Entertainment center to open

by BRIAN NADIG

An indoor family entertainment center with a go-kart track, a nail salon and a sports bar with 18 ping-pong tables is set to open later this month inside a former flooring warehouse at Caldwell Avenue and Howard Street in the Village of Niles.

The concept of Play and Spin, 7631 N. Caldwell Ave., is to offer a wide variety of activities that all members of a family – young and old – can find something to enjoy at the 53,000-square-foot center, said manager John McFadden.

"Our main focus is to make sure … there’s a little of everything for everybody," McFadden said.

For parents looking for a more relaxing experience while their children are at the center, the salon will offer manicures, pedicures and massage chairs, McFadden said.

"We’ll also have couches set up so people can sit and relax, perhaps while grandma and grandpa are waiting for the kids to finish up or are at the go-karts," he said.

The sports bar includes Olympic-grade flooring for the ping-pong tables and 65-inch television sets. Ping-pong is becoming an increasingly popular activity for bars to offer, replacing pool tables in some instances, McFadden said.

The game arcade will be "green," with no paper tickets. Instead, arcade users will have the number of "e-tickets" or points which they have won stored electronically on a game card, which is then swiped when redeeming for prizes.

A "walk-in and grab" gift store is designed to allow arcade users to get a close look at the prizes when choosing instead of asking for help from a clerk behind a counter, McFadden said.

The go-kart track measures 6,000 square feet, and plans call for a two-story laser tag area to open later this year. Several private party rooms also are available.

The opening of additional Plan and Spin centers is being considered, but the owners’ immediate focus is to get the Niles facility open and operating on all cylinders, McFadden said.

"We want to do it right first," he said.

Plans call for the center to be open seven days a week, with late-night hours on the weekends. Pizza, burgers and a full bar will be available.

The center is planning to host a pediatric cancer awareness benefit on Saturday, Sept. 30. Twenty percent of the proceeds will go toward the medical costs of two children with cancer.

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