By Scott Baker
WEST MILFORD — Less than one month after their first anniversary, Battle Creek Paintball owner Chris Strazza said business has been booming. The sounds of compressed air fire and paintball strikes heard from the busy parking lot recently left little room to argue the fact.
“Business has quadrupled over the last year,” Strazza said. The main reason for the uptick, he added, is the returning customer base.
“Everyone that comes (here) leaves having a good time,” he said. “When you offer a good product, customers return.”
Strazza isn’t the first to offer a paintball field on the property. In fact, he has worked for the previous two owners of the field, which has shared ground with Camp Ocawasin since the early 1990s.
After not seeing eye-to-eye with the previous owner, Strazza and some friends left their jobs to start Prestige Paintball Parks, a company where they could call the shots, and opened their first indoor park in Carlstadt. When the opportunity arose to run the field where he used to work, Strazza jumped at the opportunity.
“I always knew what needed to be done with the field,” Strazza said. "We were finally able to have the time and money to do it.”
Some of these changes included more field maintenance and improvement, more “stand-out” referees, and a stricter standard for safety.
The rundown
Battle Creek offers players a choice of eight playing fields - including their most popular choice, ‘The Junkyard,’ which boasts numerous tires, steel piping and other construction-style debris to use as cover - and multiple game types to choose from. While most players enjoy a simple elimination-style game, where two teams battle until only one is left standing, Battle Creek also offers capture-the-flag and scenario-based games for private parties and special events.
Prices start at $25 and go up from there, depending if the customer needs to rent one of their 250-plus sets of markers and masks. A customer can walk-in with no equipment or prior knowledge of the sport and get an instructional lesson, rentals and 500 rounds of paint for under $50, Strazza said.
Small groups require no reservation, but groups of 10 or more are recommended to call ahead. Larger groups can also reserve a private referee.
The fields are also available for corporate parties of 20 or more on weekdays. Battle Creek is open year round and only stops games for lightning.
“We’re trying to give the community a great experience at a reasonable cost,” Strazza said.
Battle Creek Paintball is located at 625 Macopin Road in West Milford. For more information, or to sign up for email alerts, deals and giveaways, visit battlecreeknj.com or like Battle Creek Paintball on Facebook.