A new business in Ross Township is offering family fun with a little less friction.
Fun Slides Carpet Skatepark and Party Center — an indoor carpet skate park where skaters wear friction-resistant shoe covers that let them slide down carpeted ramps and across carpeted floors — opened May 31 in the Pines Plaza.
“It's active fun, and anyone can pick it up,” said Fun Slides owner and inventor Don Edwards, 46, of Harrison City.
The Ross location is only the second skate park of its kind, and Edwards said he hopes the family-friendly activity will catch on across the country.
At a preview event May 30, Lexi Baran, 9, of McCandless picked up on carpet skating right away. She climbed up the black light-lit ramp stairs and slid down a neon orange ramp on her feet. She also tried sitting on a long, sled-like piece of Fun Slides' friction-resistant material for a ride.
Lexi skated at the business' other location in Greensburg last year and had her birthday party booked in Ross the day Fun Slides opened.
“This one is more fun,” she said about the Ross location.
While children took on the smaller ramps, Fun Slides employees took the new sport to a different level by running, jumping and flipping down large ramps, which are about 6 feet high.
New employee Jonathan Kirsch said the preview event was his fourth time on Fun Slides skates, and he quickly picked up some advanced moves.
“Everyone gets the hang of it eventually,” said Kirsch, 20, of Ross.
A former carpet installer, Edwards has built his business around friction-reducing surfaces, first with the EZ Moves Furniture Slides devices, which he invented in 1992 to slip under furniture so it easily could slide across carpet.
In 2001, Edwards said, “you know what, I've got to put some straps on these,” and Fun Slides skates were born.
After testing the product, Edwards opened his first skate park in Irwin in 2011.
In May 2012, Edwards relocated the skate park to Greensburg, where he estimates that about 20,000 children skated last year.
“It's busy,” Edwards said. “We basically just proved that kids love them.”
The Ross facility has 33,000 square feet, which is about four times bigger than the Greensburg location, and also has laser tag and black-light dodgeball. But, Edwards said, carpet sliding is the main draw.
Edwards said the Ross location has 14 employees with seven to 10 working at a time.
He said he might add indoor miniature golf at the Ross location. With an activity similar to roller skating or bowling, Edwards said, his parks can be used for birthday parties and group events.
Admission is $12 for two hours of sliding, and renting shoe covers costs $2.50. The center is open six days a week; it's closed Mondays.
He said he anticipates continuing to open new parks and making carpet sliding more mainstream.
“We're hoping to prove that it has franchise potential,” Edwards said.
Kelsey Shea is a staff writer at Trib Total Media. Reach her at kshea@tribweb.com or at 724-772-6353.
