Forget Chuck E. Cheese and Dave & Buster’s. Lowe’s wants to host kids’ birthday parties

Bowling alleys, bounce centers and skating rinks are among popular entertainment venues to hold children’s birthday parties. And now there’s Lowe’s.

On Thursday, Lowe’s begins taking reservations for in-store parties at 10 stores across the U.S., including one store in the Charlotte region, the Mooresville-based home improvement chain said Thursday.

The birthday parties are an extension of Lowe’s Saturday children’s workshops, said Jen Wilson, senior vice president of enterprise brand and marketing for Lowe’s.

Here’s what to know:

Where: Lowe’s Build a Birthday parties can be held at the store at 16830 Statesville Road in Huntersville.

How it works: Parties are two hours long for ages 5 and older. Packages include DIY project kits for 12 kids, with the option to have up to 20 participate.

What the kids will do: Children can choose to build wooden castles, race cars or custom wall shelves. Essentials like safety goggles, aprons and construction hats are included.

When: Parties can be held Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

The cost: Packages start at $349 for 12 children.

Other stores that are part of the Lowe’s birthday pilot program are Brooklyn, N.Y.; North Bergen, N.J.; Orem, Utah; Noblesville, Ind.; Naperville, Ill.; Franklin, Tenn.; Eastlake, Calif.; Central Dallas, Texas; and North Peoria, Ariz.

The company did provide cost details.

Lowe’s has been expanding its in-store offerings as part of its Total Home Strategy to be the retailer for everything from paper towels to golf carts. Last year, Lowe’s partnered with Petco to pilot the first “store-in-store” concept adding pet food and supplies, as well as partnering with Instacart for same-day delivery

Lowe’s has nearly 2,200 home improvement and hardware stores in the U.S. and over 300,000 employees.

This story was originally published January 19, 2023 at 6:00 AM.