Café opening soon
Windsor to welcome Playful Pumpkin Play Café in December
“I truly believe that it takes a village to raise a family, and my hope with The Playful Pumpkin is to build that village,” says Stephanie Graham, of Windsor.
This December, Graham is taking the leap and following her dream of opening Hants County’s first-ever play café.
Graham says the Playful Pumpkin Play Café will offer a safe place for young children under the age of six years old to play inside. She has already purchased an indoor, certified structure for older children and an infant area is underway. The environment, she says, will encourage children to grow and develop their imagination and motor skills.
“With a variety of play equipment, children can play safely, giving their caregivers an opportunity to connect with other families and enjoy a hot beverage and tasty snack,” says Graham.
The idea for the play café came from Graham’s own motherhood journey.
“As a mother of two young children, I am well versed in knowing that children need to burn their energy and be engaged to be happy, and happy children equals happy parenting,” she says. “Parenting can be challenging and having a sense of community helps get you through the hard times.”
Graham says with her own children, ages one and three, she’s had plenty of hard times, having suffered from postpartum depression. She says she struggled immensely when searching for outlets to connect socially with others in the Windsor area, especially in the winter months.
“I just wanted to talk to someone who was going through the same experiences. I wanted to enjoy a good hot cup coffee and connect with someone who understood. Not a professional or a doctor, but a peer. As simple as that request was, it was almost impossible,” says Graham.
So, Graham took matters into her own hands and decided to open her own play café, where parents can get out and socialize. Graham’s research has shown that social exchanges decrease stress, anxiety and increase the feelings that bring calm and happiness.
“I can’t replace professional help by any means, but I can give our community that connection for peer support,” she says.
By trade, Graham is a professional child and youth care worker and has her level 2 classification in early childhood. For the past six years, she has been working with the Windsor Daycare Centre. This, combined with more than 10 years of experience in customer service, mainly in the food and beverage industry, gives her the perfect background to run the play café.
“I loved being a server. It was so enjoyable, so I have combined my two favourite jobs into one, working with children and food service,” says Graham.
The Playful Pumpkin Play Café will start serving Full Steam coffee, which is a Nova Scotian company that hand roasts their own organic and fair-trade beans, explains Graham. Local bakery Yum Foods Limited will be providing baked goods in adult and child sized portions. There will also be tea, hot chocolate and cold beverages available for purchase. Once things get rolling, Graham says she is hoping to offer soups and sandwiches.
When asked where the name for the café came from, Graham says her family has always had a fascination with pumpkins. For her, they represent autumn, Thanksgiving, a time for family and Halloween, dressing up, having fun, and acting like children. She says, not to mention the obvious, but they are also raising their family in the town that is known for their pumpkins. So, the name The Playful Pumpkin came naturally.
Graham says that there have been several obstacles to overcome when opening the play café. Her opening date has already been pushed back twice. From the food inspector, fire inspector, and other government branches involved when one is opening a new business, it can be very overwhelming, she says. However, she says she has found that if you’re honest, willing to learn, adapt and follow the rules that people are generally willing to help.
Graham plans to open the café by Dec. 1, if things go as planned from here on out. The Playful Pumpkin Play Café will be located inside the Windsor Mall at 80 Water St. with a brand-new entrance right off Water Street, as well as a stroller accessible entrance through the mall.
Graham says she has lots of plans for the future, and the space in the mall offers room for expansion. But first, she needs to just get opened and start playing.