Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela Holt.
Angela, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always loved kids and graduated with a Bachelors in Education from Southwest Texas State (now Texas State) University. After graduation, my path took me in a different direction. I had worked in restaurants during college; however little did I know, or if someone had told me I would have never believed that one day that experience would come in handy when I opened my own cafe. Shortly after graduating I moved to San Diego and got my real estate license and worked successfully for 15 years in both new home sales as the Marketing and Sales Manager and as a Real Estate Broker. After having our son, Chase, I decided that the cutthroat, 24/7 world of real estate was not my dream job and searched for over 2 years trying to decide what to do next. I had thought about going back to school or using my degree in education but I had the entrepreneurial bug.
When my husband, Rick, retired from the Navy in 2015 we decided it was time to leave San Diego. We packed up our family (including my mom, dad and grandfather) and headed for Frisco, TX. I knew I wanted to open an indoor play business but after looking at the available spaces for a few months, losing out on what I thought was the “perfect” facility, and not having any luck, we gave up. I got my real estate license in Texas as did my husband. A week later, my husband drove by a space in Frisco that was much smaller than we had originally hoped for. A week after viewing the location the lease was signed and we started to work with the city to get permits and began demolition. No turning back! Little did I know the blessing of having the smaller space and that it would be one of the things our customers love about Jungle Joe’s.
Two year later, business is great and I love what I do!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I wouldn’t say it has been a smooth road, but in hindsight I know that being in business means getting over the bumps in the road and moving forward. You can’t give up and you have to do whatever it take to get more customers through the door and the expenses paid. The community of Frisco has welcomed us with open arms. I’m a big believer that the Frisco Chamber has played a huge role in helping us make connections and network with other business owners who are our customers. We have a large community of mom’s groups and loyal customers that have been coming to Jungle Joe’s since we opened in 2016. The struggles have been what any business owner would go through – not knowing the future, employee retention and the enormity of being a business owner and all the hats that come along with the job. You are responsible for business development, marketing, accounting, managing employees and the list goes on and on. I know we made mistakes on the way but we wouldn’t be where we are today without learning from our struggles.
Please tell us about Jungle Joe’s.
Unlike many other places for kiddos to play, we have delicious, nutritious food! We have great Power Bowls, Paninis and a Roasted Veggie Salad that are customer favorites. Our coffee bar has many flavors and a customer just told us recently she thought our Cafe Latte was better than Starbucks. It’s also a comfortable place where parents relax, work on their laptops or read a book. We are a cafe, but there a many little ones running around, laughing and having a fantastic time! In addition, we have Arts and Crafts Monday – Friday; Summer Camps; Birthday Parties; Private Events; Meeting Rooms and Parent’s Night Out.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Going to Lake Travis is Austin Texas. We were there numerous times a month water skiing and sometimes we would stay on the lake overnight. We’d swim all day and watch the Texas sunsets.
Pricing:
- Admissions 1 yr and under $5, 2 yr $7 and 3+ yrs $10 – arts and crafts included in admission pricing Monday – Friday.
- Party packages range from $99-$800. We have a package for any price range
- Free room rentals available during the weekday with a purchase of $50 or more from Joe’s Cafe.
- Summer Camps $150 – Monday – Friday 9 AM – 4 PM
- Free Wifi
Contact Info:
- Address: 7447 Hillcrest Rd #104, Frisco, TX 75035
- Website: http://junglejoesfrisco.com/
- Phone: 469-731-5100
- Email: angela@junglejoesfrisco.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jungle_joes/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/junglejoesfrisco/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/jungle_joes
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/jungle-joes-frisco-2
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
