The Walters family wants its favorite place to play, the Imaginasium, to live on forever.
With two-year-old twins who had become obsessed with Imaginasium — an indoor playground for children located on South Campbell Avenue — Amber Walters knew she had to purchase the business when she saw it come up for sale on Facebook.
All she had to do, she said, was convince her husband and business partner, Cody Walters. But that didn't take long, and in the middle of May 2024, the business duo officially became owners of Imaginasium, located at 3444 S. Campbell Ave., Ste. O. Imaginasium will host a grand re-opening June 22.
Amber and Cody Walters' motivation for purchasing the company is to give their children a great place to have a flourishing childhood, Amber Walters said. Freya and Fiona Walters, two-year-old twins, spend a lot of time at Imaginasium now that their parents own it, and they couldn't be happier.
“It took us a lot — years of trying — to have our own family,” Amber Walters said at Imaginasium June 3. “Since it took so long and so much for us to be able to create our own family, I want to do everything I can to make sure they have the best childhood.”
“How cool would it be to grow up in an environment like this?”
First brick-and-mortar business for Imaginasium owners
The 3,200-square-foot Imaginasium is filled with large playground equipment and small toys for children aged eight and under. Picture playground sets complete with slides and springy bridges, a full-sized bounce house, and monkey bar-like dome climbers, all housed inside so playtime isn't dependent on weather. There's even a separate section designated for kids aged two and under.
On April 17, former Imaginasium owners Mandi and Eric Pilkinton posted to Facebook that they were looking to sell the business, which was started about three years ago. Just a month later, the Walters purchased the company for $19,500 and had the keys to the doors to their first brick-and-mortar business, Amber Walters said. The purchase included the company and equipment already in place.
It was “maybe a month-long process, so it happened very quickly,” Walters said. “It's already a profitable, turnkey business. So, it's like — there was literally no reason to not do this.”
Cody Walters said he was along for the ride. He had never set foot in Imaginasium until it came to signing closing papers. He still works full-time driving for Southern Glazer's, a wine, beer and liquor distributor, but is spending an increasing amount of his time off at Imaginasium.
“I didn't see this place for the first time until we were going over numbers and buying it,” Cody Walters said.
“That just shows how much he supports me,” Amber Walters said with a laugh.
Working two jobs, raising children, and taking over a business?
The Walters pay $2,300 per month for the space, Amber Walters said. The co-owners signed a three-year lease. The business is housed in the Shamrock Center, which is owned by O'Reilly Investment Co., according to the Greene County Assessor's Office records. The nearly 25,000-square-foot shopping center had an appraised value of $2 million.
Post-purchase, the co-owners added some playground equipment and updated other pieces. They added more toys, Amber Waters said. In the under-two section, they added a mini-bounce house.
“We plan on making more changes, too,” she said. It's “kind of just one thing at a time. Especially playground equipment. Do you know how expensive that stuff is?”
Amber Walters works nearly full-time for Macros, Inc., an online fitness and nutrition coaching company. She works for home and now, home is the Imaginasium, she said. Working remotely allows her to run the indoor playground day to day.
Imaginasium is closed on Wednesdays, but open the rest of the weekdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. On weekends, the business is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
“Those (hours) aren't set in stone; we'll probably end up adjusting,” Amber Walters said. “We want to feel it out and see what people want.”
Imaginasium offers both memberships and day-passes. A day of free play costs $11 for children aged two and older. For younger kids, it costs $6. Memberships increase in cost with the number of children in the family, and start at $40 a month for one child. An annual membership starts at $350.
Amber Walters' 10-year-old stepdaughter, Razi, enjoys the indoor play space immensely, Walters said, showing Imaginasium is a place where the whole family can have fun. Razi Walters is often found playing with her twin stepsisters all over the floor of the business.
“Razi, the 10-year-old, she loves this place, too,” Amber Walters said. “She'll come in here and go straight for the bounce house. It's fun for all ages, really.”
Special events, the grand reopening celebration and possible expansion plans
Amber Walters said she isn't shying away from expansion plans in the future, but right now, the owners are solely focused on getting this location in peak shape.
“Who knows, if it goes good, maybe a bigger location,” she said. “We're excited. We love kids, our kids love this place and we're going to grow it the best we can.”
The new owners are planning all kinds of special events and new packages to lure in customers. There will be “family nights,” where customers can book the whole space for an hour, dinner included, Amber Walters said.
“You and the family can just come out for an hour, have dinner and then play with no one else in here,” she said.
For the grand re-opening June 22, the business couple have planned a fun-filled day for both kids and parents. A barbeque company will be catering, and 4 by 4 Brewing company will be selling beer and drinks.
The Princesses of 417 will be there, with a “special appearance” promised, Walters said. There will be vendors including face-painting, balloon animals and custom hat making. Running from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the re-opening will offer half-price admissions and act a celebration for the Walters with Springfield.
Imaginasium is “not new, but it is new to us,” Walters said. “And I feel that deserves some celebration.”
