Zone Family Fun Center closing

After nearly five years of offering laser tag, arcade prizes and hand-tossed pizza, The Zone Family Fun Center is closing.

The Zone owner Amber Collier said the business on U.S. 2 E. will shut its doors the end of August because the building had been sold and the operation has lost its lease.

“It has been awesome having the opportunity to join in your celebrations, family fun days and watch your kids grow,” Collier said in a Facebook post on Monday.

She said the business has done well since opening in 2010. In the past year, the lease changed from a month-to-month payment and in July, Collier’s landlord let her know that he had sold the building and property to Kalispell Regional Medical Center.

Ted Hirsch, senior executive director of Kalispell Regional Healthcare, confirmed the purchase and said the hospital will use the building as a storage facility for incoming medical supplies as Kalispell Regional embarks on an expansion of its emergency room facilities.

Collier said The Zone will continue to offer full services until its closing date on Aug. 30, but as her staff transitions to new employment around the Flathead Valley, she expects wait lines to take a little longer. About 20 people employed at The Zone will lose their jobs.

“The job market is really strong right now, so most of them are getting placed or hired up in different places,” Collier said. “They’re amazing people so I’m not really worried about them.”

Collier has no plans to continue the business in a different facility. She will move to California with her family to operate a similar facility in a management position.

The Zone’s equipment will be sold. Collier is offering to help guide the buyer of the equipment if he or she might want to proceed with the fun center in a new location.

“The public has been an outcry of support. It’s really nice to hear about how loved we were,” she said. “It’s definitely a difficult time for my family, and my extended family, which would be my staff.”