Soft Play Centre and Party Venue, Dawlish, Devon

Aim

To take over, improve and relaunch an otherwise due to close Soft Play Centre, Cafe and Party Venue based in Dawlish, South Devon.

'The Monkey House' based in Dawlish, Devon is due to close on March 24th 2017. A new lease is offered on a 5-year term initially and the current business and equipment itself is up for sale. The £12500 investment requested here is the required initial funds to help secure a new lease, the existing business equipment, make necessary improvements and relaunch/rebrand in Spring 2017. In return for pledges starting at just £10 we can offer fantastic rewards!

The Monkey House in Dawlish has been part of the local community for nearly 10 years and the risk of it closing is a blow to all of those who use it as well as those who work there. Dawlish is a beautiful seaside town which is seasonal town, with thousands of annual visitors coming during the Summer months for a beach side holiday, so for those employed in year-round positions it provides a lifeline.

Dawlish is a growing community with significant recent growth from several housing developments and more scheduled soon. The population in excess of 12,000 with 2 local primary schools and one secondary school. The nearest town, Teignmouth, located only 5 miles away has a population of around 17,000, three primary schools and another secondary school. Teignmouth does NOT have a Soft Play centre so there is ample local trade.

A few similar establishments operate in Newton Abbot (over 10 miles away from Dawlish) however this is a long journey for parents and young children. Especially for those using public transport as they are not in the most easily accessible locations.

The Monkey House is based in a very central location, overlooking a large community grassed area, known locally as 'The Lawn', which plays host to nearly all local summer fetes/concerts/fundraisers/fun fairs etc. It is on a one-way street which has continuous parking on one side and is approx. 30 metres from one of Dawlish's largest car parks. For those living in Dawlish it is within walking distance of nearly all residential areas and has a high footfall due to its central location. It is placed next to the local theatre and post office collection centre and overlooks one of the most iconic part of Dawlish, 'The Brook', a stream which runs through Dawlish and is home to our famous 'Black Swans'. 

The current decor and equipment require refurbishment and generally the establishment need 'freshening up' to bring in new customers, whilst keeping the existing client basis.

My plan would be to redecorate, replace fixtures and fittings as necessary, rebrand/relaunch and continue serving the local community. I have many ideas on how to increase trade and hope that my passion and determination is evident. Having recently set up a successful Bouncy Castle company with my partner we are both aware of how much hard work new business ventures need. I have worked in customer service based roles for over 13 years and know that customer satisfaction is key to running a successful business. In addition, taking care of those working with and supporting you plays a huge part in the overall success of a business. We are very fortunate to have several wonderful, supportive people who offer us their expert advice (as fellow successful business people/owners) and service users. 

All pledges are subject to reaching the minimum total (£12.5K AND securing the lease and business equipment) Pledges are only requested by Crowdfunding should the total be reached and an agreement can be made to renew the lease and purchase the business fixtures and fittings. If you are kind enough to pledge but do not live locally to the area, and therefore unable to made use of the relevant reward please do feel free to pass the reward on, by prior arrangement, to friends or family in the area who can make use of it.

This project closed unsuccessfully on 17th February 2017