Elizabeth Moore-Davila having a Nerf gun war at Idaho Dart Arena at 4024 East 461 North in Rigby. See what it’s like in the video above. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com

Do you want to know what’s happening in the eastern Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered. Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley.

BIZ BUZZ

RIGBY

St. Anthony couple open indoor Nerf gun arena in Rigby

RIGBY – Long Idaho winters were a new experience for Andrew and Whitney Page when they moved to the Gem State in 2022. Being cooped up for months prompted them to open an entertainment venue called Idaho Dart Arena, which opened in Rigby in December.

The family fun center offers a space for customers to have Nerf gun wars in an obstacle course. It’s inside an industrial building off Yellowstone Highway at 4024 East 461 North. See what it’s like in the video above.

Whitney tells EastIdahoNews.com they’ve gotten multiple recurring customers in the last year and they’re hoping to attract more.

“For the people we’ve been able to reach, they’ve really loved it,” Whitney says. “There’s not a ton of entertainment options in Rigby, and I think people are happy to have it a little closer to home.”

Although the former Utah couple had no ties to eastern Idaho, Andrew frequently drove through the area for his job with Kimball Equipment Company. Their desire to give their kids “some space and freedom to grow up in” led them to St. Anthony.

Shortly after moving, they experienced an Idaho winter for the first time.

“It was a colder winter than we’d ever experienced,” Whitney recalls. “We have three busy boys … and we felt cooped up.”

Andrew has fond memories of going to a Nerf gun place in his hometown as a kid and being trapped inside for months motivated him to look into opening something similar.

The Pages discovered a similar venue had opened in Pocatello, and the only other indoor Nerf gun arena was in Boise. They liked the idea of opening their own arena in Rigby because it was a central location between Rexburg and Idaho Falls.

“We felt like it would be more successful in that location,” says Whitney. “It just didn’t make a ton of sense to open a family fun center in St. Anthony where there isn’t a huge population.”

The business is a little off the beaten path, and Whitney says many people aren’t aware it exists. They’re hoping to change that.

They’re grateful to their partners, Ross Churchill and Elizabeth Moore-Davila, both of whom are students at Brigham Young University-Idaho. Churchill wants to start selling homemade root beer and root beer floats at the venue soon.

Idaho Dart Arena is open Monday through Wednesday from 4 to 9 p.m. and noon to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.

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