Take off your shoes and enter the world of Bounce City.

It’s stocking feet only, but don’t worry, everything is soft.

Founders Scott and Michelle Hester opened Bounce City on Aug. 15. It caught the eye of many passers-by with the enormous yellow climbing wall situated out front. Bounce City is filled with inflatable toys for children and adults, but it’s about more than having fun.

“It’s an old football saying. What do you do when you get knocked down?” said Scott Hester, 43. “Get back up. Anderson has been down for a while, but it’s on its way back up.”

Businesses large and small have found reasons to invest in Anderson. In September, a Fortune 500 company Affiliated Computer Services Inc., announced it would create a customer service center at the Flagship Enterprise Center that would spawn 500 jobs.

Anderson Mayor Kevin Smith said during the press conference that the city has gained back 1,000 jobs in the past two years. They range from multinational food giant Nestle´to corner barbecue restaurant The Pittt.

“There’s something magical about Anderson,” said Scott Hester, who even coined a motto for the city: “Anderson: Where greatness begins.”

One thing Anderson offers is available commercial and industrial space. The catalyst for Bounce City was the availability of the former Kmart building at Southdale Plaza near the corner of 53rd Street and Columbus Avenue. The Hesters plan to fill every inch of the 80,500-square-foot building with fun.

Bounce City would not have been possible had the Hesters not found a willing partner with similar ideals. Joe Hartley, a professor of finance at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, got to know Hester while both were living in Fishers. Hartley admired Hester’s business sense, which helped him create a successful landscaping business, and was thrilled by the strength of his vision.

“We were kindred spirits in many respects,” Hartley said. “It turns out both of us shared a common dream of developing a kind of supermarket of entertainment, a theme park, if you will.”

Their idea was to bring a multitude of entertainment options to a single place and charge a single price. While other entrepreneurs seemed to be moving toward specialized entertainment, Hester and Hartley planned to fulfill any entertainment desire.

“One of our central goals and a serious part of our strategy is to set one price and let them decide what they want to do,” said Hartley, who also shares Hester’s admiration for Sam Walton. “We also want to keep rigid control over our costs.”

Michelle Hester said the couple purchased the immense Kmart building outright in order to keep overhead low.

“This area has immense potential,” Hartley said. “...We are building this theme park every day, one step at a time. We’ve made tremendous progress in six weeks.”

In addition to inflatable games, Bounce City offers archery, disc golf, flag football, foosball, boxing, air hockey, rock wall climbing, paintball, indoor soccer, horseshoes and pool. The venue is also available for party rentals, lock-ins, class reunions, school field trips and church outings. Bounce City will add an indoor go-kart track in coming weeks and possibly an outdoor track in the spring. Laser tag, mechanical rides and more will soon follow.

Hester said kids rule on Friday nights and Saturdays do a steady business while families come out in droves on Sunday. Hester said he has secured commitments from Frankton and Shenandoah to host after-prom parties and Tobacco Free Indiana has also made a reservation.

All the business has created a unique problem.

“We’re going through 1,200 to 1,500 pairs of socks a week,” Hester said. “We need somebody in Anderson to manufacture socks that say ‘Made in Anderson.’”

That model fits in with Hester’s larger vision. He said he aims to improve all of Anderson through his business.

“All I am is the world’s biggest cheerleader for the city,” Hester said. “Anderson has the talent and the ability to become the economic superpower of Indiana. I mean blowing the doors off of Carmel and there’s a lot of money in Carmel.”

Hester should know. He grew up in Anderson and attended Madison Heights High School. He field-tested his idea for a recreation facility there and decided the idea was ready to come to Anderson.

But Michelle Hester said the idea for Bounce City came to them in a dream. Both Michelle and Scott heard the words: “Put family back in family,” in their sleep.

But wait, you haven’t heard the best part.

Hester said he plans to grown Bounce City into the world’s largest theme park in Anderson. He plans to grow the project slowly over 10 years, eventually adding 10,000 jobs to the local economy.

Some may scoff at the notion, but Hester believes in the power of thinking big. He said Walt Disney found his share of critics when he decided to build his own theme park in a Florida swamp.

“It’s hard to imagine something that’s not there. I really believe this place is touched and blessed by grace of God,” Hester said. “My two mentors are (Wal-Mart founder) Sam Walton and Walt Disney. Sam Walton believed in low prices and taking care of his customers. Walt Disney believed in the magic.”