IT’S NOT JUST CHILD’S PLAY — PARENTS CAN ENJOY, TOO
Fun space for kids broadens appeal with adult-friendly menu, Erin Petrow writes.
Creating a business that provides a fun play space for kids and a relaxing, laid-back atmosphere for parents can be a tough balancing act, but for the Learn and Play Cafe, it’s all about the details.
Deborah Kies and her business partner Jennifer Peters knew they wanted to start a business focused on kids, but they wanted to bring something a little different to the table that was more than just fried finger foods and kid-centric decor.
“We wanted a space that (parents) would enjoy being in,” Kies says. “A lot of kid places really focus on the kids throughout the menu and everything, whereas here we’ve got the espresso coffees and a menu with really good sandwiches … so we wanted to create a space where everyone felt welcome.”
The menu also includes soups, salads, wraps, quesadillas and more, plus snacks for the kids — but the focus is on healthy treats. You won’t find anything deepfried here.
Customers should not expect to be able to just drop off their kids and leave. Learn and Play Cafe offers a variety of play spaces and a program co-ordinator who organizes activities three times a day to keep the young ones busy while the grown-ups relax and enjoy the high-quality treats. All it costs is a small fee per child, paid upon entry.
“So we do have eyes on the kids,” Kies says. “But it’s still the responsibility of the parents ultimately, because we are not a daycare.”
Kies says the Learn and Play Cafe will soon offer classes, like yoga and painting, that parents can enjoy alongside their kids.
Learn and Play Cafe
Owners: Deborah Kies and Jennifer Peters
Address: 441 34th Street E. Hours: Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Website: learnandplaycafe.ca Phone: 306-955-7529
YWCA OPPORTUNITY SHOP
The YWCA’s Opportunity Shop has been a fixture in Saskatoon for the last 55 years, but as it continued to grow, the organization decided it was time to make the move into a larger space.
Now, the shop is located only a few doors down from its old space. The larger store means fewer headaches for the volunteers who run it — some of whom have been with the shop for more than 15 years.
Unlike some of the larger thrift shops in the city, all money raised at the Opportunity Shop stays in Saskatoon and benefits programs run by the YWCA. Spokeswoman and volunteer Joan Patterson says all the money the raised on top of their operating costs — through the sale of clothing and small furniture items donated to the shop — is guaranteed to help a local woman or family who is in need.
“We usually say we’ll take anything that fits in a car. We don’t have room for furniture, but we’ll take chairs, bookcases and things like that,” Patterson says, adding that anyone who wants to donate items can drop them off during store hours at the back door.
Because donations come in on a daily basis, there is always something new to discover — and anything that doesn’t sell after two and a half months is donated to Community Living to keep things fresh.
Patterson says she is especially proud of the quality of the items, most of which only cost a few dollars. Even designer items are known to make their way through the store, although they are specially marked with a pink tag and tend to cost a little extra.
“We had a dress once from Victoria Beckham and it had a tag on it that said $1,800 and I think we sold it for $100 or something like that,” she says.
Another perk to buying at the Opportunity Shop is the personalized service from the volunteers — and the more you shop, Patterson says, the better they get to know you.
“It’s kind of like a ladies’ club — we’ve had the same customers for years,” she says.
YWCA Opportunity Shop
Address: 1-511 First Avenue N. Hours: Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Website: ywcasaskatoon.com Phone: 306-242-8002 Check Facebook
Erin Petrow is a reporter at
The StarPhoenix. If you have started, expanded or moved a small business in Saskatoon within the last few months, contact her at epetrow@ postmedia.com Home-based and temporary businesses, as well as those without physical locations, will not be considered for publication. Follow Erin at twitter.com/petr0w.