PORTAL Mini Golf was set up in October by Paul DeMarco as he felt other mini golf courses were generic and overpriced. The 18-hole course is 80s-themed and was hand-painted by local artist Dolly Hope.

WHAT IS THE BUSINESS CALLED?

Portal Mini Golf

WHERE IS IT BASED?

Edinburgh

WHY DID YOU SET UP THE BUSINESS?

MARCO’S Leisure is a fourth-generation family business. We originated from Italy and started out selling ice cream and fish and chips (as many Italian immigrants did!) in Granton, Edinburgh more than 50 years ago. The business evolved into providing leisure, fitness, and family entertainment throughout the 80s and 90s.

Our flagship events venue, the Edinburgh Corn Exchange, opened in 1999 and the past 20 years has seen the leisure side of the business grow and focus solely on indoor football, ten pin bowling and American pool.

We wanted to create a new and exciting facility in a limited space which would appeal to families. We explored the market and realised there was a gap for mini golf – the only competition we felt was generic and overpriced. Our mission was to create something completely unique and memorable that would appeal to families and people of all ages.

I grew up in the family business and I watched and admired my father grow it. There was never a doubt in my mind that I would run this business one day.

I left school in the early 90s – a great time for rave music – and I worked, ran events, and DJ’d to make enough money to get me through university. Once graduated, I was asked to join the family business and was given the very daunting task of opening the Edinburgh Corn Exchange in my early 20s. I was given this task as I had “some event experience” (ie I could run raves and DJ!).

HOW DOES IT WORK?

UP to four players can play together and they each get one glow-in-the-dark golf club and golf ball upon arrival.

We have taken a lot of design elements from the 80s and our favourite TV show, Stranger Things. The holes are a bit crazy and it is totally unique. The first nine holes incorporate a skateboard ramp, pub, rainbow, racetrack, ten pin bowling lane, American pool table and an Evel Knievel style jump. The classic 80s arcade – which you get to through a Stranger Things themed forest – features an ultraviolet section which includes games such as Pac Man, Space Invaders, Tetris, Super Mario, and Tron. Throughout the whole design I wanted to have elements of surprise. There are booby traps and you really have to think outside the box. The initial response from the punters has been amazing, especially families with young children.

HOW HAVE YOU COPED WITH CORONAVIRUS?

I THINK we have coped relatively well considering the "fall off a cliff" drop in revenue to zero between March and late August when we were finally allowed to open some of our businesses. Our company has not made any redundancies throughout this period and we have supported all our staff. With very little support – certainly not enough to cover our losses – we have managed to keep going and we will still be here when we get out of this strange situation.

We decided that while our other venues were either closed or operating at restricted capacities, it made sense to plough on and finish off the Portal Mini Golf project we had started prior to lockdown. And as fate would have it, it turned out that Portal Mini Golf was allowed to open before any of our other businesses. Right now, it’s the only business we have open, so of course I’m glad we took the risk of completing the project.

WHAT IS YOUR TARGET MARKET?

IT’S great for families because anyone can have a go and have fun. It appeals to all ages, whether you remember the 80s the first time around or not. We can also see it being a big hit with companies looking for alternative staff nights out when the restrictions are lifted, or hen and stag parties that want to do something completely different.

HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM COMPETING BUSINESSES?

WE found other mini golf sites to be quite generic and predictable. Kids crazy golf sites tend to be either pirate or dinosaur themed but we wanted to go for something completely original, with plenty of elements of surprise thrown in. We also wanted it to be just as entertaining for grown-ups too so the whole family could enjoy a memorable experience together.

IS SCOTLAND A GOOD PLACE FOR THIS TYPE OF BUSINESS?

THANKS to our typical Scottish weather, families are always on the lookout for fun things to do indoors, so Scotland is definitely a good place for this type of business. So far, we’ve had a great response from the public, many of whom have already booked repeat visits.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT RUNNING THE BUSINESS?

CREATING new and innovative events in the venue has always been great fun, but creating new businesses is what I enjoy the most. I like to be creative and I like to provide facilities which are unique and different to what is already out there. We managed this first with the Edinburgh Corn Exchange venue and the events we created, then with our World of Football centres, Marco’s Pool Hall, and Portal Mini Golf, all of which are unlike any other facilities in Scotland.

I enjoy the challenges of creating these businesses and while we always try to get the experience and quality as high as possible, we do this while also keeping the product pricing competitive so we can provide great value to our customers.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN RUNNING THE BUSINESS?

REGULATIONS and restrictions are always difficult to keep up with and the administration of our type of business, where the public need to attend, involves considerable time and cost.

I strongly believe we need to make it easier for businesses to operate, not harder, release the red tape and let the hospitality industry flourish.

WHERE DO YOU HOPE THE BUSINESS WILL BE IN 10 YEARS’ TIME?

IT will be where it is right now, at the forefront of the leisure sector – providing great quality, unique products, and not charging the earth for them.