By Christina Wilson
For the Greer Herald
What started as an
extravagant toy for the
grandkids has turned into a
full-fledged business for
Tommy and Teresa Quinn.
Last month the couple
opened Playland, a division
of Playtime Inflatables and
Amusements, at the intersection of Hwy 290 and New
Rutherford Road in Greer.
“We bought some Inflatables
for the grandkids, which we have plenty of,
and figured we could eliminate some of the cost by
renting them for partles," laughed Tommy 64. At first he had
four giant inflatable
slides, mazes and jumping toys. Each one costs a minimum $3000. Now he has 18.
The Quinns now keep
three to four of the toys
` inflated on the weekends
and have a putt putt golf
course, 3-acre paint ball
battlefield and concession
stand. They offer hillbilly
hayrides, tournaments and
free cotton candy they spin
from scratch.
“It’s everything you’d
have at an amusement park
without the ferris wheel `
and mechanical rides," said _
Tommy. He’s owned his
own business since 1969
when he opened a home
repair and painting service
he still operates with his
nephew .
Playtime continues to
offer rentals, with discounts for religious organizations and individuals who
rent more than one toy at a
time. For delivery, setup,
instruction and removal,
toys can be rented for as little as $250 for a rainbow
bouncer for a three-hour
event to up to $725 for the
36 feet tall tsunami wave
slide or Jurassic Adventure.
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Tommy and Teresa married 16 years ago and have 5
children in their blended
’ family and 16 grandchildren. They opened a short
lived job service in
Greenville when they first
wed. Soon after, Teresa
started her own cleaning
business while Tommy was
running the home repair service. "She started cleaning houses and put both her
kids through college,”
Tommy said.
She still runs her service
as part of Cleaning For a
Reason. Participants in the
foundation donate a portion
of the money they earn for
every house cleaned to
breast cancer research and
provide free cleaning ser-
vices for women undergoing treatment for the disease.
"She cleans houses for
women who are terminally
ill with breast cancer,"
Tommy said "lt was something that was really in her
heart."
Helping Tommy with his
business ventures is another of Teresa’s passions.
The grandchildren inspired us to do this," she said.
"Now the bottom line
is my husband gets so much
enjoyment out of this it
makes it all worthwhile?
Playland opens 10 a.m.
Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday
and stays open until the last
bouncing, screaming child
is finished. Kids can play
for an hourly fee or pay $10
for a whole day. Putt putt is
$3.75 for 9 holes.
Paintball mania - the
only such attraction in Greer, Tommy said - is $10
per person per battle or $25
for the day Battles begin at
11 a.m. and 1, 3 and 5 pm.
Participants can use their
own paintball equipment or
rent it. A mask, paintball
marker, air and 500 paintalls are $75. Players can
take the "Old Timers Challenge" and attempt to
defeat Tommy’s own home
team for $15 for a half hour battle. |
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