MILWAUKEE — After nine years in business, Bounce Milwaukee is closing.
Bounce is a family entertainment center operates in Milwaukee’s Bay View neighborhood. It is owned by Becky Cooper and her husband, Milwaukee County Supervisor and State Representative Ryan Clancy.
Cooper said they are being forced to close due to increased rent.
“Our landlord decided to raise our rent by about 50%. And increase our security deposit from $2,600 to almost $200,000,” said Cooper.
She said she and Clancy opened the space in 2014 so families would have a space to play with their kids in a safe place. She said she will miss her employees and guests the most but still plans to be active in the neighborhood.
“My husband is a State Representative so he will continue to do his work in that way, and I will probably go back into nonprofit work and social justice work and continue to give to the community as much as I can in that way,” Cooper said.
Bounce has a restaurant and activities that families can enjoy together such as air hockey, rock climbing and inflatables.
Monica Finley has been bringing her kids to Bounce for years and said it will be greatly missed by the neighborhood.
“We were really sad, I was kind of in shock,” Finley said. “This has been such a staple for so many years.”
Finley said she is happy that Cooper and Clancy will stay in the community. She said that although she is sad to see Bounce close, she is excited to see what they do next.
“I would love to see them to around town doing what they do best,” Finley said. “Just interacting with the community, making people feel welcome.”
Bounce Milwaukee’s last day of business is Aug. 27.