Claremont
“He just loves it,” said his mother, Jen Amell, as Tristan slithered under the netting and scrambled up the incline using hand and footholds that would take him to the top and a slide on the other side.
The Amells, including Tristan’s dad, Nate Amell, were among a handful of families enjoying Linden’s Bounce House on Pleasant Street one evening last week. Under the bright lights, the group of youngsters scurried from one house to another while music blared from a floor speaker.
“I wasn’t sure about the $10 but it was well worth it,” Jen Amell said. “We’ve been here about two hours.”
The bounce house, named for co-owner Kayla Malcolm’s son who died at birth in 2014, opened on April 8 in a storefront that most recently was a Family Dollar before the discount retail store moved to another location on Pleasant Street.
There are six inflatable houses on either side of a main aisle. On one side are basic square bounce houses in the shape of castles and across the aisle are more elaborate houses, one with an obstacle course and the other the climbing wall and slide that entertained young Tristan.
Kim Stavrou, of Claremont, was at the bounce house for the first time last week with her 10-year-old daughter and her daughter’s friend.
“I think it is cool to have something like this in Claremont,” Stavrou said. “It is a good place for kids to get together and wear off some of their energy.”
Malcolm and co-owner Leanna Lebarron spent about a year planning the bounce house after Malcolm said they went to one in Hooksett, N.H.
“My kids had a really good time,” said Malcolm, 24, who lives in Reading, Vt., and has known Lebarron for about 10 years.
The friends thought Claremont would enjoy a place to bounce, while Malcolm said she had another motivation.
“I wanted to do something to remember my son,” she said. “Another reason is, we don’t think there is enough for kids to do here.”
Lebarron, 48, said the reception so far has been overwhelmingly positive.
“I haven’t seen a kid come in here yet with a look of ‘ugh.’ They don’t want to leave,” Lebarron said. “It gives the community something to do that is safe and clean.”
And “kid,” it seems, is a relative term.
In the first week, Lebarron greeted three customers at the door who inquired about the cost to bounce. They were 19 or 20, Lebarron said, so she asked about the kids.
“ ‘We are the kids,’ they said. ‘We want to do it.’ And they had a ball,” Lebarron said.
Lebarron and Malcolm want to add some educational challenges, such I Spy, on one of the walls to add to the sensory skills tables for young children. Only open a week, the owners expect more people will be making their way to downtown Claremont for some kid fun.
“We love to see others have a great time,” said Malcolm.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
