 |
Teen Club to Open in James City CountyBy Amber Lester Kennedy Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Greenwood hopes to open London Underground, her club geared toward kids 13-17, next month. The teen center will be located at 4548A John Tyler Highway, in an office complex near Five Forks. Teens will be able to hang out with their friends while playing billiards, foosball, air hockey, Xbox 360 and arcade games. They can also enjoy live music, from local bands and DJs, and watch TV on 70-inch screens. “I have two teen-age children and there was absolutely nowhere for them to go. They wanted to walk around New Town by themselves, which I’m not comfortable with,” Greenwood said. “Especially in the summer, I don’t want to leave the kids at home. I’m trying to create a safe environment for them to be able to have some fun.” The club will offer membership rates, modeled after the membership clubs in major cities, but will be open to nonmembers. Year-round membership for one child is $80, and family rates vary depending on how many children want memberships. Greenwood said the membership model is a great value to families because it offers discounted and priority entry. London Underground will initially be open Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, then open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. over spring break and in the summer. Each night will have a theme: Wednesdays will be “Country Nights”; Thursdays will be “Family Night Out,” with reduced-rate guitar lessons and games; Fridays will be “Middle School Madness” for teens ages 13-15; and Saturday nights will be for high school students. To prepare for the club’s opening, Greenwood called on her children’s friends and neighbors for input on what they would enjoy. She also visited York County’s similar club, Crash, which opened and closed last spring, and a comparable community center in Northern Virginia. She said her facility will have what others didn’t: a high-tech club experience typically not available to teens. She intends to continue teens’ involvement by creating a formal council that oversees the code of conduct as a self-governing body. Ideally, council members would serve three-month terms, sharing input on how the business is run, and how to handle conduct violations. Greenwood hopes London Underground (so named as a reference to her home country of Great Britain) will keep kids off the street and give them a fun, but safe atmosphere to hang out. Her background is in real estate as a broker with Coldwell Banker, and she has a bachelor’s degree in business administration. “I decided to brazenly go out there and create somewhere for these kids to go to,” she said. For more information, or to purchase a membership, click here. |
|
For all of the adults who have complained about aimless teenagers roaming New Town, Denise Greenwood thinks she has the solution: a teen-friendly club.
Copyright © 2010-2011 WY Daily. Davis Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Website by Web-tactics
Website by Web-tactics
Comments
Membership to the London Underground is recommended because it will save money over the year however, it is not required, daily entry is available - advance ticket purchaser recommended to avoid disappointment. .
Maria
fwiw, a paper from where I grew up had a story last week about a similar effort that didn't get approved to open. "Nothing with a dance floor is going to open in this town" one official said.
Self-governing.
these words are music to my ears.