Dino Bouncers closes permanently in Regina

After 19 years of business in Regina, Dino Bouncers is closing permanently.

It’s because of a combination of reasons, all stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Darwin Holfeld, who owned the business with his wife Sandy, told 980 CJME capacity limits, booking requirements, and a general economic downturn led to the decision to close shop.

“With not everybody working, some people are tight with money. That’s an issue. Where are you going to spend your money? Are you going to spend it at Dino Bouncers, or are you going to hold on to it in case this goes on for a while?,” he said.

Caution from customers about the virus also played a part.

“People would typically come in with a birthday party of 10 kids. Some parties weren’t even getting four or five kids. Their classmates couldn’t come become because their parents wouldn’t let them,” he explained.

When the province was still going through the Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan in June, 980 CJME spoke with Sandy. Back then, she expressed worries about their ability to go on while dealing with public health guidelines.

The nature of their business has children touching many of the same surfaces and being close to one another.

Dino Bouncers was able to briefly reopen, but it just couldn’t work out financially.

“(The Saskatchewan Health Authority) said keep your numbers at 30 and the kids have to stay in one bouncer. They can’t go from bouncer to bouncer. If you know kids, you know that’s not going to happen. They’re going to want to play in whatever they see,” Darwin explained.

Dropping in for a visit also wasn’t allowed.

“People aren’t used to booking spots. For most people it’s like ‘Oh, it’s an ugly day out, let’s go to Dino Bouncers, if it’s a nice day we’ll go to the park.’ Weekdays were always tough, but weekends were good. The numbers even on the weekend now just aren’t enough to pay the bills,” he said.

“It just snowballed. It was a combination of all of those things.”

After spending nearly two decades running the business, both as a rental shop and a physical, it’s tough for him to say goodbye.

“I feel like I lost my best friend, really. It’s like losing a dog. It just rips your heart out. I’m a big marshmallow when it comes to this stuff. It’s tough … It’s painful,” he said in a voice choked with emotion.

The biggest loss for him is the time spent with customers and his employees.

“I enjoyed doing it. It wasn’t a business, it was a job … I made a lot of friends. We employed a lot of our friends’ kids,” he said.

The business typically employed around 25 part-time students.

While it’s a difficult time for the family, one thing Holfeld appreciates is the support from customers and fans on social media.

“The outpouring of support is just unbelievable.”