CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The teenagers of the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club on Charleston's West Side have a lot of pull.

They've dealt with the "little" kids for far too long, they said. They wanted a place for themselves, a place to call their own.

After some work and a donation from Target, they got what they wanted. This spring, the Boys and Girls Club opened the doors to its teen library and teen center.

"I like it," said Khadijah Fitch, 14, of Charleston. "It's better than being with all the little kids. They aggravate me."

Tarrika Buttler, 13, of Charleston, agreed.

"It's better," she said. "Some of the little girls get smart a lot."

So far, officials say attendance has been mixed, partly because the center was opened so close to the end of the school year.

The Salvation Army's area commander, Capt. Tom Richmond, said they created the center because they started to see the older kids lose interest.

"Instead of not giving them something and just saying, 'OK guys, live with it,' we started to work on the teen center," Richmond said.

The center includes a row of computers with Internet access, a Nintendo Wii, an air hockey, ping-pong and foosball table, and a small stage for karaoke. The entire center takes up part of the building's bottom floor.

"There is a lot of good stuff to play with ... and they have a lot of stuff to do. Whenever I go home it's just boring," Buttler said.

Target, in conjunction with grant money obtained by the Boys and Girls Club, helped fill and furnish the center. Their funding, which came just in time for the 2008 holiday season, "was a great Christmas gift for the West Side of the city," said Richmond.

There is still more to come, he added.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The teenagers of the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club on Charleston's West Side have a lot of pull.

They've dealt with the "little" kids for far too long, they said. They wanted a place for themselves, a place to call their own.

After some work and a donation from Target, they got what they wanted. This spring, the Boys and Girls Club opened the doors to its teen library and teen center.

"I like it," said Khadijah Fitch, 14, of Charleston. "It's better than being with all the little kids. They aggravate me."

Tarrika Buttler, 13, of Charleston, agreed.

"It's better," she said. "Some of the little girls get smart a lot."

So far, officials say attendance has been mixed, partly because the center was opened so close to the end of the school year.

The Salvation Army's area commander, Capt. Tom Richmond, said they created the center because they started to see the older kids lose interest.

"Instead of not giving them something and just saying, 'OK guys, live with it,' we started to work on the teen center," Richmond said.

The center includes a row of computers with Internet access, a Nintendo Wii, an air hockey, ping-pong and foosball table, and a small stage for karaoke. The entire center takes up part of the building's bottom floor.

"There is a lot of good stuff to play with ... and they have a lot of stuff to do. Whenever I go home it's just boring," Buttler said.

Target, in conjunction with grant money obtained by the Boys and Girls Club, helped fill and furnish the center. Their funding, which came just in time for the 2008 holiday season, "was a great Christmas gift for the West Side of the city," said Richmond.

There is still more to come, he added.

Right now the walls are bare, but Richmond hopes that will change. Over the next year, volunteers hope to create a cityscape mural on the cinderblock walls.

Part of the challenge now, Richmond said, is keeping teenagers coming back. With school on the way, come the extracurricular and athletic commitments.

Many of the teens currently at the center say that may keep them away during the fall.

"I don't know if I'll come back," Fitch said. "I have a job in the fall and I run track, do cheerleading and play softball."

Usountay Armstrong, 13, of Charleston, said she might come back, but only if she has time after her after-school activities. The teen center offers her a different experience from just going home.

"At home we have a Wii too, but trying to play with a little sister who doesn't know is really frustrating," Armstrong said.

As she talked about that, a kid came up and asked question after question in a span of seconds.

"Kids like that [get] on my nerves," she said.

The teen center is for anyone between the ages of 13 and 18.

Michelle Parsons, director of the Boys and Girls Club, hopes the teen center will be even more crowded once the little kids are of age.

"I feel like that is going to help retain some kids," she said. "And they have something to look forward to ... this magical place they are not allowed to go."

A Boys and Girls Club membership is $25 each for the winter and the summer. They have an open-door policy.

Reach Jon Offredo at jonoffr...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5189.