Increasing rent, coupled with an ongoing dispute between the business owner and their landlord is forcing the Kidzone Family Fun Center in Waterloo to close its doors in March.
Nelson Costa, the owner of Kidzone, says renovations such as fixing the building's parking lot and sign have not been completed. With the building up for sale and the deal set to close soon, he fears the increasing rent will also make it unaffordable.
"We are shutting down because for six years we've had poor relations with our landlord," says Costa. "Things in our lease agreement were never completed and in a recession, it's not viable to do business anymore."
A representative from the company that owns the building says Laurel Springs is not forcing Kidzone to close, even though it's behind in rent and has been backed by the company for years.
But the community is already feeling its loss. Chris Beckermann is a concerned parent and he doesn't want Kidzone to go, "We'll have to go somewhere else, find another place. But we've been coming here for four years so it's very important to me."
That's a sentiment echoed by Tracey Hutchison, "They know me, they know my boys, and my goodness they care for everybody here."
Costa hopes a rally being held on Thursday will help raise awareness about keeping the center open. He says he wants people to know about the issues and that his main concern is for the children coming to Kidzone.
