Women entrepreneurs dream a local business into reality with Wear ‘M’ Out

The business is a clear hit with the kids. On a mid week afternoon, the facility was filled with laughter and delighted squeals from children at play.

Clarke, who has been living in Canada with her husband and kids for the past 13-years, originates from Sussex, England. In a soft English accent, she explained that is where the idea originated from.

“When I lived back in the U-K, I used to visit these types of places all the time with my children (their friends and other mums) and when we moved to Canada, there was one (similar) in Lethbridge which actually closed just a few months after we moved here, and I thought it was really strange that, considering we’re weather-locked so many months of the year, that Lethbridge just didn’t have a facility like this, and yet, when you go to Calgary, there’s quite a few up there.”

We all know that necessity is the mother of invention. Well, sometimes, mother is the ingenuity behind fulfilling the necessary.

Clarke had a business in mind for quite a while before realizing that she could probably do this. When she discovered Masnyk was interested in starting a business, the two got together and looked over a business plan that Clarke had already assembled. The pair decided they had a good plan, it was something Lethbridge needed and that it would be a good opportunity to contribute to the local community.

As women entrepreneurs, there have been some challenges. Masnyk says the biggest one has been letting people know that they are a local business and they started from the ground up. Literally.

“We did everything from the conception, to the general contracting – we’re here every day working and we want the community to know that we are trying to offer a really good product – we’re just very happy to be part of the local community and it’s so good, in Southern Alberta, that we have other small communities in the area that feed into us.”

Masnyk says the biggest element is getting to know their customers who they now count as friends and we appreciate the support they’ve given us during the first year of operation.

The two women rely on each other for support, to bounce ideas off of, as well as their 15-member staft, most of whom have been with them since they opened. They have also taken advantage of the wisdom and expertise of friends who have other businesses in the community.

Masnyk says one of the biggest ‘positives’ in the last year, was winning an award that they were initially unaware they had been nominated for. They were recognized as the “Attraction of the Year” at the 2016 Southwest Service and Tourism Awards

Clarke describes the facility as a safe, fun, warm environment where kids can come and ‘be’ kids and get physical activity away from electronic devices, and where parents or care-givers can allow children to socialize and play, while they relax, knowing the kids are safe.

Masnyk finds the social element to be very important.

“I was an only child growing up and I see a lot of parents coming with an only child who is able to develop friendships and interact with other people – they go and play and we live up to our name Wear-M-Out.”

Safety is a key feature of the south-side business, located in the W.T.Hill area. The office shared by the owner-operators features a computer link to cameras which monitor the entire play facility. While fire code requires unobstructed fire exists, the doors are wired to alarms. Any child or adult who attempts to enter or leave the building through a fire door will set off an alarm, prompting immediate attention from the staff.

The other big concern for parents is cleanliness. Masnyk says their staff are continually cleaning and it has been one of the greatest compliments from parents who remark on the facility’s attention to hygiene. The facility is a ‘no shoes zone” – footwear is socks only and no outside food is allowed on the premises.

“We’re really in tune with cleaning because we are a business that caters to children – during flu season, we don’t want any of those outbreaks to impact us so we’re always in contact with Health Services and any time there’s an outbreak in the community, we check to see what we should be doing to safe-guard our clients as we want public safety to be at the forefront.”

Clarke says Alberta Health has been great about having their inspectors pop out to offer advice on how to handle specific issues and offer pamphlets for parents.

According to Masnyk, the interaction they have with AHS stems from their initial relationship building.

“Because Charlie and I had never started a business from the ground up, we went to the city ahead of time and asked what we needed to do to make this happen, and they were very happy that we were pro-active and we did the same thing with the Health Board, asking what we needed to do – because we reached out to them, they were really happy to help us with suggestions.”

Masnyk says they were lucky to have strong relationships with the city and AHS. But, in reality, it had nothing to do with luck, it was pre-planning and due diligence which helped prevent mistakes that were going to be a hurdle to repair after-the-fact.

Wear M Out is not a child drop off or babysitting service but, it is very family friendly. There is a fee for children to use the facility and they must be accompanied by an adult who is responsible for the child on-site. However, there is no charge for the accompanying adult, who is offered access to comfortable lounge areas and Wi-Fi. Parents can do work on their computers, read or have a coffee, while the kids enjoy themselves. Staff are vigilant to ensure the facility is used in a safe manner, while the behaviour of the children rests with the parent/adult caregiver.

The facility has an on-site cafe that offers beverages, snacks and light meals and specializes in Birthday parties, school and corporate events.

Charlie is particularly proud of the fact that the business is locally owned and that local and regional suppliers and builders were sourced for construction – even the play structures were Canadian made.

In the first year of business, Wear M Out has been able to provide experience for students who are doing work programs and have accommodated Mommy Connections, the Travelling Tots program, Lethbridge Family Services and worked with the Children’s Wish Foundation.

The ladies say it is important to them that they make connections will all areas of the community. The facility is wheelchair accessible and they welcome children with special needs such as autism and cerebral palsy. They have accommodated a couple of children who don’t walk and have a young lady with Down Syndrome who comes in to work with them for short periods. Clarke says the interaction is a tremendous boost for the young lady, “It makes her so happy and, in turn, we are happy to offer the experience and I want to be able to do these types of things for the community.”

While the business is fundamentaly a play centre, the ladies are trying to make a difference in the community where they can. They are open to expanding their offerings and are toying (no pun intended) with the idea of Zumba classes for the adults, a date night drop-off and summer programs.

Wear ‘M’ Out celebrates their first anniversary in the community with a special event on Saturday, March 18, and they want to thank the community and loyal customers for helping two lady entrepreneurs achieve their goals.

by Dori Modney (@Dori_Modney on Twitter)

Women entrepreneurs dream a local business into reality with Wear ‘M’ Out

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