Play. But when you think about it, children are our future, and parents will do anything for their children. Parents don’t hesitate when they have a chance to see a big smile on their kid’s face.”

But competition for smiles is pretty heavy, particularly during the winter months, when indoor activities are highly sought-after.

With Club Disney, Chuck E. Cheese’s and other area play centers vying for the attention of Ventura County children, Chairez said, making a real effort to reach out to customers is important.

“I think the immediate goal for me, personally, is that I want to make sure every kid in the Ventura County area knows what Space Play is like,” Chairez said. “We don’t feel we are actually competing. We believe sincerely that as long as kids ages 12 and under know about Space Play, we don’t need to compete.”

The children’s activity industry may be crowded in Ventura County, but there are probably enough kids to go around.

“There are a lot of families emanating from Thousand Oaks and other Ventura County communities--very family-oriented communities,” said Jay Rasulo, president and general manager of Club Disney, an activity center in Westlake. “It’s a perfect community for us and others.”

In the nine months Club Disney has been open for business, Rasulo said, the company has worked hard to sell the operation to both parents and children.

“That’s certainly not a concept that existing products in the area have,” he said.

“And we have become part of the fabric of Thousand Oaks, where people now have on their list of things they enjoy doing with their children, a trip to Club Disney.”