When you walk into Kiddos Play Center, you’re immediately greeted by bright colors, playful structures, and the sound of children’s laughter echoing through the building. The new business in Carthage — the county seat of Smith County, located in Middle Tennessee along the Cumberland River — has quickly become a community favorite.
On June 26, the Smith County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially welcome Kiddos Play Center, celebrating with local leaders, fellow business owners, friends, family, and happy customers. For entrepreneurs Timothy and Lindsey Thurman, this moment marked the joyful culmination of a long journey filled with determination, vision, and community spirit.
When the Thurmans made the decision to move back to Lindsey’s rural hometown of Carthage, they did so with the goal of contributing something meaningful.
“We knew that when we moved back to my wife’s hometown of Carthage, there’s not much up here,” Tim said.
"We really wanted to see the downtown grow and have a really cool main street.”
Both having grown up in entrepreneurial families, the couple knew that launching a business would be the best way to support the growth of the community they now called home.
They began brainstorming ideas for a venture that would not only be unique to Carthage but would also attract people to the downtown area and support surrounding local businesses. When they found themselves torn between possibilities, they turned to social media to ask the community what was missing.
Motivated by the community’s feedback, Tim and Lindsey began researching what options existed for children in the area. They discovered that indoor play options were limited and that outdoor playgrounds lacked adequate equipment or space for events like birthday parties. That gap gave them their answer — an indoor playground where kids could play year-round and parents could relax, knowing their children were in a safe and engaging environment.
“We started visiting all the playgrounds in the area, talking to all the owners, gathered a bunch of information, and started watching tutorials,” Tim said. “We did all of our research, and it just made sense.”
"It was a gap in the area, and I’m glad we had the chance to fill it.”
With their concept in place, the Thurmans found a former restaurant on Main Street and began transforming it into what would become Kiddos Play Center. They started by financing a large playground structure, but additional funding was needed to bring their full vision to life. After initial outreach to the Tennessee Rural Development Fund (TNRDF) didn’t result in the support they needed, the Thurmans were referred to the Lending Team at Communities Unlimited.
Tim was soon connected with CU Economic Development Loan Officer Candence Brooks, who helped guide the couple through the application process for a small business loan.
“You guys just welcomed us in, and it was awesome,” Tim said.
Kiddos Play Center was approved for a loan in May 2024, but structural issues in the building delayed their progress and prevented them from closing.
“We’ve been trying to do this for about a year and a half, and we didn’t give up — we almost did a few times — but you guys were right there with us every step of the way, and it was really cool,” Tim said.
Their persistence paid off. After increasing their loan request, they officially closed in January 2025. From there, everything began falling into place.
“Once we got rolling with Candence and she brought us in, she took care of us for sure. It was an easy process. She even let us know about stuff we didn’t even think about. It was stuff like that — I don’t know if any other place would have done that, but she did. She caught that, and it was really cool.”
"I’m glad you guys had us under your wing.”
The funding from CU, supported by the Small Business Administration (SBA), was used for working capital, office equipment, furniture, and everything needed to build out the center — beyond the playground itself.
“You can walk into a playground all day, but if there’s nothing around it, it’s not going to pull anybody in the door,” Tim said. “So you guys provided every other aspect of the business with the funding.”
Now that Kiddos Play Center is open, Tim says his favorite part is seeing the energy it has brought to downtown Carthage.
“Seeing people in the downtown going from our business to the coffee shop to the candy store. People are visiting different businesses in the area and checking them out,” he said. “Every business has come to us with warm welcomes, and they’re all saying that they’ve seen an increase in customers.”
"It’s really cool to see it’s working — it’s building up Carthage.”
The impact extends beyond the local economy. The business has also brought the Thurman family closer together. As a blended family with six children, Kiddos has become a place where everyone plays a part.
“They all come up there and hang out and play and help and clean. They’ve been there bouncing and jumping and playing. If we’re not at sports, they’re there.”
“I can see growth. I can see additions to the area to help us keep the business exciting and entertaining for the kids. We’ve already added a few features, and we’re going to continue to add more to keep drawing people in. We’re super excited. I think that if we can continue to work with you guys, then we can branch out to other communities.”
"I think this is the start of something really cool.”
Reflecting on their experience with CU, Tim added, “It was stress-free. You guys answered all our questions. Anything we had, you took the time — that was amazing. You took the time and found the answers we needed and helped us through a lot of the process. We’re definitely going to use you again if we branch out.”
