BUSINESS FEATURE
BY DARCY SPRAGUE
Owner Lynelle Sylliaa said she tries to make each child’s birthday special.
The giant frog in atable is one of the many bounce structures. (Photos by Darcy Sprague/ Community Impact Newspaper)
Loco-Motion In atable Play A South Austin business puts a bounce in local children’s parties L ynelle Sylliaa started her career working in theater, then became a teacher. Boulevard in South Austin. Six years later, she moved to a 14,000-square- foot facility at 9811 Vikki Terrace.
Loco-Motion In atable Play 9811 Vikki Terrace, Austin 512-551-8344 www.locomotionplay.com Hours: Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. TALKOF THE TOWN Sylliaa used her background in theater to create a street for families to play. The setup includes a garage, vet clinic, schoolhouse, diner and grocery store.
to play just for the day or rent out space for a birthday party. Families can bring in their own food, and the birthday child gets to stu their own toy animal. “As a kid, your birthday is a really special experience,” Sylliaa said. “That’s their day. It’s something they remember.” Sylliaa said she has seen some children return each year for birthday parties as they grow up. When she started her business, there were several similar businesses, but since then many of them have shut down. “The key to our success was determination, because there were some times in our rst location where we had challenges and we just had to keep going,” Sylliaa said.
She went back to school and got a master’s degree in speech pathology and dyslexia therapy. Then, one day she and her husband took their children to an in atable bounce house place, and she fell in love with the concept. Sylliaa, who always considered opening a business, began making plans and looking for a spot. Although opening the business was hard, she said it felt right. “Everything just kind of kept moving forward. Nothing ever stopped the process,” Sylliaa said. She opened Loco-Motion In atable Play in 2009 at William Cannon Drive and West Gate
Loco-Motion is a play place with in atable bounce houses, slides and playscapes. There are smaller play areas for younger children and a miniature town and ball pit. Children up to age 10 are welcome. Sylliaa designed the town by drawing on her background in theater, and she chose a colorful assortment of bounce houses and other toys. Even the party tables are brightly colored and positioned so parents can easily keep an eye on the children as they play. Sylliaa’s husband, who is a civil engineer, was involved in designing the new location. Families can bring their children
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