Moving to WV, things for kids to do in the Morgantown area (Bridgeport: motels)

[SikWilly]

Hello everybody!

My wife and I are planning a move to the Morgantown area and opening a family entertainment center (bounce houses, indoor playground, small arcade, family oriented, i.e. Monkey Joes.com franchise) targeting kids 1-15 years old. Does anybody have any friendly advise (pro and con) to this type of business in that area?

We are considering leaving our careers and hot, humid Central Florida and move back to where my wife went to high school and college. It would be a life-changing move and we'd have a difficult time returning to our careers if the WV business was a failure. We couldn't think of a better place to live (we visit from time to time).

Thank you in advance for ANY help!

[appalachick]

I don't really have much advice but I'm curious if you've checked out locations yet? We visit Morgantown a couple of times a year to visit family. The hot spot seems to be the shopping and restaurant area on the hill off the Coliseum exit on 79. Maybe a local can help out here- I don't know what it's called. There's a new cinema, Target, Barnes and Noble, lots of restaurants. Seems a Monkey Joes (is it that franchise or something similar?) would do well there. We go to Monkey Joes here in NC and my kids love it. Also, that location is easy to get to from points north and south of Morgantown as a destination for shopping and dining. Good luck to you!

[David Kennedy]

I would suggest the Morgantown Mall and here's the reason..they have space. They have the bigger anchor stores and some nice restaurants. A better drop off place for the kids. I think you could negotiate a little with them as they had some stores pull out recently and want to fill those spaces.

(The newest mall at the Star city Exit is a strip mall and is windy and very cold in the winter time. It is a shop and go type mall with the restaurants below servicing the sports crowd more than anything. and I'm not downgrading it in any way, but the other, older mall would seem to serve your needs better.)

Morgantown's economy is slowed down a little now but still very strong.
Those few empty spaces at Morgantown Mall will fill.
When you see it you will see that it is more family oriented than any other big box area.
A few motels are located at that exit too. good luck, nice to have you aboard.

It should be a great venture...we will give it our business...we have some jumping grand-children.

[adam36]

I agree with both of the above suggestions. Don't let anybody sucker you into the Mountaineer Mall. You'll be back in FL before you know it.

[David Kennedy]

We have 4 malls, the Morgantown Mall was the first and has been by-passed with the traffic. In it's day it was a very big deal.

You mentioned an arcade...a wonderful cash cow that needs to be milked. Check out the size, floor traffic and machines at the Meadowbrook Mall in Bridgeport. A magnet for those kids and they bring the money...
Don't see one in Morgantown at all for them..

This project could also work pretty well at Glen-mark Center as it is almost rural and surrounded by thousands of homes...

[SikWilly]

Thank you for all the suggestions! This definitely helps. My wife spent 1986-93 there in Morgantown and we visit every once in awhile. She's familiar with the area. We were there July 4th of this year and got reacquainted with the changes. If anybody else has info, please post!!!