'I'm going to retry': Five Stone Kids reopening in Jonestown after mall eviction

Matthew Toth, Lebanon Daily News
·4 min read

Only three months ago, Jaqueline Forney, the owner of Five Stone Kids, was facing the closure of her business.

Back in November, Forney and her staff asked residents for help after Lebanon Valley Mall officials sent a 30-day notice for the play center to vacate their location two weeks before Christmas. The play center had until Dec. 17 to continue using its space in the mall.

"It's a dream of mine," she said. "I didn't know how much Five Stone meant to me until it was being taken away."

After being evicted from the Lebanon Valley Mall in December, Five Stone Kids is finding a new home at the Twin Creeks Business Center in Jonestown. "They always say when one door closes another one opens, and this is mine," owner Jaqueline Forney said.
After being evicted from the Lebanon Valley Mall in December, Five Stone Kids is finding a new home at the Twin Creeks Business Center in Jonestown. "They always say when one door closes another one opens, and this is mine," owner Jaqueline Forney said.

Four months after receiving the mall's notice, this indoor child play center is moving to the Twin Creeks Business Center in Jonestown. The new 1,500 square foot Five Stone Kids will be reopening its doors to the public Feb. 17.

"The owners have agreed to work with me so that I can try to rebuild," she said. "They feel I'd be a good fit for their community, it's not far from Lebanon, so I'm going to retry."

Play Center Closing:'I just want my business': Five Stone Kids owner looking for help before play area has to close

Even before the closure, Forney was looking for other venues. But the problems arose when looking for a building that would work with her budget when it came to rent.

Forney and her staff had set up a GoFundMe campaign for donations to help save the play center, and reached out to social media trying to get the word out.

"I started calling around, asking different people (and) telling them my story," she said. "Some leasing agents and places were like, 'There's no way we could work with you if that's what you can afford.'"

After being evicted from the Lebanon Valley Mall in December, Five Stone Kids is finding a new home at the Twin Creeks Business Center in Jonestown. "They always say when one door closes another one opens, and this is mine," owner Jaqueline Forney said.
After being evicted from the Lebanon Valley Mall in December, Five Stone Kids is finding a new home at the Twin Creeks Business Center in Jonestown. "They always say when one door closes another one opens, and this is mine," owner Jaqueline Forney said.

Since posting her reopening, Forney has been overwhelmed by the responses on social media supporting her business. While she feels the outcry was not as prevalent when Five Stone was shutting down, Forney said many parents have been reaching out asking about what her new space will be like moving forward.

"There's a lot of pricing questions, a lot of people tagging each other saying, 'Look they're reopening,'" she said. "There's probably over 300 likes and there's 60 or 70 shares just on my one post (on Facebook). It's crazy the support that I'm getting now that I'm reopening."

The small business is not a daycare, requiring at least one parent to stay with their children as they are using the play area. Focused on kids 10 and under, parents pay a $10 play pass to use the facility for the entire day. Parents are not charged to stay and watch their kids at the 189 S. Lancaster St. play center.

"Still going to be an all-day thing," Forney said. "There's not no time limit. They can leave and come back in the same day."

There may be an increased price for private parties, but Forney is still working on those details.

New Police Chief:'In a transition': Captain Bret Fisher sworn in as new Lebanon Police chief, Sims new captain

Joshua Aguirre:This 11-year-old already has a 3rd degree black belt. What's next for the Lebanon prodigy?

Forney and her team are currently in the process of renovating the new space, adding new fixtures like a tree house, ball pit and slide. The space is smaller than her previous space in the mall, and Forney said her retail business would be slashed by up to 90% to utilize as much of the space for the kids.

"We did get a lot of wood, and we're in the process of putting it together," she said. "We just have some cleaning and finish construction and we should be open by Feb. 17."

After being evicted from the Lebanon Valley Mall in December, Five Stone Kids is finding a new home at the Twin Creeks Business Center in Jonestown. "They always say when one door closes another one opens, and this is mine," owner Jaqueline Forney said.
After being evicted from the Lebanon Valley Mall in December, Five Stone Kids is finding a new home at the Twin Creeks Business Center in Jonestown. "They always say when one door closes another one opens, and this is mine," owner Jaqueline Forney said.

Sitting across from the Jonestown Elementary School, the play center's staff is looking to see more children come and take advantage of the services Forney is planning to provide. While still not looking to be a daycare, Forney said she's looking into possible short term drop off services in the future.

Looking forward to her former customers plans to return, Forney said she's hoping that this new location will bring new kids and parents to the play center's doors.

"I don't need to make a lot of money," she said. "If I just maintain that's fine with me. I want to be there for the kids. Kids love coming in, I love the kids that are coming in. I love talking to the parents that are coming in. It's nice."

For those looking for more information about how to donate to Forney and the Five Stone Kids play area, you can visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/FiveStoneKids or the GoFundMe page at gofund.me/15e9ac80.

Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at mtoth@ldnews.com or on Twitter at @DAMattToth.

This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Five Stone Kids play center reopening in Jonestown after mall eviction