Today we’d like to introduce you to Jersey Zhang.
Hi Jersey, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born and raised in China and came to the U.S. when I was 19. After spending 10 years as an engineer in the automotive industry, my wife and I started thinking about what our family really needed.
We have three daughters, and like many parents in Michigan, we struggled to find good, affordable things to do with them during the long winters. We’re pretty practical people and don’t like spending a lot on entertainment. So we decided to build something ourselves — something fun but affordable for families like ours.
My oldest daughter loves mermaids and unicorns. With three girls, I figured a mermaid theme would be a good fit. That’s how Mermaid Bay Kids Indoor Play came about.
We opened in December 2025 at 968 28th St SW in Roger’s Plaza in Wyoming. It’s a 6,000-square-foot indoor playground for kids ages 2 to 10. This was my first time building something like this, so the process wasn’t smooth. We made mistakes and learned a lot along the way, but we got it open.
Six months later, I left my engineering job to focus on the business full-time. We try to keep prices reasonable, with play sessions starting at just $8, so more local families can enjoy it. Kids get a place to play and burn off energy, and parents get a bit of a break.
We’re grateful for the support from the community so far. If you’re in the Grand Rapids area, come visit us at Mermaid Bay and see what we’ve built.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it has not been a smooth road. This was my first time building anything like an indoor playground, so there were a lot of things I didn’t foresee and didn’t plan for.
One of the biggest challenges early on was the design. The space we have is long and narrow, which made it difficult to create good flow and layout. We spent a lot of time working through it, but in the end I think we did a really good job with the space.
We also started with the goal of keeping this a low-budget project so we could offer affordable ticket prices. But once we got into the build, we kept wanting to do things the best way possible, and the budget kept going up. I’m glad we still stuck to our original pricing plan even when costs increased.
Another thing I underestimated was how difficult it would be to keep live jellyfish. I thought it would be a cool addition to the underwater theme, but the learning curve was much steeper than I expected. We stuck with it though, and now we have them in a big custom-built tank. I still get a little PTSD thinking about those early days of figuring it out.
Overall, there were quite a few lessons learned the hard way, but we pushed through and got it done.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Mermaid Bay Kids Indoor Play?
Mermaid Bay Kids Indoor Play
Mermaid Bay Kids Indoor Play is an indoor playground I opened in December 2025 in Roger’s Plaza at 968 28th St SW in Wyoming, Michigan. It’s a 6,000-square-foot space designed for kids ages 2 to 10, with a fun underwater and mermaid theme. Inside we have multi-level play structures, obstacle courses, bounce zones, a big ocean ball pit, and areas for imaginative play. We also have an on-site café with pizza, hot dogs, and snacks, plus a comfortable lounge area for parents and private nursing rooms.
We created Mermaid Bay because my wife and I have three young daughters and struggled to find affordable, good-quality places to take them during the long Michigan winters. We wanted to build something practical and fun that families like ours could actually afford. That’s why we’ve kept our pricing low — play sessions start at just $8, and we offer memberships and punch cards to make it easier for regular visits.
What sets us apart is the combination of the underwater theme (including live jellyfish in a custom tank), the full outing experience where kids can play and then grab food or candy, and our focus on keeping everything affordable and family-friendly. We also designed the space with good flow and safety in mind, with one main entrance and exit so parents can feel comfortable.
I’m proud that we built this as a local, family-owned business and that families are actually using it for regular play, birthday parties, and school field trips. We’re not trying to be the fanciest place — we just want to give kids a fun, safe place to play and give parents a bit of a break without spending a lot.
If you’re in the Grand Rapids area and looking for something simple and affordable for your kids, come check us out at Mermaid Bay.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was a pretty regular kid growing up in China. I was very kind — maybe too kind — and I think that made me stand out a little from my peers. Teachers always said I was smart, but I was terrible at doing things I didn’t enjoy, like studying.
I really loved computer science, but for some reason I ended up going into engineering instead. I also had a strong interest in traveling. I loved the feeling of being in a new place and figuring things out on my own. I’ve always been someone who likes trying new things, whether it’s food, travel, or just doing things a different way.
When I was 19, I moved to the United States by myself. It was tough at the beginning, but I worked through it and built a life here. Both of my parents were business owners, and I saw how hard it was for them. Because of that, I told myself early on that I would never own a business. I just wanted a stable job with good employment.
After I got married and had kids, the 9-to-5 job started to feel financially tight. So I began doing small side businesses on the side. Once those started going well, I realized I could actually do this. That’s when we decided to take on Mermaid Bay as our next project.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mermaidbaygr.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mermaidbaykidsindoorplay/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MermaidBayGR/
