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Real Joyhouse have opened their doors to the public with a goal of providing a place for families and friends to gather, unplug and enjoy their time together. We asked owner Amit Parikh to tell us about the business and why he feels going low tech is a great opportunity.
Tell us about your business.
Real Joyhouse is a 2,800 square foot, family-centered games venue located in Bolton. We are fully outfitted with furniture, games equipment, kitchen and washroom facilities, with modern décor and a clean and bright atmosphere.
We provide a wide range of board games, pool tables, table tennis, foosball, carrom, and more. Real Joyhouse is the only business of its kind in Bolton and fills a gap in the community for traditional, social game activities.
It’s a great opportunity to have a place for locals and people visiting to come and go, meet friends and family, and socialize around entertaining and stimulating games that engage and encourage friendly rivalries. We’ve created a drop-in, socially upbeat atmosphere has been created and customers can order meals, drinks or snacks – whatever suits the mood and also offer timeslots to book the premises for gatherings and parties. We like to say "Stay connected, feel happy"
The business holds strong appeal for customers seeking a screen-free, device-free, uplifting good time. One of the business’s slogans is “you’ll forget to check your phone while you’re here!”
We launched Real Joyhouse in July 2020 but unfortunately due to the pandemic we couldn’t open to the public. Now, we are open and ready to welcome the public for some fun, following all the guidelines from Peel Public Health.
This is a family venture. My wife and kids help out sometimes but I have hired 3 part time employees as well.
Tell us about you, why did you decide to open your own business?
Prior to having this business, I had been working in the I.T. industry for 30 years and as a corporate I.T. infrastructure Manager for the last nine years but was laid off due to restructuring during the Covid pandemic.
I am very passionate about doing business with unique concepts and noble causes. I don’t like to see so many people spending most of their time on gadgets and social media which I believe may contribute to mental health issues. Over access of screen time impacts a lot of health issues. On screen and off screen time need to be balanced.
After I got laid off I decided it was time for a career change and launched this new concept. I’ve had this idea for 5 years and did a lot of research and ground-work in the GTA over the last 2 years.
Why do you think this business will do well in Bolton?
Bolton is an ideal place for this type of business. There are no game parlours like this in the community where people can enjoy a variety of indoor games with their family/friends in a nice interior environment.
It may take some time to get established not being a franchise. But once we get more people visiting, and “spread the word” things will pick up.
What are your future plans?
For now, we are looking forward to seeing families and friends gather to enjoy some traditional games. But I do have plans to invite corporations, small organizations, NGO’s, and others to arrange team building events with us – it’s a great way to bring people together and build stronger relationships.
Real Joyhouse is located at 14 McEwan Drive West, Unit 6A Bolton | https://realjoyhouse.com
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