By Anjo Pallasigui
When weddings stopped during the pandemic, Jacqueline’s business did too. She had run a successful bridal boutique in Port Credit, but with events on pause, she and her husband knew they had to pivot. What they didn’t expect was that their next business idea would come from spending time with their two young kids in indoor playgrounds.
Fast forward to today: Funday Indoor Playground is a Toronto-themed wonderland filled with ziplines, trampolines, climbing walls, pretend play zones, and even a mini “SkyDome.” But it wasn’t easy getting there.
“We knocked on more than 40 landlords before someone said yes,” Jacqueline shares. It took persistence, risk, and a lot of faith. One landlord finally believed in their vision — and Funday was born.
The playground is packed with personal touches: a kid-sized “Funco” grocery store, a “Pear Store” digital art corner, a condo-inspired pretend home, and nods to Toronto landmarks like the CN Tower and TTC. Each design element reflects the couple’s memories of the city, where Jacqueline first found her footing after moving from Ottawa as a child.
Born in the Philippines and raised by a hardworking single mom, Jacqueline knows what it means to start from scratch. “I didn’t have a penny when I first moved to Toronto,” she recalls. “But I had a vision, and I worked for it.”
Now, Funday isn’t just a business — it’s a love letter to the city that shaped her, and a gift to families who want a safe, creative space for their kids to play.
“For anyone dreaming of building something,” Jacqueline says, “have passion, take risks, and don’t be afraid to fail. Just get back up and go harder.”
