Urban Air Adventure Park features obstacle courses, trampolines and other physical activities for kids. The franchised chain is planning to open a location in west Henrico.Courtesy of Urban Air Adventure Park)
A new children’s entertainment venue has repurposed a large empty store as a place to play.
Urban Air Adventure Park is planning to open a branch at 10050 W. Broad St., Formerly home to a Bed Bath and Beyond store in western Henrico.
The indoor playground will feature trampolines, laser tag, rock climbing, a bumper car ride and other attractions in a 42,000-square-foot space. The business will also feature a 52-seat cafe and a kids’ menu with options such as pizza, chicken wings and ice cream.
The franchise concept is aimed at young people aged between 5 and 18, but it also organises corporate team-building events. The chain’s locations also organise birthday parties for children.
The next Urban Air near the intersection of Broad Street and Gaskins Road is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2025, franchisee Sachin Gupta said.
It is expected to be the chain’s first location in the region and the third to open in Virginia, following locations in Fredericksburg and Woodbridge.
The Henrico location is estimated to cost $5 million to build and equip, Gupta said. The location is expected to employ 70 to 80 people.
Louisiana-based Planet Construction has been selected as the general contractor for the project. The architectural firm for the project is Wisconsin-based Logic Design & Architecture.
The former Bed Bath & Beyond store on West Broad Street, as it looked before its closing last year. (BizSense Archive)
David Andrews of The Shopping Center Group handled the leasing on behalf of the Urban Air franchise.
Gupta will run the local Urban Air outpost alongside his friend and fellow franchisee Chandan Suri. They are based in North Carolina and New Hampshire, respectively. Also involved in the local franchise is Suri’s brother Pawan, who lives in the Richmond area. It is the group’s first Urban Air location.
Gupta said they focused on west Henrico because of the families and income levels in that part of the city.
“The market has a strong demographic in terms of population. This type of business requires a younger demographic. It is wholesome entertainment for the entire family, but our target audience is children,” Gupta said.
In addition to promising demographics, the team also felt there was room in the region for a concept like Urban Air.
“The Richmond area doesn’t really have a lot of competition in this industry,” said Chandan Suri. Other nearby indoor play venues for kids include Surge Adventure Park in Regency and Defy Trampoline Park in Short Pump.
Gupta said they were still working on admission and membership fees that franchisees can set for their locations.
According to the company’s website, the Fredericksburg location offers passes ranging in price from $26 to $36. That location offers a $21 pass for access to the “basic” trampolines only and membership fees of $13 to $18 per month.
The local franchise group is also looking to open an Urban Air in the Midlothian area of Chesterfield and is still looking for a suitable-sized retail space. It said there was no planned opening date for the Midlothian location.
“It all depends on when we can find the right location. Finding real estate in the Richmond area is not easy,” Gupta said. “It took us almost two years (to secure the Henrico location).”
Urban Air is in expansion mode elsewhere in the state, with locations in Newport News and Gainesville listed as “coming soon” on its website.
The Texas-based chain was founded in 2011. Urban Air describes itself as the world’s largest children’s amusement park operator and says it has more than 350 locations open or under development.
Gupta said he experienced the Urban Air concept firsthand during a trip to Florida with his children a few years ago. He was impressed by how busy the place was and began thinking about franchising the concept.
“We visited a park and it was packed with kids, and I’m talking about almost no space left,” she said. “That place was bustling with activity. My kids enjoyed being in that park. They enjoyed every ride.”
Urban Air’s initial franchise fee is $100,000. The corporate office charges a 7% royalty and franchisees must have $750,000 in liquid assets, according to the company’s website.
