Trampoline and dodgeball park bouncing into north Columbus early next year

A business that blends bouncing fun on a trampoline and the art of dodging a ball with the benefits of fitness and activity is landing in north Columbus early next year.

Launch Franchising LLC, a Warwick, R.I.-based company founded in 2012 by Robert Arnold and former National Football League cornerback Ty Law, has awarded the Columbus franchise to Jimmy and Jessica Fullerton.

The Launch Trampoline Park will be locating in the former Front Porch of the South building at 7607 Veterans Parkway. The thrift mall and event center closed suddenly in April after a four–year run.

“We think it’s something that Columbus really needed, and will be an asset to the community,” Jimmy Fullerton said Thursday of the trampoline venue. “We’ve always wanted to invest in the community and figure out a way to do it, and this was a really good fit.”

The structure in which the trampoline park is setting up shop is nearly 124,000 square feet. The Fullertons will use about 25,000 square feet of space, with 13,000 square feet of that just for trampolines. They haven’t heard what will become of the remainder of the large building, which likely will be leased to other tenants at some point.

The game plan for the facility, projected to open in “early 2016,” includes plenty of trampolines upon which to bounce, courts for playing dodgeball while jumping in the air, and a foam pit into which people can leap with joy. There also will be basketball dunking lanes, a ninja course and a special “kids court” for those participants under 42 inches tall.

The park, which will have a cafe and arcade, also looks to be a venue for “birthday parties, fund-raisers, fitness classes, toddler time, teen nights, private events” and other activities, Launch Franchising said, noting the facility will feature a 7-foot green kangaroo mascot called “Joey.”

Jessica said she and Jimmy visited plenty of trampoline parks in various cities with groups of friends. The Phenix City couple has a 3-year-old daughter, Libby.

“So it kind of got us interested in the industry itself,” Jessica Fullerton said. “Then we started looking around at what companies we would be interested in, and we found Launch and thought it was a great fit for Columbus. We really like how Launch has a focus on safety and fun for the whole family.”

Jimmy is a real-estate agent with Assurance Realty in Columbus, and also appraises homes. He also has worked as a division manager with West Crown Petroleum, Spectrum and Circle K, giving him retail experience. Jessica has a background in sales and finance.

“We’re also very fitness oriented, and I like the idea of being able to get some of the younger people outside and active instead of playing video. This is a great way to do it,” Jimmy Fullerton said.

With much work to be done on the facility and the opening several months away, the Fullertons have yet to set hours of operation and pricing. They said the cost will be similar to other trampoline park operators.

A check of the corporate-owned Launch Trampoline Park in Rhode Island shows fall hours with openings typically in mid-afternoon during the week and 10 a.m. on weekends, and closings at 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. Prices are $14 an hour per person and $10 per additional hour, with children 2 and under free with a paid parent.

Reservations will be recommended on the weekends when the venue is likely to get very busy with groups and people in general looking for fun things to do, said Jessica Fullerton.

The couple said they have received plenty of feedback from friends and acquaintances indicating the trampoline park will be a major hit. They also see their heavily trafficked location on the north side of Columbus — near the shopping and restaurant hubs, and not far from residential neighborhoods — as a key to drawing crowds.

“We love Columbus and the Phenix City area. We just feel so honored to bring something like this to the community,” said Jessica Fullerton, noting the trampoline park is expected to employ five to 10 full-time workers and between 40 and 50 part-timers.

Launch Franchising has two corporate facilities, one in Rhode Island and another in Connecticut. Its website lists a dozen total locations, most in the Northeast U.S., with Columbus, Montgomery, Ala., and Asheville, N.C., the only parks outside of that region, indicating an expansion is slowly occurring.

Launch is not to be confused with Sky Zone Trampoline, a Los Angeles-based company with locations in the U.S., Canada, Australia and Mexico. Sky Zone celebrated 100 locations in July, with five either open or announced in the Atlanta area and another “coming soon” to Macon, Ga. It also has three on the way in the Alabama cities of Birmingham, Florence and Huntsville.

The Fullertons said they plan to be very involved in the community, and that the public should visit their website, their Facebook page and receive text updates on the park’s eventual opening and coupon deals. For the latter, text JOEY15 to 95577.

This story was originally published September 10, 2015 at 1:01 PM with the headline "Trampoline and dodgeball park bouncing into north Columbus early next year."