About 10 years ago, Cindy Kassis remembered thinking it would be nice to have a trampoline park for the kids to burn off youthful steam.
Soon, Cindy and her husband, Nadeem, will see that dream coming true with “Space Jump” in the 3200 block of North Grimes, immediately north of ZK Express, an automotive service company also owned by the Kassis family.
“This really was Cindy’s idea about 10 years ago,” Nadeem said. “We had so much going on, I kept putting it off. Now, with the town growing and booming and needing something for the kids to do, we figured out a way to implement it. We’ve never been in this business before, but half the businesses we’re in, we’d never been in before.”
Phase one of the project, acquiring three acres of land through a new corporation, is complete. Space Jump will occupy all but half an acre of the property.
“We’re now in phase two, which is finishing the architecture work. We’re shooting for Aug. 15 to have a full set of plans to put out for bid,” Nadeem said. “If this COVID thing slows down — that’s why we’re not in a rush —we’re hoping by November to break ground and we’re looking at about a six-month build, so by spring of next year we should be in business. … We definitely don’t want to open while this chaos is happening.”
The entire facility will occupy 26,000 square feet, including about 10,000 square feet of trampoline space.
“It’s going to have a ninja course. It’s going to be just like they have in big cities except we’re using the newest and most innovative jump park equipment,” Nadeem said. “It’s going to be a first in Hobbs. We try to pioneer in all of our businesses here. This will be no different.”
Other businesses owned and run by the Kassis family include the Tornado Wash facilities, the automotive service, the Firehouse Subs restaurant and new housing construction.
Nadeem and Cindy have additional plans for Space Jump.
“It will also have a café where you can come in and, while the kids stay there a couple of hours, you can have lunch and drinks,” Nadeem said. “We’ll be serving pizza, hot dogs, chicken fingers, fries and an array of drinks, candy, and other snacks.”
Recognizing a need for special entertainment for older youth, plans include a special period from 8-11 p.m. each Friday and Saturday night for that age group.
“For the older kids, we’ll have on Friday and Saturday, for three hours, the park will glow,” Nadeem said. “They can come out and jump in the glow-in-the-dark. The whole park will glow at that point.”
Otherwise, the park will be open to toddlers on up from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day.
Cindy added, “When we come up with new business ideas, we always want to do something that’s going to benefit the community. That’s one need we saw. There’s not a lot to keep kids entertained, active, out of the house, off the TV and off their phones. We thought this would be a good opportunity to give the kids someplace to have birthday parties. I think it would be great for church groups, youth groups and family gatherings.”
She said the facility will have three separate party rooms for various private events.
Nadeem concluded with another list of fun activities to be made available.
“We’ll have a zip line, a climbing wall, basketball, an open trampoline and the ninja obstacle course and more,” he said.
While Nadeem continues to expand the family’s other businesses, Cindy will run the trampoline park.
“We feel now is the right time to do it,” Cindy smiled.
Asked if a successful operation in Hobbs’ Space Jump will entice them to establish one in Roswell, the home of UFO tourist attractions, Nadeem laughed, “Absolutely!”
