The FunFlatables Party-n-Play center opening in Hawthorn Mall in Vernon Hills will be the company’s 14th location, but theirs is not a typical story of corporate growth.
Rather, it’s the vision of an Indiana woman who didn’t intend to open a business at all but adapted to circumstances, overcame doubt and was inspired by her son with Down syndrome.
“I actually was content being a legal secretary,” said Debbie Dorsey-Fleszewski, owner of FunFlatables children’s indoor party and play centers owner.
Located mostly in malls, the centers feature opportunities for kids to jump, bounce, climb, maneuver around obstacles and take part in other activities.
The latest FunFlatables, in the former Glow Golf space near Macy’s at Hawthorn, is scheduled to open Friday. It will be the 10th location in the Chicago area, with others in Gurnee, Lombard and Bloomingdale. There also are four locations in Indiana.
Dorsey-Fleszewski said she had been working three nights a week in her former career, but as she began having children, that was no longer a viable option.
“The night shift wasn’t going to work out. It was a blessing in disguise,” she said.
While looking for a swing set 17 years ago, Dorsey-Fleszewski began noticing inflatables and pitches to start one’s own outdoor rental business.
“I had no intention of ever starting my own business but I had babies at the time and said, ‘I think I can do this,'” she explained this week to the Vernon Hills village board. “I ordered six inflatables and a truck and got started.”
She operated that way for awhile but always had another model in mind. Few were convinced, saying the challenge of finding space and other details couldn’t be overcome.
“For three years, I was saying, ‘This has to be better. This can be indoors, year-round, climate-controlled,’ and everybody was against me,” she said. “I proved them wrong. I made it work.”
The first FunFlatables opened in 2007 in Dyer, Indiana. Dorsey-Fleszewski’s son, Chase, was born a year later with Down syndrome.
She would go on to introduce features for special-needs kids. Chase was the inspiration to grow the business, Dorsey-Fleszewski said.
“My life changed and I decided this could be a little bigger,” she added.
Hawthorn Mall, which is in the midst of a massive redevelopment to diversify from the traditional retail experience, sought out FunFlatables, Dorsey-Fleszewski said.
“I bring a lot of families to the mall,” she said. The business focuses on kids 12 and under, and is popular for birthday parties and school field trips.
“I think all the malls have to reinvent themselves,” Dorsey-Fleszewski said. “It’s no longer retail only. You have to cater to the entire family.”
With two daughters soon graduating college, Dorsey-Fleszewski is positioning the business for them to take over in the event something happens to her or her husband, and there is a need to provide for Chase.
“He’s the delight of our family,” she said. “If I build this big enough it wouldn’t be a hardship for them.”
Vernon Hills trustees unanimously supported her request this week for a special use for the operation.
“I think this is obviously a great addition to the mall, but it’s also the back story that is just so great for our town,” Trustee Michael Schenk said.
This content was originally published here.
