CELEBRATION — A large crowd turned out to watch a comedy show as part of the 7 Ranges anniversary celebration. -- Contributed

STEUBENVILLE — With a full year in business under their belt, 7 Ranges Entertainment’s Ronnie Ferguson said his family is thrilled with where the business is headed.

The privately-owned entertainment complex, the brainchild of Lisa and Derek Ferguson and their sons, Bobby and Ronnie, recently celebrated its first anniversary. The family spent millions to purchase, renovate and equip an 80,000-square-foot space for retail space in the Fort Steuben Mall that had housed a Sears store before both fell on hard times, gambling that it would draw patrons from Jefferson County and beyond.

“Throughout this past year there’s been a huge response to 7 Ranges,” Ronnie Ferguson said. “I feel like if you build it, they will come. This establishment is built on a great foundation, not just the ground itself but also the community.”

Steubenville officials see 7 Ranges as a case study in the power of local investment to reinvigorate a community: Ferguson said they don’t track attendance, “but the eye test tells me each month it’s been more than the last.” Data gathered by the city’s artificial intelligence-powered tracking consultant suggests 7 Ranges has averaged at least 12,000 visitors a month.

“They put a heck of an investment there, it’s a great venue for families to come out,” City Manager Jim Mavromatis said. “They have a nice restaurant, games for kids, meeting spaces. It brings people from all over. It was a super addition to try and bring the mall back to life.”

7 Ranges offers more than 150 arcade and virtual reality games; 12 state-of-the-art bowling lanes; eight lanes of axe throwing and a black light mini golf course; a full-service restaurant and bar; room rentals for children’s parties, reunions, corporate events and other gatherings; and a large outdoor patio with seating for more than 100 people, with covered and uncovered areas, outdoor TVs, fire pits and outdoor games.

“We’ve been building and growing throughout the past year,” Ferguson said. “Everything that’s come forth has been wonderful. We have food, entertainment and fun for adults as well as children.”

Second Ward Councilman Tracy McManamon said 7 Ranges has breathed new life into the community, calling it a “one-of-a-kind entertainment complex.”

“We hope it someday will revitalize not just the mall, but that entire quadrant of our city,” he added. “They built not only an amazing complex, but they also restored the parking lot at their own expense, and they did not have to do that.”

Ferguson said the biggest surprise in Year One has been “how big the need in the community has been for hosting birthday parties, baby showers, banquets and other events.”

“We have five different room sizes which hold small parties all the way up to 200 people,” he said. “And as more people check out 7 Ranges, we plan to offer more fun and great food. We’ve already added virtual reality and an outdoor patio in our first year, and we plan to make our second year another exciting expansion.”

Chief Party Officer Jessica Elias said it’s been “petty cool to see it all come together.”

“This past year has been a surprise, I think we underestimated (the impact we would have), then you turn around and say, ‘Wow, people are really excited about this,'” Elias said. “We had over 2,000 kids come through for trunk-or-treat alone, businesses from all over the county came and … passed out candy or whatever they had to distribute. That was exciting to see.”

7 Ranges hosted a comedy show for its one-year celebration, and Elias said they’re working on bringing in more, along with “murder mysteries, team-building experiences and private parties,” pointing out there’s a “wow factor” that appeals to businesses in search of a backdrop for their luncheons and team-building events.

“For 7 Ranges to take the chance that they did, it’s been tremendous for our city,” Mavromatis said.