Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Hayes.
Rebecca, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
9 1/2 years ago I learned my friend was selling Pump It Up because he was going to be deployed with the Army Reserves overseas for a year and needed to sell the business. I had been a stay-at-home mom for the past 20 years, raising 5 kids, and I was ready for a new challenge. I purchased Pump It Up West Chester in September 2016. I ran day to day operations and grew the business each year until Covid hit. We were in the process of facility upgrades getting ready to celebrate our 15th birthday in June of 2020 when we got the news about Covid. It took a while to bounce back but by 2022 we had increased revenue over 2019 levels. I love working with families to make their party “The Best Party on the Planet”. I’ve especially enjoyed working with my kids over the years. One daughter became a manager for me while in high school. She went on to manage at two of the corporate locations in Nashville while she was in college. My other two daughters have also worked as party pros and staging party rooms. One of my son’s had worked as a party pro before I purchased the business. A few years ago, he joined me as an assistant manager, and it was basically the two of us running Pump It Up for over a year until he passed away two years ago. Since then, I had a prior manager come back in more of a full-time roll, so I’ve stepped away from day-to-day operations and focus on the administrative side. I still manage from time to time on weekends when needed. We celebrated our 20th birthday this past June with 20 days of giveaways and special discounts throughout the month. I’ve been approached a few times lately asking if I was interested in selling but I’ve turned them down. I still love being a part of such a great business that offers private parties and strives to make each birthday party into an amazing experience that will never be forgotten. I also have a great staff that is amazing.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There have been many challenges along the way! Staffing challenges have always been an issue until the past few years. Covid was a huge challenge. If it wasn’t for an amazing landlord that was willing to work with us, we would not have been able to stay open. Almost 50% of the Pump It Up locations closed due to Covid shutdowns. The biggest challenge has been to keep going after my son tragically passed away two years ago. Since it was basically the two of us running Pump It Up, I wasn’t sure how I would make it. Pump It Up corporate sent someone to run the store the weekend after my son died and a prior manager came back the following week and has been running day to day operations since. It has allowed me time to grieve. I couldn’t have made it without them and the support of the rest of my staff.
As you know, we’re big fans of Pump It Up West Chester. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Pump It Up is an inflatable party venue. It is a franchise with over 50 locations across the country. We offer 100% private parties which is something that sets us apart. We use a rotation schedule to accomplish this. The party plays for 35 minutes in our first arena then 35 minutes in our second arena then the last 50 minutes in the party room. Our party pro staff is with the party the entire time. We set up the party room, serve the kids in the party room and help with opening gifts and take care of all the clean-up. We try to make it as stress free as possible for the parents so they can be in the moment and interact with their guests while we do all the work. We start a new party every 35 minutes so we can hold 17 parties on a Saturday. We continue to look for ways to improve the experience for the host and the kids.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Last year I was the 4th place Golden Birthday sweepstakes winner at Raising Cane’s and won a trip to Baton Rouge to tour the offices and original location where my husband and I met the owner, Todd Graves, his wife and Cane III (the dog).
Contact Info:
- Website: https://pumpitupparty.com/west-chester-oh
- Instagram: @piu_westchester
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PumpItUpWestChesterKidsBirthdaysandMore/
