Game Over For Mr. Bigg’s
A Colorado Springs entertainment landmark is closing.
After seven years of fun and games, the game is over at Mr. Bigg’s Family Fun Center. The big news is a big bummer for some.
On April 29, Mr. Bigg’s Family Fun Center, a place where people go for bumper cars, laser tag and video games, is closing for good.
The news isn’t sitting well with first-grader Colton Johnson, who looked up at his dad in shock when he heard the news.
Colton has had a lot of fun times at Bigg City.
“You can play mini-golf. You can go to laser tag. You can do the go-carts. You can do bumper cars,” said Colton. “You do all kinds of stuff.”
Most of the large space on Mark Dabling Boulevard will be taken over by a call center called Stellar Restaurant Solutions. The company, which takes to-go orders for national restaurant chains, already occupies a small part of the building.
Mr. Bigg’s CEO Jim Fenlason said it’s been part of the plan for a while.
“One of the reasons for getting into this space was the opportunities it afforded the call center,” said Fenlason. “But, you know, Mr. Bigg’s kind of became kind of the spirit of Colorado Springs in the meantime.”
Spirits for some, like Colton, will be dashed.
KRDO asked Fenlason about the reason for the big change. KRDO simply wanted to know if the call center would be more profitable than the fun center.
“We’ve been really fortunate,” said Fenlason. “(We) came through a recession. Over the past year, our sales have been good (and) steady. But, we really want to move forward with something that provides more jobs in the community. That’s my answer.”
According to Fenlason, the call center will bring at least 250 jobs to the area. He said current Mr. Bigg’s employees will have the opportunity to apply for jobs with Stellar Restaurant Solutions.
KRDO tried to contact Steve Bigari, who owns both Stellar and Mr. Bigg’s, to ask him about the reason for the change. Bigari did not return the phone call.
