Merrill Indoor Skatepark & Gaming Lounge

We are FTA and we want to open an indoor skatepark and gaming lounge in your community! Much like our hometown we believe there is a need for more diverse entertainment options for kids, teens, and young adults in Merrill as well.

We founded our business in downtown Antigo in early 2020 and opened to the public later that year with the help of crowdfunding and the support of our local community. It was at this time we saw an article in the Merrill newspaper about the sale of the Van Der Geest building and the plans for opening an indoor skatepark and skate shop. As a fellow entrepreneur it was exciting news and we had hoped to collaborate with the founder of this new indoor skatepark.

 

As 2021 passed there seemed to be no activity and no updates to be found. One day while driving through downtown Merrill we spotted a for sale sign in front of the property and we immediately reached out to the building owner. It was sad to hear about the struggles with government red tape and the financial hardship he faced in trying to get the property updated for occupancy. After so much work was put into building up the indoor skate space it would be a shame to see the property sold and such a beautiful skate park potentially demolished to make use of the property for another purpose.

 

With that news it was time to do some research and dig into the scope of work involved and the financing needed to see this through to completion. When we first created our business the plan was to benefit not only our own community, but to create a successful business model that could be reproduced in other communities like ours. Though it wasn't something we anticipated so soon after launching our own operation, we have decided to pursue this exciting new opportunity. 

 

After reaching out to the city administration and a few local organizations we contacted an architect and got some price quotes from local contractors for the necessary building updates and repairs. It will take a significant investment but we are confident that the payoff for having such an awesome hangout for local youth will be well worth it - as it has been in our community!

What we need now is your help with getting the word out as we start the process of buying this building and expanding our business into Merrill. Any financial contributions would be greatly appreciated to help with the renovation and to kickstart this new business endeavor. We have the business experience necessary to succeed and plan to start immediately with marketing efforts and reaching out for community support as we start the behind the scenes work of establishing a new LLC and coordinating with the contractors who will be working on the building. 

We are super excited about this opportunity and look forward to being a part of making the city of Merrill a better community in whatever way we can!

 

Check us out at www.funtimeantigo.com or follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more updates!